World Cup 2026: Superlatives

With the World Final approaching on Sunday, I decided now was as good a time as ever to to hand out some "awards" for the tournament so far. I made this list while lying in bed the other night so it's possible I missed some obvious ones. But it feels like a good way to sum up my thoughts on the tournament. So without further ado, here are my thirteen random superlatives:

Best Change

48 Team Tournament

Coming in, I thought the 48 teams was going to be a disaster. There would be too many low level teams and we'd see a handful of 4 and 5-0 results. I couldn't have been more wrong. Sure, we did see a few of those. But for the most part, the smaller nations impressed given the clear talent gap and actually kept things pretty competitive.

Worst Change

Hydration Ad Breaks

The clear "winner" here is the advertisement breaks disguised as hydration breaks. It was infuriating from the start and I never got used to it. To be clear, I completely understand and support the idea of having hydration breaks under certain conditions. But mandating them for every game including ones where that were played under a roof is comical. It's very obvious what FIFA was doing here and FOX profited handsomely.

Best Commentary Team

Darren Fletcher and Owen Hargreaves

I thought long and hard about this one. Individually there may have been commentators I liked better but as a pairing, I think Fletcher and Hargreaves deserve it. They had the best chemistry of any of the teams. And while Fletcher's constant references to American Sports started to wear on me, I have to give him credit for sticking to the bit and finding some way to do it in every game he called. Hargreaves also provided some really good analysis, Ronaldo bias aside.

Worst Commentary Team

JP Dellacamera and Lori Lindsey

This one I didn't have to think twice about. I get that JP has been calling games in this country forever. But I was never a fan to begin with and he was noticeably worse than usual this World Cup. Lindsey also seemed pretty lost at times beside him. Their worst moment was the call at the end of the Austria vs Algeria game. There was incredible drama and history there and both sounded like they had no idea what was going on. Unforgivable.

Best Stadium Atmosphere

The Azteca

This was never in doubt. As much as I hate to say it, you can't deny that the Azteca was the best venue for this World Cup as far as the atmosphere in the stands. There were five games there, with four involving Mexico. The showing from the Mexico fans in those games was unrivaled and helped create some all-time moments.

Biggest Overachievers

Switzerland

This one was a bit difficult to choose. I could have gone with a team that was a surprise to get out of their group. But I ended up going with the Swiss who made a run to the Quarterfinals. It isn't that I thought Switzerland wouldn't do well. They actually only ended up going one further round than I would have thought pre-tournament. It was more about how they got there. After a disappointing draw against Qatar, they easily handled Bosnia and Herzegovina and Canada to win the group. They then easily took down Algeria 2-0 in the Round of 32 before drawing Colombia 0-0 and winning on penalties in the Round of 16. Their Quarterfinal against Argentina on paper looked like a straightforward win for the Argentinians but it took a wonder strike from Julian Alvarez in the second half of extra time to get it done.

Biggest Underachievers

Turkiye

A pretty obvious choice here. Turkiye came into this tournament as dark horse candidate but looked terrible in a 2-0 loss to Australia and a 1-0 loss to Paraguay. Their final group game against the US should have been a group decider but instead was completely meaningless. Turkiye did win that one 3-2 but they did so against an almost entirely rotated 11 from the US that clearly wasn't at the level required for a World Cup. Just a massive let down for a team that on paper had the quality to make a bit of a run.

Game of the Tournament

England 3-2 Mexico and Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde

It was impossible to choose between these two. They were both unbelievable games for different reasons. England vs Mexico was edge of your seat theater. Mexico had only ever lost two competitive games at the Azteca. England were able to weather the storm and two quick goals from Jude Bellingham in the first half could have buried Mexico. But Mexico stayed in it with a goal before halftime and an English red card early on in the second half. In the end, England had to defend a 3-2 lead with their lives for the last 30+ minutes while a man down. A herculean effort got it across the line.

Argentina vs Cape Verde was a game that just kept defying all expectations. The gap in talent and status was massive but Cape Verde just wouldn't go away. Argentina had a 1-0 lead in regulation and a 2-1 lead in extra time and Cape Verde equalized both times. I wrote this in the blog after the game but as it went on, the bar for what was a successful contest for Cape Verde just kept getting raised the longer it went on. Just incredible stuff that will go down as an all-timer.

Goal of the Tournament

Sidny Lopes-Cabral vs Argentina

How could it not be this goal?

There were other incredible individual efforts but none as impactful or memorable as this one. Just a ridiculous strike and a moment that will go down in World Cup history.

Best Story

Cape Verde

This was the easiest choice on the list. The third smallest nation to ever play in a World Cup captured the hearts of millions. They may not have gotten a win, but they also didn't lose in 90 minutes. It started with a 0-0 draw against Spain that felt like it would be the highlight of their tournament. And that would have been a great story on its own. But Cape Verde went on to draw Uruguay 2-2 and Saudi Arabia 0-0 to get out of the group in second place. Their reward? Playing Lionel Messi and Argentina in the Round of 32. It's where many thought they would face a reality check. Instead, Cape Verde pushed Argentina all the way. It was a miraculous story that signifies what this game is all about.

Breakout Player

Julian Quiñones and Mikel Oyarzabal

I'm using Breakout Player here to mean players that maybe weren't as well known on the world stage before this World Cup. Age isn't a factor here, as both Quiñones and Oyarzabal are 29. Quiñones wasn't as well known as he has been playing in Saudi Arabia. But he starred for Mexico at this tournament and was their best player with four goals and one assist in five games. Oyarzabal has maybe gone under the radar because he's a one club man. He's played his entire career at Real Sociedad, never making a move to one of the bigger clubs in Spain. But across Spain's seven games, Oyarzabal has five goals and one assist. He will have an opportunity in the final to increase those numbers.

Best Young Player

Johan Manzambi

Manzambi had three goals and two assists in four games for Switzerland. He missed the Round of 16 game against Colombia and the Quarterfinal against Argentina due to injury. Still, the 20 year old attacker was the best young player at this tournament in my opinion. And no, that's not just because he just signed for my beloved Aston Villa. I've been hyping him up after every Switzerland game this World Cup. He just looks like a difference maker and his team sorely missed him in their last two games. Now he's making his move to the Premier League and will play in the Champions League next season. It's well deserved.

Player of the Tournament

Lionel Messi

It just had to be him. Messi is tied with Kylian Mbappe in the golden boot race with 8 goals. He has a goal contribution in all seven of Argentina's games so far this World Cup. It's unbelievable what he is doing. His impact is indescribable and impossible to overstate. Messi is in the pantheon of greatest athletes in the history of sport. We are privileged to be able to watch him in what is surely his last World Cup.

World Cup Final Prediction

Spain 2-1 Argentina

I had to throw in a bonus here with my prediction for Sunday's Final. I expect Spain to control this game like they have in all of their previous games this World Cup. The big question is whether or not Argentina can pull off some more magic. I think they will but it won't be enough. I'm going with Oyarzabal to put Spain 1-0 up, Messi to equalize, and Lamine Yamal to get the winner and officially take his crown as the next greatest player in the world. What a story that would be.

We're nearing the end of the journey. Just one more World Cup blog to go after this one. I won't be doing one for the "Bronze Final" as FIFA calls it. It's clear France and England don't really care much about the game and they'll likely rotate heavily. Mbappe can try to secure the golden boot so that is something to watch for. But I'll be back on Sunday with my review of the final. I cannot wait to see how it plays out. Until then!