The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, went down in football history not only for its new format but also for its dramatic plots, scandals, and unforgettable moments.
Modern.az presents the most talked-about and memorable highlights of the giant mundial:
Years later, Lamine Yamal and Messi face off
A photograph from 2006 showing Lionel Messi bathing baby Lamine Yamal, who was only a few months old, for a charity calendar became the most discussed topic on social media throughout the tournament. Years later, the face-off between Yamal, who had become a new star of football, and the living legend Messi as rivals in the World Cup final generated great interest. Despite both players failing to score in the final, the young star's national team was the one to celebrate. Spain defeated Argentina to become world champions for the second time.
The end of an era: Ronaldo's "last dance"
For Cristiano Ronaldo, this tournament went down in history as the last World Cup of his career. The 41-year-old striker's World Cup series ended after a 0:1 defeat to Spain in the 1/8 finals. He played a total of 30 matches in World Cups, scoring 12 goals and providing 4 assists. Ronaldo immortalized his name in history as the first player to appear in 6 different World Cups.
Bright faces of the tournament
As always, the World Cup was remembered for a parade of stars. Names like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Erling Haaland, and Mohamed Salah were the main figures of the championship. In particular, the young talents of the champion Spanish national team, Lamine Yamal and Pedri, gave football fans special pleasure with their performance.
Joy in the 106th minute
For the first time in the history of World Cups, it was not possible to open the scoring in regular time of the final match. As the teams could not find the net, the first goal of the match was scored only in extra time - in the 106th minute.
Water breaks and UEFA's protest
Considering the climate conditions and intense heat, official water breaks were given in the middle of each half to protect the health of the players. Although FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated that this practice would be applied in future tournaments, the rule led to serious controversy. Critics called it an "advertising break." UEFA, however, announced that it did not support this step and that the traditional, uninterrupted game format would be maintained in the Champions League and EURO 2028.
The biggest tournament in history and an attendance record
DÇ-2026 was held for the first time with the participation of 48 national teams, not 32. The increase in the number of matches from 64 to 104 made the tournament the biggest championship in football history. A total of 6,810,966 fans watched the World Cup from the stadiums, thus breaking the record that had not been updated since 1994.
Scottish fans' "conquest" of Boston
One of the most viral moments of the tournament was the colorful shows of Scottish fans (Tartan Army) on the streets of Boston. The fans, who placed traffic cones on top of monuments, emptied the drink supplies of bars, and won the love of the local population with their sense of humor, even put an end to a historical ban. The dish "Haggis," considered a symbol of Scottish cuisine and banned in the USA since the 1970s, was officially legalized in Massachusetts after this influx of fans.
Visa scandal: Somali referee denied entry to the country
One of the biggest diplomatic scandals of the championship involved Somali referee Omar Artan. The 34-year-old referee, who was the first referee from his country to be invited to the World Cup, was denied entry to the USA and sent back after an 11-hour interrogation at Miami airport, despite having a diplomatic passport and visa. However, FIFA stated that it could not intervene in the matter, as the visa decision was within the authority of the host country.
North African miracle
Cape Verde (Green Cape Islands), participating in the World Cup for the first time in its history, became the most beloved team of the tournament. Cape Verde, one of the smallest countries in the tournament, drew with Spain (0:0) and Uruguay (2:2) in the group stage to advance to the 1/16 finals. The magnificent performance of the team's 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha in the match against Spain took social media by storm. The player's "Instagram" followers increased from 50,000 to 27 million, and tourist interest in the country increased by 5000%.
Red card canceled with Trump's intervention
The red card received by US national team striker Folarin Balogun for stepping on the foot of a Bosnian defender, which was later canceled after a call from Donald Trump to Gianni Infantino, went down in history as the biggest sports scandal of the tournament. Trump's post on his "Truth Social" account thanking FIFA for a fair decision further strengthened the claims.
Racism and political scandal around Argentina
The Argentine national team, which came to the tournament with the champion title, this time came to the fore with scandals. During the match in Miami, some Argentine fans made racist insults against the famous black blogger "IShowSpeed," which led to a FIFA disciplinary investigation.
Also, after defeating the English 2:1, the Argentine footballers displayed a banner that read "Falkland Islands are Argentina's," which led to the team being penalized for violating the ban on political slogans.
