The 2026 FIFA World Cup, with its expanded format of 48 teams, presented numerous bright events both on and off the field across Canada, Mexico, and the USA. Over five weeks of competition brought exciting spectacles and a host of interesting stories.
The competition for the top scorer title started early and remained tense until the final round. Prominent forwards such as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, and Harry Kane led the rankings.
Mbappé, who scored twice during France's 6-4 loss to England in the playoff for third place on Saturday, leads Messi by two goals, and there is still the final match on Sunday. The French player also became a World Cup scoring record holder, netting 22 goals in three tournaments, one goal ahead of Messi.
The Cape Verde team, making its debut at the tournament, advanced through the group stage without a defeat, emerging from a group that included former champions Spain and Uruguay. Deroy Duarte stated after his team advanced to the 32-team stage against defending champions Argentina: 'Honestly, I feel like I'm living in a fairy tale.'
The African squad pushed Messi's team to the limit, conceding twice before Argentina won in extra time. The Caribbean island of Curaçao, the smallest country participating in the World Cup by population, also showed its brilliance by holding off Ecuador after Germany initially crushed them 7-1.
Argentina repeatedly demonstrated vulnerability at the 2026 World Cup but always found a way to overcome difficulties. The defending champions easily passed the group stage but faced Cape Verde in extra time and managed to recover after trailing 0-2 against Egypt. They again needed extra time to defeat Switzerland in the quarter-finals and narrowly avoided defeat by England in the semi-finals thanks to a late brace.
Although Argentine football was not the most elegant, their relentless spirit became their main strength.
The World Cup was free of off-field disputes until Folarin Balogun became the center of a political crisis. The American forward, who scored three goals, was sent off in his club's match in the 32-team stage against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which excluded him from the next game.
However, FIFA intervened and overturned his ban, causing widespread condemnation, especially after it was revealed that US President Donald Trump had interfered. The host nation was beaten by Belgium 4-1 in the 16-team stage, where Balogun played little. Following this, the 25-year-old athlete admitted that the incident created additional pressure on the team.
Erling Haaland helped Norway achieve the best result in World Cup history and also became a social media sensation due to his unusual posts. The high striker for Manchester City increased his Instagram followers by 30 million since the start of the tournament, reaching over 71 million.
Haaland, aged 25, whose team lost to England in the quarter-finals, now has more Instagram followers than the official City account. One of his posts depicted a 'Viking formation,' which will be one of the memorable moments of the tournament. This ritual involved players leading Norwegian fans in a rhythmic line mimicking a Viking ship.
He also shared a photo of his return to Norway accompanied by a plush raccoon, explaining: 'He followed me home.'
The run-up to the semi-final between Argentina and England was overshadowed by discussions about the disputed Falkland Islands, known as Malvinas in Spanish. Argentina managed to equalize after conceding a goal and won 2-1, reaching its third final in four World Cups.
After the final whistle, players held a banner reading: Las Malvinas son Argentinas (Falkland Islands are Argentine). Great Britain appealed to FIFA to review the incident, and the governing body issued a statement that it was 'analyzing match reports.'
The final match of the World Championship concluded, marking the end of the tournament battles. In it, the national teams of Spain, the reigning European champion, and Argentina, the holder of the Copa América title, faced each other.
The competition was under the complete control of the Spanish team. During the game, dubbed 'Red Fury,' more than twenty shots were taken, and every shot was aimed at Emiliano Martínez. The main part of the match passed without any goals, which necessitated moving to extra time.
In the 106th minute, Ferran Torres managed to score a goal, opening the scoring. This goal remained the only one in the match until its conclusion, allowing Spain to win the World Championship title.
Spain defeated Argentina, who played with ten men, thanks to Ferran Torres' goal in extra time. This goal allowed 'La Roja' to win the match 1-0 and secure their second World Cup.
The goal that proved decisive in the game was scored by Torres early in the second period of extra time. He finished a combination following a brilliant deflection from Nico Williams.
The second half of the match saw changes when midfielder Enzo Fernandez received a second yellow card for a reckless tackle on Pau Kubarsi during the break of the second half. Spain dominated throughout the entire match.
Spain managed to defeat Argentina 1-0, thereby winning their second FIFA World Cup title. The final match between the two teams was tense and lasted 125 minutes.
The final match took place at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday. The match attracted enormous attention from fans, especially due to the confrontation between Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal, where a recognized legend met an emerging young star.
Leading up to the final, Argentina demonstrated impressive play, managing to stage a comeback with a score of 2-1 against England in the semi-final. As for Spain, this was their first time reaching the World Cup final since their triumph in 2010, having defeated France 2-0 thanks to confident play.
