104 matches. 308 goals. More than 30 days of football across three countries and 16 cities. The FIFA World Cup 2026™ was the biggest and most dramatic tournament in the history of the competition — and it produced moments that will be discussed for decades. Here are the ten that defined it.
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Ferran Torres and Spain’s Second World Cup Title
In the 106th minute of extra time in the Final at New York New Jersey Stadium, substitute Ferran Torres drove a volley into the roof of the net. Spain beat Argentina 1–0, becoming world champions for the second time. The victory also made Spain the first and only nation in football history to simultaneously hold both the men’s and women’s FIFA World Cup titles — the women’s trophy having been won in 2023. One goal, one moment, and two pieces of history at once.
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Cabo Verde – The Underdogs of the tournament
Cabo Verde were the biggest underdogs of this tournament. The tiny Atlantic archipelago arrived in North America with minimal expectations and left having captured the imagination of the entire football world. They held eventual champions Spain to a 0–0 draw in the group stage. Then, in the knockout rounds, they pushed Argentina to the brink — trailing 2–1 in extra time before Sidny Lopes Cabral curled an extraordinary equaliser from the edge of the box in the 103rd minute to make it 2–2, before Argentina eventually won 3–2. Their 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha became one of the tournament’s unexpected stars, his performances generating a social media following that no one from Cabo Verde had ever imagined possible.
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Mbappé’s Double Golden Boot — and the All-Time Record
Kylian Mbappé became the first player in history to win the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot twice, finishing the tournament with 10 goals after a brace in the third-place match against England. His second goal of that evening — struck in the 66th minute — was simultaneously his 22nd career World Cup goal, moving him past Lionel Messi to become the all-time leading scorer in the history of the competition.
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Egypt’s VAR Fury and the Coach Who Made a Statement
Argentina’s round of 16 victory over Egypt, ultimately decided 3–2, was engulfed in controversy. A potential Mostafa Ziko goal was disallowed after a VAR review ruled a foul in the build-up deep in Egypt’s own half — a decision that infuriated the Egyptian camp. The situation escalated further when referee François Letexier declined to consult the pitchside monitor after Alexis Mac Allister was seen flattening Hamdy Fathy inside the box. Egypt‘s head coach Hossam Hassan walked towards the referee on the touchline and crossed his arms to form FIFA’s official anti-racism ‘X’ gesture — a moment of protest that was broadcast worldwide and sparked a broader debate about refereeing standards and tournament accountability.
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Croatia’s Three Disallowed Goals Against Portugal
Croatia’s exit in the Round of 32 against Portugal, who won 2–1 after extra time, became the tournament’s most contentious VAR story before the later controversies arrived. Croatia had three separate goals disallowed across the match, the most painful being Joško Gvardiol’s equaliser ruled out deep in stoppage time. Video replays showed Croatian forward Igor Matanović appearing to miss the ball entirely on a header in the build-up — but electronic tracking data reached a different conclusion to what the cameras showed. It raised fundamental questions about the role of technology in the game and dominated football discourse for several days.
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England 6–4 France — The most entertaining match
The third-place match in Miami was supposed to be a consolation fixture. England and France produced one of the most extraordinary matches in World Cup history instead. England led 4–0 at half-time, built without Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, or Anthony Gordon in the starting eleven. France mounted a ferocious second-half comeback led by Mbappé’s brace and a goal from Barcola that brought the score to 4–3. Bukayo Saka scored from the penalty spot in the 87th minute, and a late Bellingham goal in the 98th made it 6–4. Saka scored a hat-trick. It is England’s best World Cup finish since 1966.
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Cristiano Ronaldo’s Farewell Across Six World Cups
At 41 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo competed in his sixth FIFA World Cup. He did what he has done at every tournament since 2006: he scored. The goal extended his own record as the only player ever to find the net in six different World Cup editions, a milestone that says as much about longevity as it does about ability. When Portugal’s campaign ended, and Ronaldo walked off the pitch for the last time in a World Cup, the tears were visible. An era — and a record that looks almost impossible to break — came to an end.
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The Balogun Red Card and Football’s Political Moment
The USA won 2-0 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32. But in the 64th minute, Folarin Balogun received a red card for a dangerous tackle — a decision that appeared correct on the replays. What followed was unprecedented: calls from the White House led to FIFA temporarily overturning the automatic suspension that would have followed, a highly criticised intervention that raised serious questions about the independence of football’s governing body.
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Norway’s Giant-Killing Run
Norway had an amazing run at the FIFA World Cup 2026™. Erling Haaland scored seven goals across five matches. The highlight was a 2–1 victory over Brazil in the Round of 16 that sent shock waves across the world. Their eventual elimination came against England in a grueling quarter-final match that went to extra time. But the Norwegian campaign, and Haaland’s individual contribution to it, was one of the genuine stories of the tournament.
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Messi’s Silver — The Final Chapter
Lionel Messi played his sixth and almost certainly final FIFA World Cup at 39 years of age, carrying Argentina through knockouts that required comebacks against Egypt and England before a Final against Spain. In the Final itself, Argentina did not register a single shot on target across 120 minutes — Spain’s defensive system made sure of that. Six World Cup appearances, one title in 2022 and two runner-up medals in 2014 and 2026 — a legacy that speaks for itself.
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