New Delhi, June 21 -- If the first round of matches at the 2026 World Cup proved anything, it was this: the expansion of the tournament to 48 teams has not diluted the quality of play one bit. In fact, the world's biggest sporting spectacle has become even better; football's march across the globe has made the game the great leveller.

In the 24 matches of the first round, we have seen it all-the miracle of Cape Verde keeping the Spanish at bay like a modern day Battle of Thermopylae, the undimmed magic of Lionel Messi, the tactical masterclass of Japan against The Netherlands. There have been sensational saves, edge-of-the-seat defending, and most importantly, a deluge of goals.

The 75 goals in the first round was scored at a goals-per-...