For over a month, 48 nations competed in the 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup, which was held in the USA, Canada and Mexico...
For over a month, 48 nations competed in the 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup, which was held in the USA, Canada and Mexico. It was the first FIFA World Cup to be hosted by three countries. With the highest number of participating teams in the tournament’s history, the stakes were equally high. From 11 June to 19 July 2026, the competition produced thrills, surprises and upsets that captivated football enthusiasts around the world. Argentina, which entered the tournament as the defending champions, did reach the final. However, they could not overcome Spain. Spain’s Ferran Torres scored the only goal of the match in the 106th minute, securing his country’s second FIFA World Cup title. In this article, we explore the key moments from the tournament.
Commanding performances
The group stage produced several dominant performances as teams registered convincing victories over their opponents. Germany recorded the tournament’s biggest group-stage win by defeating Curaçao 7-1, while Canada overwhelmed Qatar 6-0. Other notable victories included Sweden’s 5-1 win over Tunisia, the Netherlands’ 5-1 triumph over Sweden, Belgium’s 5-1 victory against New Zealand, Senegal’s 5-0 win over Iraq, Portugal’s 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan, Switzerland’s 4-1 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina, the USA’s 4-1 victory over Paraguay, Spain’s 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia, Japan’s 4-0 triumph over Tunisia, and 3-0 victories by Mexico over the Czech Republic, Brazil over Haiti and Argentina over Algeria.
Five-goal encounters
Three knockout-stage matches stood out for their excitement as each produced five goals. These included the Round of 32 encounters between Belgium and Senegal (3-2) and Argentina and Cape Verde (3-2), followed by the Round of 16 clash between Argentina and Egypt (3-2).
Belgium staged a remarkable comeback against Senegal after trailing by two goals. Senegal’s Habib Diarra and Ismaïla Sarr found the net in the 25th and 51st minutes respectively to give their team a commanding lead. Belgium responded late in the match as Romelu Lukaku scored in the 86th minute before Youri Tielemans struck twice, in the 89th minute and again during extra time from the penalty spot, to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory.
Argentina also had to fight back against Cape Verde. Lionel Messi gave Argentina the lead in the 29th minute before Cape Verde’s Deroy Duarte equalised in the 59th minute. Lisandro Martínez restored Argentina’s advantage in the 92nd minute, but Sidny Lopes Cabral scored in the 103rd minute to level the match once again. The decisive moment came in the 111th minute when Cape Verde’s Diney scored an own goal, handing Argentina a 3-2 victory.
Argentina’s Round of 16 match against Egypt followed a similar pattern. Egypt took the lead through Yasser Ibrahim in the 15th minute before Mostafa Ziko doubled the advantage in the 67th minute. Argentina mounted an impressive comeback in the closing stages as Cristian Romero scored in the 79th minute, followed by goals from Lionel Messi in the 83rd minute and Enzo Fernández in the 92nd minute to complete another 3-2 victory.
Early exit for former champions
The 2026 FIFA World Cup witnessed two major upsets as former champions Brazil and Germany were knocked out of the tournament earlier than expected.
Five-time champions Brazil (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002) saw their title campaign come to an end after losing 2-1 to Norway in the Round of 16. Norway’s Erling Haaland scored twice in the 79th and 90th minutes to put his team in control. Brazil’s Neymar pulled a goal back with a penalty in the 100th minute, but it was not enough to prevent one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.
Germany, four-time World Cup winners (1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014) and four-time runners-up, were also eliminated in the Round of 32. Their match against Paraguay ended 1-1 after regulation time before Paraguay won the penalty shootout 4-3 to secure a place in the Round of 16.
Surprise performers
Morocco emerged as one of the surprise teams of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. They eliminated the Netherlands in the Round of 32 and defeated co-host Canada 3-0 in the Round of 16 to reach the Quarter-finals. Their impressive run came to an end in the Quarter-finals when France won 2-0 with goals from Kylian Mbappé in the 60th minute and Ousmane Dembélé in the 66th minute. Morocco could not find a way past the French defence.
Norway also impressed with its performances during the tournament. The team eliminated Ivory Coast 2-1 in the Round of 32 before causing one of the biggest upsets by defeating Brazil 2-1 in the Round of 16. Norway’s campaign ended in the Quarter-finals after a hard-fought 2-1 defeat to England.
Goals of 2026
The tournament’s first goal was scored by co-host Mexico’s Julián Quiñones in the ninth minute of the opening match against South Africa. The home crowd erupted in celebration as Mexico took an early lead.
The final goal of the tournament came in the FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. The match remained goalless until the 106th minute. Pedro Porro delivered a cross to Nico Williams, who flicked the ball towards Ferran Torres. Torres made no mistake, giving Spain a 1-0 victory and its second FIFA World Cup title.
A total of 308 goals were scored across 104 matches.
Rise of the underdogs
The 2026 FIFA World Cup also witnessed the emergence of several underdog nations. Paraguay, Cape Verde and DR Congo all made a significant impact by displaying remarkable skill and determination on the field.
Paraguay recovered from a 4-1 defeat to the USA in its opening match by beating Turkey 1-0 and drawing 0-0 with Australia to qualify for the Round of 32. The team then eliminated Germany 4-3 on penalties before losing 1-0 to France in the Round of 16.
Cape Verde and DR Congo also enjoyed memorable campaigns by reaching the Round of 32 before being eliminated by Argentina and England respectively.
Leading goal scorers
France’s Kylian Mbappé finished as the tournament’s highest scorer with 10 goals. Argentina’s Lionel Messi followed with eight goals. England’s Jude Bellingham and Norway’s Erling Haaland scored seven goals each. England’s Harry Kane and France’s Ousmane Dembélé finished with six goals each, while Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal scored five goals during the tournament.
Players with hat tricks
Four players scored hat tricks during the tournament. Argentina’s Lionel Messi scored a hat trick against Algeria in the group stage, while Canada’s Jonathan David achieved the feat against Qatar. France’s Ousmane Dembélé scored a hat trick against Norway in the group stage, and England’s Bukayo Saka scored three goals against France in the third-place play-off.
Own goals
The 2026 FIFA World Cup saw 12 own goals. Egypt’s Mohamed Hany scored two own goals, against Belgium and Australia, the highest by any player in the tournament.
Best defensive performance
Mexico produced one of the tournament’s best defensive displays. During the group stage, they kept three consecutive clean sheets against South Africa, South Korea and the Czech Republic. They continued their defensive resilience in the Round of 32 by defeating Ecuador 2-0. Mexico’s impressive run ended in the Round of 16 after a 3-2 defeat to England.
