Overview
- Sweden defeated Tunisia 5-1 in Monterrey, with Yasin Ayari scoring twice, Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres also on the scoresheet, and a VAR review overturning an offside to allow Mattias Svanberg’s goal.
- Ayari, who has Tunisian and Moroccan heritage, did not celebrate his first strike and later scored again, a performance that helped put Sweden top of Group F after the opening match.
- The opening weekend produced several lopsided and dramatic results, including Germany’s 7-1 win over Curaçao and a 2-2 draw between the Netherlands and Japan, reshaping early group standings.
- Off the pitch, operational problems intensified: Uruguay’s flight from Cancún to Miami was delayed over aircraft paperwork and permitting issues that the AUF and FIFA publicly disputed before the team reached Miami.
- Visa and entry problems for parts of Iran’s delegation and other accredited participants remain unresolved, adding diplomatic strain and testing FIFA’s ability to manage the expanded 48‑team tournament and its logistics.