The second weekend of the 2026 World Cup saw the tournament favorites get back on track and set themselves apart from the rest of the field, while Cape Verde continued its fairytale run.   Friday afternoon was also highlighted by the United States securing Group D and advancing to the knockout round after its 2-0 win against Australia. America’s opponent in the following round has yet to be determined.  After surprising draws in their opening matches, Brazil, the Netherlands, and Spain proved why many predict them to win the tournament.  Brazil followed its disappointing 1-1 tie against Morocco in its opening game with a hot first half against Haiti. Matheus Cunha scored the first two goals at the 23rd and 36th minutes, setting the tone for what would be a dominant first half. Brazil’s star Vinícius Júnior scored in the third minute of injury time in the first half for his second goal of the young tournament, and Brazil defeated Haiti 3-0. The Dutch have not lost in regulation or extra time since the 2010 World Cup final against Spain. On Saturday, the Netherlands continued its record of consecutive World Cup matches without a loss by picking up its 14th straight against Sweden in a commanding way.  Led by two goals in the first 20 minutes of the first half from Brian Brobbey and two in the first 10 minutes of the second half by Cody Gakpo, Netherlands won 5-1, propelling them to the top of Group F with Japan. Coming off a 7-1 win, Germany struggled against Ivory Coast, who led the powerhouse 1-0 at the end of the first half following Franck Kessié’s goal in the 30th minute. The German national team was saved when Deniz Undav was substituted into the game with 30 minutes remaining in regulation.  Undav, who came off the bench and scored in their last game, scored two goals to pull off the comeback against Ivory Coast, one of them coming in the fourth of six minutes of stoppage time in the second half. WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT?