= Argentina of course was a team of so many poles - from the dramatic comebacks against Egypt and England, to of course the feeling like it was a bit hollow and unearned. I don't think there is a grand conspiracy within FIFA to give them favorable refereeing, but it is nearly irrefutable that they ahve been given favorable refereeing - from having VAR step in to take goals away from their opponents but not to take goals away from Argentina for the same things (the Egypt goal) or clearly misapplied use of VAR to get a Swiss player sent off, to all the rough fouls that get stern warnings but so rarely cards. Calling them Atletico Madrid with Messi is apt. It leads to incredible drama at times, adn of course to Messi's brilliance, but when finally faced with a team that wouldn't engage in that crap, they were almost unworthy of sharing the pitch. Certainly, their performance after the match only leaned into that feeling that one of these teams didn't really belong in that final. It will be so interesting to see what the world thinks of Argentina in the post-Messi era.
= This was the highest scoring World Cup ever, even on a per-game basis. And despite the expansion to 48 teams, it wasn't because the new minnows all got blasted 6-1 (Germany over Curacao excepted). No, it was a lot of 2-2 type games. but sadly so many of those were the underdog taking the lead, seemingly ready to pull of the upset, before the favorite would will their way back in it. We could've had such a weirdly, strange, beautiful Quarterfinal, but if not for these things - from Belgium's crazy comeback over Senegal, to even England coming back over DRC (or Hell, throw Brazil's against Japan in there). This was seemingyl a tournament where the non traditional powers in many ways played great, and most of the traditional ones were in relative down-cycles, but at the end we were still left with six European teams in the Quarterfinals, the Top-4 seeds making the Final Four, and #1 against #2 in the final. In a way, it was similar to March Madness, if only us seeing so many potential huge upsets but getting nearly none of them.
= The Continued Shrinking of the World has been a theme for a few World Cups now. At least certainly the last three - with the last two setting new standards for, first, having all 32 teams score at least a goal (2018) and then have no team win all three group stage games (2022). This one continued the trend, despite the expansion. Mark me down as someone who is all for expansion, and someone in favor of the eventual certainty of 64 teams. Now, I will say I think we should stop there, but 64 is better than 48 - a clear sixteen groups of four, no more 3rd place teams making it. Of the added sixteen, concentrate most in Asia, Africa and Europe (South America maybe gets an additional team), and lets go. There are definitely 64 teams worthy of inclusion today in a more real way than there were 32 in 2002. The world is smaller, the level is closer. This is real.
= And the best example of that has to be Cape Verde's near shock win in the Round of 32 against Argentina. Not to say Cape Verde deserved that win, but they at least deserved penalties. They played Argentina so well. That second goal to tie it at 2-2 deep into extra time was still for me the goal of the tournament, a goal so unbelievable his own team could barely celebrate it, so overcome with astonishment. And of course the Vozinha saves, the incredible passion they showed. It would have been probably the most memorable upset in World Cup history. Instead, I guess it was just the most incredible near miss, but one that we will never forget.
= Every tournament sees the end of an era of players that made their marks over multiple tournaments, and this is the clear close to the 2006-2026 era, with the poignancy of that 2006 tournament being the last one with near this level of stars exiting the stage (Zidane, Ronaldo, Figo, Beckham, Raul and others) being the same tournament where Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi debuted. To lose both of them hurt, but as does adding to that Modric, Neymar (even if he was just a cameo) and probably a few others that we won't know until later (e.g. Kane??). That was true of 2006 as well - we wouldn't know it would be Ronaldinho's last World Cup (even if he very much could/should have gone in 2010). There is always these last goodbyes, but Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Modric are about as meaningful a three stars exiting stage left as you will get.
= Let's return to Spain for a second. I brought up the 2010 comparison earlier in a way to highlight how relatively not insanely gifted this team looks vs that one, but on the other hand this team is younger in many ways. It seems like the future couldn't be brighter. But nothing goes so easily, as Spain itself shows. They of course won the 2012 Euros as well, but then crashed out in 2014 and spend another eight years never really threatening. France in 2018 seemed so clear to win again immediately and still hasn't. Golden generations come and go - be it injuries, change in play, other youngsters. Four years is a damn long time. Hell, two years is so remember that before we go penciling in Spain for the 2012 Euros. Especially for a team that for all their brilliance still wins a lot of their games 1-0 and 2-1 (by design, almost).
