With every nation now having played their opening World Cup fixture, it’s time for Dan The Scout to pick his Team of the Tournament so far.From defensive masterclasses to attacking brilliance, here is Dan’s Best XI from Matchday 1.Let us know your own selections in the comments below.GK – Mohammed Al-Owais (Saudi Arabia / Al-Ula Club)The romantics might pick Cape Verde’s keeper Vozinha, but Spain actually failed to translate lots of sideways passing into clear-cut chances.Saudi’s goalie, on the other hand, faced an aerial bombardment in the second half against Uruguay. The 34-year-old’s nine saves are the most in a game so far at this World Cup.RB – Mohamed Hany (Egypt / Al Ahly SC)I’m picking a defender who scored an own goal, which should tell you how great his one-v-one defensive work was against Doku.In the end, the double-team on the Belgian forced him to try his luck on the other side.When you’re making one of your opponent’s best attackers change positions, you know you’ve done your job.CB – Diney Borges (Cape Verde / Al Bataeh)Of course, I could have included their entire back four (including the keeper), but Diney seemed to be the one who led the low block.While Spain’s obsession with sideways passing is boring to some, for defenders it takes an incredible level of concentration when the ball is being moved in front of you and you have to time last-minute blocks.Here’s an incredible stat: Cape Verde parked the bus yet kept a clean sheet while committing one foul. That’s a record since the World Cup started recording this kind of data in 1966.CB – Harry Souttar (Australia / Leicester City)The captain led one of the best tactical performances so far at the World Cup.Australia let Turkey have the ball and invited them to break down their yellow wall.Turkey had 30 shots and 72 per cent possession, yet they could still be playing now and wouldn’t look like scoring.In fact, how many great saves did the Aussie keeper really have to make?LB – Homam El Amin (Qatar / Al Duhail)Qatar were another defence who kept their country in the game, protecting their keeper from having to make too many great saves despite Switzerland’s possession.Their captain gets the extra nod because he created the late equaliser.CM – Joshua Kimmich (Germany / Bayern Munich)Kind of cheating, but if you watched Sunday’s game carefully, after the first water break Julian Nagelsmann asked his right-back to, instead of planning when to step into midfield, simply stay there as the added man.Germany simply waited for Curacao to give away the ball and hit them on the break.CM – Yasin Ayari (Sweden / Brighton)The cruel irony for Tunisia is the young midfielder who scored twice against them was the one Swede who could have played for the African nation.The 22-year-old was muted in his celebrations, respectful to his father’s country.Two of the best long-range strikes of the tournament so far.CM – Weston McKennie (USA / Juventus)Paraguay couldn’t cope with the midfield energy of the hosts, especially when the Americans ran at them.That was led by McKennie.The 27-year-old created three chances and essentially assisted the own goal.ST – Kylian Mbappe (France / Real Madrid)Deschamps is accused of being too conservative at times because whatever he said at half-time on Tuesday worked, as the French, and in particular Mbappe, came out fired up for the second period.Tactically moving Olise into the middle helped, but it was his captain who got two goals and should have won a penalty.When Senegal scored, he told his peers to stay calm, knowing what was to come next.Accused of having an ego in Spain, there was nothing wrong with his leadership skills this week.In the process, he has taken Giroud’s goalscoring record for his country.Working for the BBC, the former Gunner conceded the 27-year-old will end up with all the records.ST – Harry Kane (England / Bayern Munich)Earns his place in my team not because of his two goals, but because of his work rate.You would expect the striker to convert a penalty and get his head to a Rice set-piece, but he did so much more.He was dropping deep to get the ball, pressing from the front and throwing his body in the way of shots.Compare his fitness levels on Wednesday to what he showed at the Euros.ST – Lionel Messi (Argentina / Inter Miami)Four years after what we assumed was his final World Cup, Messi scored his first hat-trick at this stage.There are not enough words in any dictionary to describe the 38-year-old.He claims anything he does at this tournament is fun and a bonus, but he’s more than that.Credit to the champions for finding a system where they play around the legend so he doesn’t have to do the running.That’s not easy to do; just ask Portugal and Ronaldo.Dan SmithDo you agree with Dan’s Matchday 1 Best XI? Who would make your World Cup Team of the Tournament so far? Let us know your selections in the comments below._____________________________________________________________________________________________ADMIN COMMENTSo here are some simple rules which I must insist commenters follow….You agree not to give any personal abuse to other Arsenal fans. Everyone is allowed to hold their own opinions even if you disagree with them. It COSTS NOTHING TO BE POLITE TO OTHER ARSENAL FANS.CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us through this link…More Stories / Latest NewsDan The Scout Names His World Cup Matchday 1 Best XI – Who’s In Yours?18 June 2026, 23:00World Cup 2026 Prediction League: Standings After Matchday 118 June 2026, 22:22World Cup 2026 Predictions Matchday 2 Part 2 Groups G-L: Defeat predicted for Odegaard’s Norway18 June 2026, 21:45The post Dan The Scout Names His World Cup Matchday 1 Best XI – Who’s In Yours? appeared first on Just Arsenal News.