The Best Matches Of The 2026 World Cup: The Top 5 After Argentina vs. Egypt

The best matches of the 2026 World Cup highlight how quickly the tournament has delivered drama before the quarterfinals. With 95 of 104 games completed, the article ranks five standout contests from the group stage through the round of 16, emphasizing late goals, tense knockout moments, and VAR decisions. In Toronto, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modrić faced off as Croatia struck first through Ivan Perišić, but Ronaldo equalized in stoppage time with his first World Cup knockout-stage goal. Gonçalo Ramos then scored a late winner after Ronaldo was taken off in the 81st minute, while an attempted Croatia equalizer was ruled out following a lengthy VAR review. Another thriller featured Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez scoring at 93 minutes and Sasa Kalajdzic leveling at 96. The list also includes Argentina’s round-of-16 comeback vs Egypt, where Lionel Messi assisted for Cristian Romero and later scored, and Enzo Fernández’s 92nd-minute winner set up the next stage.