ATLANTA — The World Cup last betwixt Spain and defending champion Argentina marked the extremity of the biggest tourney successful the competition’s history. At the last whistle successful New Jersey connected Sunday, a grounds 104 games had been played crossed astir six weeks and 3 countries.
The supersized tourney delivered thrilling enactment connected the field, with upsets, melodramatic comebacks, spectacular goals and standout performances by the biggest stars of the game.
It besides generated controversy, from governmental tensions surrounding Iran’s information to disapproval against innovations specified arsenic hydration breaks, which were unpopular among galore fans.
Here are immoderate cardinal takeaways from the 2026 World Cup successful the United States, Mexico and Canada.
More teams, much drama
A recently expanded 48-team format raised concerns astir lopsided matches and a deficiency of jeopardy successful the radical stage.
Tell that to Cape Verde, Congo and adjacent Curaçao, which each made past and won caller fans.
Cape Verde held eventual champion Spain to a gully successful its opening game, precocious to the circular of 32 and gave Argentina a scare earlier losing 3-2 successful other clip successful a World Cup classic. Cape Verde’s goalkeeper Vozinha became a breakout prima astatine the property of 40, gaining millions of followers connected societal media.
Congo besides precocious beyond the radical signifier and pushed England earlier yet losing, portion Curaçao was inactive successful with a accidental of making the knockouts going into its last radical match.
FIFA opened its doorway to much teams and they proved they could vie connected soccer’s biggest stage. Nonetheless, it was top-ranked nations Argentina, Spain, France and England — each erstwhile champions — that made it to the last four.
The large stars delivered
The contention for the aureate footwear became a who’s who of the world’s apical players with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham firing connected each cylinders.
Mbappé led the mode with 10 goals successful the tourney and a grounds 22 vocation World Cup goals. Messi had 8 astatine this World Cup and 21 successful total.
Cristiano Ronaldo couldn’t pb Portugal to occurrence successful what helium said was his past World Cup, portion Spain’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal — the prima of the Euros 2 years agone — had to enactment his mode into the tourney aft overcoming injury.
Big tech, large complaints
Video reviews known arsenic VAR were astatine the halfway of a fig of contentious decisions, ruling retired immense goals for Germany, Croatia and Egypt.
Egypt manager Hossam Hassan launched a furious tirade aft Argentina staged a spectacular comeback from 2-0 down to triumph 3-2 successful the circular of 16.
“We person suffered injustice,” helium said aft Egypt had a extremity overturned erstwhile the people was inactive 1-0.
Fitted with sensors, the high-tech shot successful usage astatine the tourney outgo Croatia a melodramatic precocious equalizer against Portugal successful the circular of 32 erstwhile it detected the slightest of touches from Igor Mantanovic and ruled Josko Gvardiol’s extremity offside.
“All these decisions instrumentality the joyousness retired of football,” said Croatia manager Zlatko Dalić, who has since stepped down.
Exorbitant summons prices, but fans inactive turned up
There were concerns going into the tourney that FIFA’s instauration of dynamic pricing would marque crippled tickets unaffordable for mean fans. Some critics accused FIFA of a “monumental betrayal.”
Official summons prices connected wide merchantability ranged from $140 to $2,735 for radical signifier matches and up to $8,680 for the final, acold beyond the prices astatine the erstwhile World Cup successful Qatar successful 2022. After disapproval FIFA said it would connection a enactment of $60 tickets for each crippled to the 48 nationalist federations participating.
FIFA’s resale marketplace spot allowed sellers to database tickets for massively much than look value, including ones for the last for conscionable nether $2.3 million. FIFA didn’t power resale pricing, but took a chopped from sales.
For each the criticism, fans inactive turned up successful large numbers, adjacent for games that didn’t diagnostic marquee teams oregon players.
After a shaky commencement erstwhile determination were bare seats for the crippled betwixt South Korea and the Czech Republic successful Guadalajara, stadium aft stadium reported afloat houses.
Many overseas visitors were impressed by the hospitality they experienced successful the U.S.
Hydration breaks a turnoff
FIFA’s caller hydration breaks midway done each fractional — a novelty for this World Cup — prompted large jeers from fans wrong the stadium, portion erstwhile players were besides critical.
“We’re successful America, right? So, it’s similar it is simply a timeout,” erstwhile Ireland planetary Roy Keane said connected The Overlap podcast.
The breaks were introduced to assistance players woody with the summertime heat, but FIFA stipulated they would hap careless of the weather, venue oregon location.
Coaches utilized them similar timeouts to walk connected in-game tactical instructions. Broadcasters, meanwhile, utilized them arsenic an accidental to instrumentality commercialized breaks.
It is unclear whether FIFA volition instrumentality hydration breaks astatine aboriginal World Cups, but the English Football Association said they were improbable to beryllium successful spot for the 2028 European Championship, co-hosted by England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
Iran participated contempt the war
It’s not antithetic for authorities and athletics to intertwine astatine the World Cup. This clip the biggest governmental tensions surrounded the nationalist squad of Iran.
The warfare successful the Middle East raised doubts astir whether the Iranian squad would amusement up astatine all. It did, but lone aft moving its basal campy from Arizona to Mexico.
Its information was overshadowed by visa issues, with the U.S. refusing visas to respective members of Iran’s delegation. The Iranians besides complained astir question restrictions, including having to permission the U.S. instantly aft each match.
When Iran was eliminated astatine the radical stage, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin made his feelings clear. “I’m conscionable gladsome they’re done and they’re not coming back,” helium said.
Trump’s relation successful focus
While the Trump administration’s question restrictions connected a bid of countries prevented immoderate fans from traveling to the U.S., determination were nary reports of the assertive migration enforcement that immoderate quality rights groups had feared could instrumentality spot astir World Cup stadiums.
Besides the final, Trump didn’t be immoderate World Cup games. However, his narration with FIFA president Gianni Infantino came into crisp absorption erstwhile U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s 1 crippled prohibition for a reddish paper was suspended up of the team’s circular of 16 crippled against Belgium.
Trump said helium had called Infantino to inquire for the determination to beryllium reviewed earlier FIFA made Balogun eligible to play. FIFA insisted its disciplinary bodies acted independently, but the incidental raised question astir governmental interference.
Ultimately, the determination didn’t assistance the U.S. arsenic it mislaid 4-1 to Belgium.
English (US)·