It's over.
The 2026 Men's World Cup has finally come to a smash-and-grab end with Spain taking home the trophy as the best team in the tournament.
The "Futbol Is Life!" crew spent the last five weeks watching from parks in Berlin, British pubs in Minneapolis, a Moroccan watch party in Winnipeg, the streets of Vancouver and singing with Argentinians in Kansas City. Whew, what a ride! Here we play "two roses and a thorn" where the crew highlights a couple positive takeaways and one critique of the World Cup.
Thank you for listening and commenting, and hopefully we'll run it back next year for the Women's World Cup in 2027 in Brazil.
Bianca Karjalainen
Highlights
Immigrant communities in the United States and other host countries. The beautiful byproduct of the World Cup has been creating connection and strengthening immigrant communities within the US and other host countries. There have been countless stories published on people coming together to connect, share customs and find opportunities to celebrate. My own experience during this World Cup has been shaped by the Argentine‑American communities I’ve connected with in Minneapolis; Portland, Oregon; and Kansas City, Missouri. Every match has become a chance to share pieces of Argentina with friends — whether it’s the fútbol obsession, the quiet care that goes into passing around mate or the brilliant colors of our flag. It’s been joyful, grounding and a reminder of how this tournament can make a big world feel a little closer.
Newcomers to the World Cup. For the past decade or more, the World Cup has brought its familiar giants — Messi, Ronaldo, Modrić, Ochoa, Neymar — the players who feel larger than life every time they touch the ball. In 2026, it also gave us a fresh wave of first‑time national team stars. Cabo Verde’s Vozinha and Lopes Cabral (I’m still replaying that goal against Argentina), Norway’s unstoppable Haaland and Spain’s fearless young winger Lamine Yamal all made their mark. Now that the icons are retiring from international play after this tournament, 2030 suddenly feels like a blank canvas. These younger players now have the opportunity to step into the spotlight, redefine greatness and shape the next era of the World Cup for their national team.
Lowlight
FIFA the greed machine. It can feel counterproductive to critique the organization producing the entertainment, yet many of this tournament’s frustrations trace back to FIFA. The new addition of hydration breaks at 22 minutes into each half was especially disruptive. They interrupted momentum, stalled promising runs of play and broke up the natural flow that makes fútbol so compelling. For U.S. viewers watching the English broadcast, those pauses often meant a string of commercials. An easy conclusion to come to is that these breaks were implemented less for the player’s well-being and more for the benefit of FIFA’s bottom line. Ticket pricing told a similar story. With the implementation of “dynamic pricing," group‑stage seats jumped from roughly $200 in 2022 to more than $700 in 2026. A single ticket to the final match averaged more than $2,500, with median resale prices well over $8,000. Not everyone can make it to a stadium, but prohibitive ticket fees should not be the barrier that keeps willing fans out.
Chris Walker
Highlights
Sidny Lopes Cabral's Goal. Great football matches are defined by great moments, and there was arguably no greater moment in this World Cup than when the world learned the name of Cabo Verde fullback Sidny Lopes Cabral.
Cabo Verde were already the darlings of the tournament. Making their first appearance in a World Cup as a tiny group of islands with a population of just over 500,000 people, they became instant favorites when they drew (now World Champion) Spain 0-0 in their first game of the tournament. Their goalie, Vozinha, became an overnight household name and grew a massive following on Instagram as the tournament went on.
The fact they made the knockout round in their first installment as one of the smallest countries to ever even qualify for the World Cup was an occasion worth celebrating. But they craved more. They drew none other than the reigning World Cup winners, Argentina and Lionel Messi.
Cabo Verde came into the game as massive underdogs, with Argentina being -750 favorites in the sportsbooks. When Messi put the first goal past Vozinha and went up 1-0 in the 29th minute, many people (myself included) figured it was the beginning of the end to this fairytale. But the Blue Sharks came back in the 59th minute via a Deroy Duarte goal, and to everyone's surprise, ended the 90 minutes tied 1-1 with mighty Argentina.
Lisandro Martinez then quickly put the defending champs back up a goal two minutes into extra time. It set the stage for what would be another improbable comeback, but certainly in a way no one could've ever expected.
In the 103rd minute, Lopes Cabral took the ball on the left side of the field, well outside the 18-yard box. The fullback cut inside with his right foot to find space away from the defender and then, in an instant, cemented his name in history with one of the most incredible World Cup goals of all-time. Lopes Cabral unleashed a shot with more audacity than most players would have from that position on the field and curled the ball into the top right corner of the net. All Argentina goalie Emiliano Martinez could do was watch, as he didn't even attempt a dive.
