Umir Irfan
Football tactics correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Kieron, Darwen: Umir, are England a better team when Harry Kane drops deeper to spread the play? Or is it better if he stays in and around the penalty area? Is there room for both Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham in the team?

Personally I think Kane is much better used dropping deep (and so does Vincent Kompany and Thomas Tuchel!) One reason is for for his ability to provide the team with great passing quality for runners ahead of the ball like Luis Diaz at Bayern, Son Heung-min at Spurs and now Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford for England.

If teams man-mark him when he drops deep, there is space left in the opponent's defence for the runners we've mentioned. If they don't follow him, he becomes a spare man in midfield, helping England keep good possession and with time and space he can play dangerous passes.

This tactic also helps him score, more interestingly. By dropping deep, he is slower to arrive to the final third. As teams drop closer to their goal when defending, space opens up in front of their back line. Kane often finds himself in these areas unmarked - able to score from distance.

There can be room for Rogers and Bellingham with Rogers on the left but it goes against Tuchel's system - I doubt we see it.

Tuchel wants wingers who are good one against one able to run down the line - think Gordon, Rashford, Noni Madueke. This helps push teams deeper and opens up space in front of defences for the likes of Kane, Bellingham and Declan Rice to score from. Watch the first goal against Costa Rica for a good example.

Forty-eight teams, 104 matches - and you can predict them all across the BBC Sport website and app.

A new predictor game is being introduced to cover this year's World Cup, allowing users to pick what they think will be the result from every match.

The new game also features streaks, so make sure to check in each day and make your predictions.

PLAY WORLD CUP PREDICTOR HERE

(UK users only)

Players will also have the chance to enter a prize draw to win an official World Cup football signed by members of the BBC World Cup team.

Umir Irfan
Football tactics correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Jasper, Manchester: About France, people say that the team is tailor-made for Kylian Mbappe - to what extent is this true?

Didier Deschamps is one of the best coaches in the world at creating a team that looks at his players first. Other coaches can instead end up having a system they like – before looking to find who they can put into it.

For that reason, France's system is a bit hard to read.

On paper, it looks like a 4-2-3-1 but Mbappe (the striker) moves over to the left to play very close to the left winger. This was Hugo Ekitike before his injury but Desire Doue played out wide last game. These wider left attacking positions suit Mbappe more than playing him as an out and out striker.

Ousmane Dembele (the number 10) then moves into a more natural striker position and Michael Olise plays on the right. In that way it can look like a 4-2-4 that is quite lopsided.

Deschamps also plays Adrien Rabiot as the left central midfield to provide the running that Mbappe may not always do defensively.

We will see how it pans out but yes, the ideas make sense. Players are put in areas of the pitch that they feel comfortable in and some not-so-big names are selected for the qualities they bring to the team, to help maximise the likes of Mbappe.

Umir Irfan
Football tactics correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Jake, London: Hey Umir - How crucial is Scott McTominay going to be for how Scotland are set up? Miss him as a United fan as he's one of a kind.

Big fan of McTominay myself and I think if Scotland are to get joy, he will likely be central to it. His ability to cover big distance, even in a warmer climate, will be one of his strengths. If teams look to press Scotland when they build out from the back, his ability to carry the ball up the pitch will give Scotland respite. He also makes sense as an aerial target when they go long.

As we've seen for both United and Napoli, he has match-winning quality. His ball-striking and threat from set-plays will be key if Scotland are to turn tight games into results.

In short, arguably their most important player for me.

Thanks to everyone who has shared their thoughts so far.

If you'd like to send BBC Sport Football Tactics Correspondent Umir Irfan a question, you can do so by clicking 'Get Involved' at the top of the page.

Umir Irfan
Football tactics correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Paul, Manchester: We have seen a significant increase in the use of 'set piece coaches' in domestic football. Is this as prevalent worldwide, are we likely to see the widespread use of these in the World Cup, and will tactics from 'set piece coaches' differ between the different countries/regions in the World Cup?

