Vozinha, Country Roads and Spain's success: The 10 biggest moments of the 2026 World Cup

9: Argentina sees red in the World Cup final

Argentina has been the world's favorite team since its cinematic run to the trophy in 2022: the one-two punch of Lionel Messi and a sense of fate will do that for an organization. But as this World Cup drew to a close and Argentina stared down the reality of its own shortcomings, it lost its head—and it lost its neutral fan support, too.

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez wound up embodying the switch. He scored the last-gasp equalizing goal against England in the semifinals that kept Argentina in contention for the trophy, then found himself on the wrong end of a red card in the final as the game crumbled around him. His card-worthy offenses? Dissent (hilarious) and a needless challenge on Spanish center back Pau Cubarsi miles from the goal (more hilarious still.)

Fernandez was just one of several Argentina players who couldn't keep calm. His antics—and Spain's brilliant, controlled play in the final—swung the fan support firmly in Spain's favor and left Argentina reeling from more than one kind of loss.

8. Iran shows dignity under unfair duress

No team had a more difficult World Cup than Iran—and frustratingly, most of its struggle happened off the field. It was forced to move its training camp to Tijuana at the last minute, make do without much of its support staff due to visa snafus and, in a needlessly cruel development, enter the United States and leave the United States within hours of each of its three group stage games. While every other team had days of game preparation in each city, Iran had mere hours, and it was forced out of the stadium, onto a bus and back to Mexico within minutes of the final whistle.

Iran entered this tournament as one of Asia's strongest teams, and the fact that it nearly advanced out of the group stage in spite of everything is proof that it always belonged. When it wrapped up its games in Los Angeles, the Iranian national team left a lovely note for the city, commending it for its hospitality even in spite of government interference. 

"We came to Los Angeles with pride, competed with honor, and leave with dignity," the note said, and indeed Iran did. It deserved so much better than what it received here.

7. Donald Trump learns about red cards (and dooms the USMNT in the process)

The U.S. Men's National Team beat Bosnia 2-0 in the Round of 32 in grand style, but the win was tainted by striker Folarin Balogun's harsh second-half red card. The decision suspended Balogun from the USMNT's Round of 16 match against Belgium and threw its competitiveness into doubt.

Less than 24 hours before the Belgium game, though, news broke that Balogun's red card had been suspended, and the USMNT fandom rejoiced. The reasons were complex—FIFA's disciplinary committee took the refereeing decision into its own hands—but they were made more so by the insertion of Donald Trump into the narrative. He claimed credit for Balogun's suspension reversal and mentioned he'd called FIFA leader Gianni Infantino to talk it over. (Reports emerged that he had, in fact, called Infantino, but that he had not expressed any understanding of what a red card was in the process. Balogun's suspension reversal was solely FIFA's doing.) 

Trump's involvement was all the general public needed to turn on the USMNT, and though the team toughed out the press cycle and claimed it hadn't been affected by the drama, it fell hard to Belgium and found itself eliminated the next day. It was a depressing (and wholly unnecessary) development for the USMNT. The team never asked for Trump's thoughts—and indeed spent much of the World Cup cycle distancing itself from his involvement—but it was forced to shoulder their repercussions all the same.

6. Norway rows its way into global hearts

This wasn't the Norwegian national team's first World Cup, but it was its first appearance since 1998, and it made the most of its limited time in the spotlight. The team quickly became a fan favorite for its meme-able introduction photo, its incredible goalscoring record and, of course, its instantly iconic stadium cheer. The Norwegian "row" became such a hit that the whole stadium did it at the World Cup final...a match Norway didn't even qualify for.

5. Sidny Lopes Cabral scores the greatest goal of his career

This World Cup offered dozens of stellar matches, from the Netherlands and Japan's feisty 2-2 draw to England's hard-fought 3-2 win over Mexico at the Azteca, but the game of the tournament, unquestionably, was Argentina's 3-2 win over Cabo Verde in the Round of 32.

Cabo Verde wasn't supposed to be there. It entered the tournament as a debutant in a difficult group and it was widely expected to struggle. It didn't. It went undefeated against Saudi Arabia, Uruguay and eventual winner Spain, and it earned its knockout clash with Argentina fair and square.

Still, it was Argentina. No one thought Cabo Verde would look competitive. But the tiny African nation held on, fought hard and forced Argentina into two periods of extra time before losing with dignity in the final seconds. Every time Argentina came at Cabo Verde, it replied with a full-throated response—none quite as impressive as Sidny Lopes Cabral's wonder equalizer in the 103rd minute. Goal of the tournament. Goal of the year. Goal of the century, probably. Hang it in the Louvre.

4. Vozinha becomes the world's most beloved goalkeeper

Spanish keeper Unai Simon won the Golden Glove for the World Cup's best goalkeeper, and rightfully so; he conceded just once all tournament and looked fantastic between the sticks. Ask anyone—probably even Simon himself—who the World Cup's most memorable keeper was, though, and you'll get a very different answer.

It was Cabo Verde keeper Vozinha. Of course it was. His stellar performances against Spain, Uruguay and Argentina—three teams with seven World Cup titles between them—made him the most-followed goalkeeper on Instagram and earned him a late-career surge in value and popularity. The word on the street is that Inter Miami is trying to sign him; it would be fascinating to see him play with Messi instead of against him for a change.

3. Country roads take us home

It's been a long, long time since the general public has fallen in love with the USMNT. Ten years, in fact. The plucky performances of Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey, Jermaine Jones and their teammates in Brazil in 2014 were the last thing that did the trick. Since then, it's largely been crickets, and the USMNT entered this tournament occupying a strange corner of the American psyche if it occupied one at all.

One song—and four stellar performances against Paraguay, Australia, Turkiye and Bosnia and Herzegovina—changed everything. The team began playing John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" after victories, and suddenly whole stadiums were singing along, celebrating the USMNT for what it was: a perfect distillation of the American spirit, flaws and all. Even coach Mauricio Pochettino, a man who calls himself "200% Argentine", couldn't help but get swept away in the magic.

2. Messi and Mbappe play out an arms race for the ages

The World Cup often anoints new stars, but it's surprisingly rare to see current stars deliver upon their promise while playing on its stage. The 2026 tournament was a rare treat in that regard: everyone from Norway's Erling Haaland to England's Jude Bellingham showed up and showed out in their moment in the North American sun.

Argentina's Lionel Messi and France's Kylian Mbappe showed out more than most. The two engaged in a fascinating, multilayered arms race for the World Cup Golden Boot that wound up streaking the tournament with much-needed color. Mbappe won the war with 10 goals and four assists, but Messi stayed right behind him, and it was fitting that when they broke German striker Miroslav Klose's all-time World Cup goalscoring record, they did it together.

1. Spain wins, and soccer wins, too

World Cup finals aren't usually goal-fests. We've been spoiled in recent years, with France and Croatia playing out a 4-2 stunner in 2018 and France and Argentina topping it with a 3-3 blitz in 2022, but this year's final was more akin to what we usually see: tight, aggressive and decided in one brilliant moment.

Well, it was on paper. The stats tell you that Spain won 1-0 in extra time thanks to a Ferran Torres goal. But watching the game tells you that Spain won the moment it took the field. Its collected, intelligent, possession-heavy strategy scrambled Argentina from the jump and forced it into a petulant, unlikable series of choppy fouls. Spain's victory was never really in doubt, but still, when it came, it felt like a victory for the sport as a whole, too. Everyone can take a deep breath: great soccer remains the cleanest path to victory at the World Cup.