What then followed was pure chaos. Cabral Lopes genuinely looked like he had no idea how to celebrate, so he jumped into the crowd to celebrate with his family.
I was watching the game with my wife Ashley while our daughters were sleeping upstairs. When that goal happened, I jumped out of my seat and covered my mouth in an effort not to scream. In sports, the term "heart-stopping" is used every now and then, and I've never understood where it came from until that moment. Everything felt still, and it truly felt like my heart stopped because I couldn't believe what I had witnessed. It's a prime example of the sheer power of football and a reminder why it's the greatest game on the planet.
I still, to this day, hardly know anything about Sidny Lopes Cabral. I don't even know what club he plays for. But I will never forget where I was when he scored what I can only hope is the Puskás winner (FIFA's Goal of the Year for any league/competition) of 2026.
Vamos Cabo Verde!
The Fans! By many measurements, this World Cup was a massive success. One of the biggest surprises was how well the expansion to 48 teams worked. (Reports are FIFA is looking at expanding again, and I really hope they decide not to.) It gave us heartwarming stories like debutants such as Curacao and Uzbekistan. While these created great moments on the field, the expanded tournament gave us many moments off the field by inviting so many more countries' fans to one place to celebrate the love of football.
I'm someone who would argue that social media provides many more negative elements than it does positive, but every now and then, it shines light on some great stories of humanity. At a time when it might've been needed more than any other, the 2026 World Cup was one of those examples of much-needed positivity.
We met the prideful residents of Lawrence, Kansas, who welcomed the Algerian team to their community as their home for training.
We learned the Norwegian Row and saw it in the most unexpected places — escalators, airplanes and Times Square.
We saw video of a Japanese fan learning how to "Split the G" of a Guinness (and doing so perfectly on his first try) while his team scored immediately after in the game they were airing on TV in the bar.
We saw the Bosnians march in Toronto, South American countries turn stadiums into a "home" game and Scotland have such an incredible effect on the city of Boston that it's now becoming sister cities with Glasgow.
I was able to witness it firsthand with my wife and daughters in Vancouver. We were in awe while in the midst of a Canadian march to the stadium, and then a few days later, an Egyptian march. My daughters chanted "Egypt!" in Arabic when we were back in the U.S. watching Egypt play on TV.
These are only a few of the many, many examples of fans coming together, celebrating our universal love for this sport and displaying the best of humanity. When I walked the streets of Vancouver, I saw people from all over the world wearing their countries' jerseys, having a beer with one another, juggling footballs in the street and cheering while every single bar and restaurant had the World Cup on TV. It was truly heartwarming and so good for the soul. Above all, it has left me with more optimism than I had prior to this World Cup.
Football is, always has been and always will be the people's game. FIFA and no other entity will ever be able to take that away from us. If you go look at the countless examples of fans coming together over the last 40 days, it's a refreshing reminder why they call it the beautiful game.
Lowlight
Article 27. It will be of no surprise to anyone that the lowlight of this World Cup involves FIFA. Without reading my colleagues' submissions, I'd be astonished if theirs didn't involve the same organization. For years, FIFA's issues have been well documented. It is one of the most complicated relationships in the world for football fans like myself who adore the World Cup but face the reality that the organizers of this tournament are filled with greed and corruption.
In years past, you could make an argument that most of FIFA's issues were related to instances outside of the actual game. This year, however, fans across the world learned of the now-infamous Article 27, which basically gives FIFA the right to do whatever they want, whenever they want. Leading up to the World Cup, FIFA used this article to allow Cristiano Ronaldo the opportunity to participate in the World Cup, when in reality, he should have been suspended due to his red card accumulation.
In the end, that decision wasn't too surprising. What was, though, was when reports came out that USA's leading scorer, Folarin Balogun, would be allowed to play in the Round of 16 game against Belgium after he received a red card in the prior game. Immediately, folks started to wonder how this could've happened, especially since it took days after the previous game to announce. Soon, we all learned what some of us had feared — the White House made a direct call to FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the red card, and the rest is history.