Football is increasingly a globalised game and we've already seen the trends of the Premier League and the Champions League bleed into the opening few games and the qualifiers. Teams across the world generally tend to employ set-piece coaches or have one of their coaching staff increasingly focus on this part of the game.

For example, Mexico scored numerous set-plays in their games prior to the World Cup starting and Czech Republic opted to concede possession before scoring via a long-throw.

Especially against stubborn defences, there is logic to keeping the game tight and scoring via a set-play instead of taking more risks on the ball and potentially conceding counter-attacks so in a knockout competition I think we will see teams try to do so.

As for the differing tactics of set-plays per country - perhaps less so, although it would be fun to see. The Premier League's long-throws and in-swinging corners to crowded boxes were pretty effective so those ideas will generally persist (again, as seen in Czech Republic's approach v South Korea).

Ever wanted to see a World Cup match from every angle? How about a full-pitch tactical view? Or even see the match through the eyes of a player?

Well, now you can with the brand-new Fifa World Cup 3D Experience.

This is a UK-first that is only available on BBC Sport, starting with Friday's game between Canada and Bosnia-Herzegovina at 20:00 BST.

The interactive game experience gives viewers more choice to explore the match both in real-time, highlights and full-match replays.

For more details and guidance on how access the experience - click here.

Umir Irfan
Football tactics correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Seth, Ashbourne: Which current England player is most likely to become a future England manager? I'd have to say Jordan Henderson.

I would likely echo the Henderson shout. Defensive midfielders tend to make good managers because they see the greater picture of the game and as a captain he speaks well too. Having played under Jurgen Klopp, Gareth Southgate, and Thomas Tuchel now – as well as experiencing football at Ajax, it does make sense.

I also think Marc Guehi could. Similarly, a well-spoken captain, and although his time under Pep Guardiola was short, that sort of education is often enough to spur a career in management for many ex-pros.

As you digest reaction for last night's two games, why not also have a go at our brand new Who am I? game.

The rules are simple. Each day there's a new footballer and the challenge is to guess who they are in as few attempts as possible.

After each wrong guess you unlock a new clue. But, if you get your answer in as few guesses as possible, you get more points.

Three is a good score, four or five points is exceptional.

So, take part in quiz number one and return for more tomorrow.

Today's player and clues are set by BBC Sport's Flora Snelson.

Umir Irfan
Football tactics correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

MJP, Glasgow: How do you expect Scotland to line up against Haiti? Will it be different from how they shaped up against Bolivia?

Scotland under Steve Clarke are a team that are strong without the ball, especially when attacking big space. Against Haiti however they will probably have to take a more front-footed approach given the quality gap between both sides.

Against Bolivia they had 46% of the possession. Against Haiti, I suspect they will have a fair bit more.

Looking at their performance against Belarus (ranked 100) is a better indicator of the approach they will likely take.

Ben Gannon-Doak started on the wing in that game and provides more individual quality against stubborn defences so may get minutes. John McGinn tends to move in-field even if he starts from a wider position, and played on the left against Belarus. I think he may do the same again with Andy Robertson given license to push on.

Set-plays and the physicality will be key to help them break the deadlock if the game is tight too but that is something they do irrespective of the possession they have in a game.

Umir Irfan
Football tactics correspondent

I'm excited that the World Cup is finally under way and looking forward to hearing what questions you have on all things tactics this morning.

This is how I've caught up on the opening games this morning, with my assistant coach on hand to fill me in on the latest tactical innovations.

Get your questions in by clicking 'Get Involved' at the top of this page and I'll get through as many as I can.

Image source, Umir Irfan

We've got plenty of your questions coming in for BBC Sport's football tactics correspondent Umir Irfan - he's frantically typing away with his answers now.

Keep them coming by clicking 'Get Involved' at the top of this page, and please address it to Umir so it doesn't get lost.

Umir is happy to take anything World Cup-related!

Not a morning person, Mike?

We've already posted the highlights a couple of times and they are in the key points at the top of this page too.

But it's no bother getting them to you again!

Image source, Reuters

Raul Jimenez's goal was the 46th for his country in his 125th appearance, moving him joint second in Mexico's list of goalscorers, behind only Javier Hernandez on 52.