= I spent a lot of my post-group-stage post extolling America as a great host, and more to a point how much this World Cup helped the world realize taht we are not our leaders, that Trump and Maga and those fuckers don't represent how great this country is at a more local, regional level. All of that is still true. In the end, America was a great host - the stadiums were packed (even if FIFA successfully squeezed every dime). Fans loved the fan-fests, strolling adn taking over various cities. The stadiums never stopped to amaze. Playing the final at 3pm ET was a weird choice (but pretty explainable so it is primetime in Europe) and it was a bit odd for the Final to be in bright sunlight, but still, all hosts knocked this largely out of the park.
= Which is good, because just to reiterate, unless FIFA changes the host confederation rotation / eligibility rules, the US (with or without Canada and Mexico) is pretty much the only viable option in 2038. The pet dream of a lot of us is just to flex the stadia of the US, to host it in 2038 without using any of hte same stadiums, which is definitely possible. Either way, it probably will be great in 2038 also - just let's not have a 128 team tournament by then.
= The game of the tournament for me, adn the most memorable one, will forever be the England v Mexico Round of 16 game in the Azteca. There will almost never be an atmosphere like that - a place that is hallowed in the annals of soccer history, with the raucous crowd, with the altitude, and the weather adding an additional variable to boot. The level of play was also insane as well - Mexico dominating before Jude Bellingham went psycho for five minutes. The two Mexico goals and so many other chances, the Harry Kane penalty, both converted and caused. It was everything the World Cup should be - I just wish it was a round or two later.
= The other game of the tournament to me was the 3rd place game - or at the very least the most memorable. Yes, defense was wholly optional, but you know what? Soccer may need more of that sometimes. Yes, it might be an America-centric view of the sport to say more games should tend towards 6-4 than 1-0, but hell the two ex-Manchester United midfielders that commented the game in America were losing their mind also. Defense was optional, but some of the goals were rocket shots from distance that could go in against good defenses. It was insane, and maybe, just maybe, soccer should try to find ways to make that more possible in other games. We can say the beautiful game will always stay the world's game, but I do think the lasting power is even greater if the average game ends 3-2 instead of 2-1.
= In that sense, the final of course ended 1-0 with an extra-time goal. Hey, that's how 2010 and 2014 went as well! And 2002 was 2-0 and 2006 was 1-1! Yes, we randomly got a 4-2 in 2018 and 3-3 in 2022, but those were outliers. If we zoom into 2026 specifically, Spain is the poster child here. They play beautiful soccer. Glorious soccer. It's also designed to be a bit boring. Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal marauding down the wings brought a variance to it in their 2024 Euro campaign, but injuries and overall tactical brilliance turned 2026 Spain into very much the tiki-taka force that similarly became ruthlessly boring by the 2010 World Cup. Teams found ways to combat it, both internationally and within Europe against Barcelona. We need that, because it is rough that Spain playing to their maximum effectiveness is to achieve boringness.
= 2026 marked finally the end of the Didier Deschamps era at France, and the beginning of Zidane era. Now, obviously I am biased, but I can't wait to watch what Zidane does to this team - one that has played likely slightly less than the sum of its parts, if not at best the equal. Deschamps didn't certainly achieve more than can be expected - often with his team coming undone in disconnectedness and ineffectiveness. We can say Deschamps made a Euro final in 2016, a World Cup final in 2022 and a Semifinal in 2016, but in all three games they lost, they were largely incredibly toothless - save of course for those insane 90 seconds in 2022. Hell, you can argue for 75 minutes, they were even worse against Argentina in the 2022 Final than against Spain. Zidane, if anything, doesn't have teams that loose meekly. There is still this equation of having more than 11 great players and most of the optimal mixes talent-wise not working positionally, but Zidane's faced similar things before, and I imagine he already has dreams of Zaire-Emery being his Makalele (or Casemiro). Fun times ahead, but more than anything just happy to have Zidane on the touchline again.
= But it will be a while before we see that. I probably won't be a Nations League guy. Hell, is anyone? And in reality it is two years before any meaningful international soccer action, now with what seems the be the stable scheduling of the Euros and Copa America happening the same year. But for the World Cup, as always, when one ends the depression sets in on just how far away four years is. Granted, as you age the years go by more quickly, but whats scarier than it being four years away is me being 39 when it comes around. Still, let's not rue on that. Let's just start the anticipation for what will be another great tournament in 2030...
= ... because we had another great one in 2026, and because this tournament can never really disappoint. I don't know if 2026 was the best World Cup, I don't even know if it was my favorite (probably still remains 2018, or 2006 - leaning heavily into the whole "the best World Cup is the one that happens when you are 13" logic). But this one was special - special to be in the country where it was, where I could experience the watch parties, the increased zaniness of Times Square, the people jsut living amazing lives, having the times of their lives. The World Cup is always amazing, the best show in teh World and yeah it was cool that for six weeks the world turned their eyes towards us, and our stupid President aside, had the times of their lives.
