Atlético players' performances at the 2026 World Cup (Matchday 1) | OneFootball

The World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada is already underway, with a strong showing from Atlético de Madrid’s international players. All of this came in an opening matchday in which half of the 12 players called up by their national teams got minutes. Starting with those who did not play at all, Obed Vargas (1-0) did not make his debut in the opening World Cup match and will have to wait. Neither did Pubill nor Baena (0-0), in Spain’s draw.

It was an opening World Cup matchday that stretched from June 11 to the early hours of Wednesday into Thursday the 18th, with a big presence from Atlético de Madrid. Jose María Giménez (1-1) did not get any minutes either, despite being La Celeste’s first captain. His muscle problems, which he had already been dealing with in recent weeks as a rojiblanco player, kept him from playing. And for Argentina, neither Musso nor Simeone (3-0) played either in Argentina’s opening win.

For their part, six Atlético de Madrid players got minutes on the opening matchday of the 2026 World Cup. The first to play was Marcos Llorente, who played every minute in an underwhelming performance both from the full-back and from the Spanish national team. A point that felt like too little. The second player to get minutes, which marked his World Cup debut, was Sørloth. The Norwegian striker featured in his country’s 4-1 thrashing of Iraq. The rojiblanco forward was his country’s weakest performer, but he now knows what it is like to take part in a World Cup.

The other four players who got minutes on matchday 1 were the Argentines Thiago Almada, Nahuel, Nico and Julián Alvarez. Almada’s place in the starting lineup came as a surprise, and despite starting, he showed no signs of improving on what he had done during the season. Coming off the bench were Nahuel (45 minutes), Nico (35′), who provided the assist for Messi’s third goal. At the same time as Nico, who was making his World Cup debut, Julián Alvarez (35′) came onto the pitch. As a substitute…

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