Sports have always been an escape for many fans. A way to tune out the noise of politics, international conflict and the negativity of the real world. What we saw was direct political interference to impact the result of a game, and as a diehard U.S. men's national team fan, it's a decision that continues to worsen the more I think about it. The only justice was that Balogun had almost no impact on the result as Belgium cruised to a 4-1 victory. As an American fan, though, it's hard to escape the fact that it had a result on how poorly the U.S. men played, as it had to be weighing over their heads.
This has set an incredibly poor precedent for the future, and if there's one thing that FIFA has shown us time and time again, it's that things will only get worse.
Malachy Koons
Highlights
"Fútbol Is Life!" When thinking of my World Cup highlights, I have to start with our segment on Friday mornings. Getting to share our love for the beautiful game with listeners was so much fun and something I looked forward to all week long. Shout out to Dan, Bianca and Chris for their passion and dedication to the sport. If you ask anyone who knows me, I cannot stand group chats and rarely chime in, but our constant chatter while watching the games this past month was delightful and made it an extra special World Cup.
Nico Williams gives his mom his medal. For another highlight, I'll go right to the final game and the post-match celebrations when Nico Williams — whose header set up Ferran Torres's winning goal — found his mom in the crowd and handed her his medal. More than any other sport, fútbol can tell a story of migration, culture, globalization and identity. For context, Williams' parents travelled over 2,000 miles on foot from Ghana to Spain, crossing the Sahara Desert while his mother was pregnant with his older brother Iñaki Williams. They named him Iñaki, a common Basque first name, after a social worker who helped the family settle after their difficult journey. And now, all these years later, younger brother Nico plays a huge role in winning the World Cup for his home country of Spain.
Lowlight
Disappointing final match. I'll stick with the overall quality of the final game for my World Cup lowlight. While I'll admit I do find Spain's style entertaining and incredibly impressive, with all the eyes on the final, it would have been nice to see a more free-flowing and high-scoring game. (Bianca, don't read this next part.) Argentina, however, decided they would have absolutely no chance by choosing to meet beautiful fútbol with equally beautiful fútbol. Instead, we got constant fouling, surrounding the referee, Messi trying to get Cucurella sent off and the childish antics after the game. The important takeaway from this? Watch the third-place game!
Dan Gannon
Highlights
Rodri. The man mountain with the flair of Liberace and the "get 'er done" work ethic of Bob the Builder. Spain's winner of the tournament's Balon d'Or as the best player was epic all World Cup long but especially in the final. Rodrigo Hernández Cascante plays the #6, or defensive midfield position, and he scored ZERO goals and had ZERO assists. How then might he even be considered the best player when you had Messi, Mbappe (Golden Boot winner), Harry Kane, etc.? Excellent question!
In the final, Rodri completed 95% of his passes while being in the middle of the most hectic, crowded and physical part of the field — basically directing traffic in Times Square but flawlessly and with his feet. Spain's ethic of keeping the ball and passing to teammates seems simple but is much, much harder in reality. They gave up one goal in eight games and prevented Argentina from getting one teeny tiny shot on goal. That's what happens when you have Rodri. Say his name!
Cabo Verde. A tiny island nation off the coast of West Africa held Spain scoreless and played South American giant Uruguay to a thrilling 2-2 draw. Then, when it mattered the most, they faced defending champions Argentina and the world's best player, Lionel Messi. When the eyes of the world expected their Cinderella run to turn into a pumpkin, they played with gusto, creativity and absolutely no fear. Vozhina, their 40-year-old goalkeeper, became an overnight star, and their outside back, Sidny Lopes Cabral, thrilled the fans with the goal of the tourney as Cabo Verde took Messi and company into extra time with the game tied 2-2. As ridiculously stunning as that stuff was, for me, this was the most inspiring story of the World Cup. Obrigado Cabo Verde; you won the World Cup of our hearts!
Lowlight
The treatment of the Iranian Men's Soccer Team by the US government. FIFA's acquiescence was simply unfair, openly discriminatory and sad. Iran was not allowed to stay in the U.S. after each of their three games, meaning they were the ONLY team that was forced to fly to a different country so they could go to sleep. They were also denied access to stadiums three to four days before games, as is the norm, but rather had to arrive at the last second and familiarize themselves in a much shorter amount of time than the other 47 teams in the Men's World Cup. They still managed to tie every game, including tough matches against Belgium and Egypt. Please understand that these are soccer players who are achieving their life's dream to play in a World Cup. They are not politicians, secret agents or any other such nonsense. Frankly, this treatment was embarrassing.