Even when the game started, Jimenez was breaking new ground in his career.

He had previously made six substitute appearances in World Cup finals - one in the 2014 tournament, two in 2018 and on three occasions in 2022.

But, in his first World Cup start, he almost made an immediate impact, having a powerful half-volley superbly saved by South Africa's Ronwen Williams in the fourth minute.

Jimenez, who earlier this week completed a move from Fulham to former club Wolves, sealed the victory in the 67th victory to ensure co-hosts Mexico made a winning start.

Former England defender Gary Neville, speaking on ITV, said: "That is likely to be the greatest moment of his life from a football perspective, scoring in front of 80,000 in that stadium, in his home country. It is a great moment for him."

Ex-England striker Ian Wright added: "It was very emotional for Raul Jimenez. If it was me, I would probably feel the same.

"The thing about it is when he scores the goal as he runs off, you can see the realisation and that is where the emotion comes."

BBC 5 Live Breakfast

Mexican Football expert, Jamie Landeros speaking to 5 Live: "I was waiting for South Africa to show up, unfortunately it was just a one sided affair, we let them off the hook, for us Mexicans, I felt like we should have won by four or five goals and there was a lot of nerves, a lot of nerves, we saw it early. I think even our goalkeeper Raul Rangel was a little bit shaky at times, but we settled into the match and Quinones just tore the roof off over in Azteca.

"Raul Jimenez, this is his fourth World Cup, had zero goals going into this and how can you not be romantic about football? You have an incredible moment at home, in front of the fans. He had a few chances before in the match, but what a great moment for Raul and what it means for him and obviously losing his father earlier this year, just a beautiful storyline and excited for him."

Image source, Getty Images

It was a moment Raul Jimenez had waited his whole life for - and one that seemed impossible a few years ago.

The Mexico striker could have died on the football pitch in November 2020 when a sickening head injury left him with a fractured skull.

Now, less than six years later, the 35-year-old was overcome with emotion when he powered in a header to give Mexico a 2-0 victory over South Africa at the famous Azteca Stadium in the first match of the 2026 World Cup.

Jimenez, who had connected with Roberto Alvarado's right-wing cross to score his country's second goal, leapt high, celebrated wildly and then pointed to the sky - seemingly in tribute to his father Raul Jimenez Vega, who died in March.

As the majority of the 80,000 fans went wild, Mexico's players mobbed the Wolves striker, the achievement sunk in for Jimenez, who was then in tears.

"We really congratulated him because he gives a lot to the team," said Julian Quinones, who scored in the ninth minute for the opening goal of the competition to put Mexico ahead.

"Being part of a team is our pride and it's wonderful he continues to add goals to his career as a player in our national team."

Away from the red card controversy, there were some more heartwarming storylines on the opening day of this World Cup.

For pure footballing theatre, South Korea's comeback win against Czech Republic was a great way to get the ball rolling.

While the emotional scenes inside he Azteca were exemplified by Raul Jimenez's tearful response to scoring Mexico's second goal of their 2-0 win over South Africa...

This is a heads up that we will soon be joined by BBC Sport's football tactics correspondent Umir Irfan.

Do you remember Umir? He was the journalist that Pep Guardiola jokingly invited to be his assistant coach when Umir hit the then Manchester City manager with an astute question at a news conference.

Fortunately, the "brilliant" Umir is still with us at BBC Sport and will be here shortly to answer any questions you have around the tactics of this World Cup.

It might be around how he expects Scotland to set up for their opener against Haiti, or a request for Umir's view on which of Thomas Tuchel's left wingers will give England the most attacking thrust - whatever is on your mind, send us a question to get some insight from our in-house tactical maestro.

You can submit your question by clicking 'Get Involved' at the top of this page, and please address it to Umir so it doesn't get lost.

Not sure what to ask?

Take a look at Umir's World Cup preview , externalepisode of Gamechangers on YouTube, where he talks to former Everton midfielder Leon Osman about Tuchel tactics and what Nico O'Reilly will bring to the side.