A tournament of contradictions: What did we learn at World Cup 2026?
A look back at the World Cup’s moments of glory and controversy, and their impact on fans, teams and the sport. After Spain marched past
A look back at the World Cup’s moments of glory and controversy, and their impact on fans, teams and the sport. After Spain marched past tournament favourites France and defeated reigning champions Argentina in the final to win the World Cup, one man stood between La Roja and the gilded trophy. As captain Rodri held the coveted prize, with teammates waiting for him and the world watching for the iconic trophy-lift moment, United States President Donald Trump remained glued to his spot on the stage. It was down to FIFA President and close ally Gianni Infantino to shuffle Trump along and let the world champions have their moment. The president – who ordered the halting of US trade with Spain for what he said was insufficient military spending and opposing the US-Israel war on Iran – eventually moved out of the way and the Spanish captain lifted the trophy as golden confetti filled the air. It was an awkward ending to an extraordinary tournament that had everything. So what has this World Cup really been about? A divisive yet diverse tournament For some fans, it was a display of American hospitality – from Kansas City embracing Algeria to Boston being gleefully overrun by Scottish fans. For others, it was about the Trump administration’s inhospitable attitudes – visa denials, the mistreatment of the Iranian team and the scandal of not allowing Somali referee Omar Artan into the country. The Egyptians may see the tournament solely through the lens of the controversial refereeing calls that led to their exit in the thrilling Round of 16 match against Argentina.
Argentinians will likely view it as a testament to their “never give up” attitude that led to some spectacular comebacks on the way to the final. Jordanians, Iraqis and Haitians were grateful for the mere participation. It was also a tournament of dark horses and Cinderella stories, with the heroic performance of Cape Verde and Norway’s deep run into the quarterfinal. At the same time, it was a competition where the top four FIFA-ranked teams were the ones to make it to the semis. The World Cup showed football’s ability to unite and bring unadulterated joy, as we even saw some fans of losing teams continue to sing, chant and dance in celebration of the game. The competition, however, was also used to deepen divisions and project political vindictiveness. Some Iranian fans were subjected to abuse and Islamophobic chants from anti-government activists. The US hosts placed arbitrary travel restrictions on the Iranian team. When Iran failed to qualify from the group stage, US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said he was so happy that he “might’ve sung a song or two or maybe even danced a happy dance”. The World Cup, like FIFA, was supposed to be apolitical. But as one Palestinian American fan in New York told Al Jazeera the tournament had turned into a “political summit”, with Trump taking centre stage. The president acknowledged that he made a call to top FIFA officials to revoke the suspension of USA striker Florian Balogun, but Team America still suffered a heavy 4-1 loss in their next match to Belgium.
The BriefWire