Reflecting on the 2026 World Cup

That's a wrap! Spain just won the 2026 World Cup.

Soccer has a special place in my heart. It is the first (and primary) sport I played on an organized team. It is the only sport I have ever refereed (I've officiated games in two countries and two spurts—in the late '90s and late '00s). I love it . . . and there are parts I can't stand about it. All the emotions come to the fore every four years during the World Cup. 

The 2026 World Cup is now in the books; 48 teams played 104 games in 16 host cities, most of which were in the USA. I watched more of this Cup than any other . . . and I have some opinions. But first, the group stage and knockout brackets.

The Group Stage

The groups; image from here

The 48 teams (expanded this year from the normal 32) in this World Cup were organized into 12 four-team groups (see above image). Each team played against all others in their respective group. Draws were fine. By points, the top two teams from each group (and the third-place team in eight of them) advanced to the knockout stage.

The Knockout Stage

The knockout stage; image from here

In prior years, the knockout stage featured the top 16 teams, but since this year's tournament expanded the field to 48 teams, the first round of knockouts was the round of 32. 

On to my likes/dislikes.

Likes

• The kit. All national teams change their kit every couple years (2 or 4, I don't remember and I think it depends anyway). It's always fun seeing what a given country is wearing, from the expected (like Argentine stripes or Croatian checkers), to bold new designs, to homages to classic jerseys of decades past. Eight examples below . . . note the subtle details some feature. Norway's was a particular favorite this year. This ESPN article shows and ranks all the kit.

• The team names. National team nicknames can be basic, straightforward . . . or hilarious. You can see a complete list here; my favorites are the Socceroos (Australia), The Selection (Argentina), The Team (Germany), The Three Lions (England), Orange (Netherlands), The Tartan Army (Scotland), The Canal Men (Panama), The Pharoahs (Egypt), and The Chivalrous Ones (Jordan).
• The camaraderie. Soccer is the world's sport. Fans come together for love of country and/or love of the game. It's fun to watch that play out. This year, to list a few examples, the Scottish fans drank Boston out of beer, the Norwegian fans had a viking 'row' routine, and the Japanese cleaned up stadiums. 
• The skills. There is no denying the technical skill of players on the pitch. My favorite are one-touch passing sequences, sometimes involving no-look passes or step-overs. But the strength and accuracy of the passes/shots, the goalie acrobatics, the timing to avoid offsides . . . it is all impressive.
• The tension. Is soccer the only sport whose game end is up to the referee? There are two 45-minute halves, but each has stoppage time, a discretionary number that ranges from 1 to 9 minutes of added play to account for the fake injuries (see below) and other delays. But even that number (made public at the start of stoppage time) in only a guide, and stoppage time can have its own delays that adds more time, meaning they play until the ref decides to stop. It makes for nail-biting uncertainty in close games.
• Cape Verde. This year's sweetheart was Cape Verde; the island nation made it to the knockout round and took Argentina into extra time. Incredible performance from such a small nation. You can view their highlights vs. Argentina here.
• Select players. Erling Haaland (Norway), Jude Bellingham (England), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Vozinha (Cape Verde), Folarin Balogun (America), and Marc Cucurella (Spain) are a few of the players who stood out to me this World Cup. This is a team game, but individual talent shines through.

Dislikes

• The low scores. Let's be honest . . . in any sport, we like scoring. In soccer, goals are scarce . . . and it can be a yawn-fest (unless both teams are pressing and just failing to finish). England vs. France in the consolation game (a 6-4 thriller) shows how much more exciting this game can be when both teams commit to the attack. Consider:
• In this WC, there were 308 goals in 104 games, about 3 scores per game.
• 120 goals came in 21 of the games, meaning 188 came in the remaining 83 contests; just over 2 goals per contest. 
• By comparison, other popular sports score more often. The NHL (6 goals per game), MLB (9 runs per game), and football (45 points per game, divided by 7 = 6.4 scores per game) blow soccer out of the water in this category.
• Turtling. Some teams 'turtle' (hunker down and play defense) from the start or if they go up. This is effectively giving up goal-scoring opportunities and hoping that playing your entire team on defense will deny goals to your opponent. It doesn't always work (see England or Egypt vs. Argentina this year), and it is annoying to watch.
• Flopping. Soccer is a unique sport in that theatrics pay off. When a player is brushed, lightly touched, or looked at, the average soccer player falls over, rolls around wildly and grabs a body part (generally, the ankle or head) writhing in pain. Everyone else on the field throws up their hands and looks at the official, clearly expecting a foul will be called on the other team. If it is, 'great.' If it isn't, the nearly-dead player just hops up and starts playing again. Or they keep rolling around if they want to really sell it (and/or just give everyone on the field a break as the ref whistles in an ambulance or whatever). Then they hop up later. To top it off, announcers buy into it completely. They analyze the play, see a player fall over for basically no reason, and fawn over them, bemoaning the 'injury.' Sheeeeeeesh.
• Games ending in penalty kicks. What a terrible way to end any game. But in the knockout stages, this is the way draws are resolved (after an extra period of play). Penalties decided four games in this Cup. One of them went against Germany. Not that I'm bitter.*
• Draws. In this World Cup, 25 games ended in draws. I'm indifferent to those. I guess.
• Certain fouls. Maybe the rules have changed since I was refereeing**, but I was shocked at some of the fouls that got red cards in this tournament. Players both going for the ball . . . a foot comes down in the wrong spot and the player is sent off. Ridiculous in my mind. Related: I don't know how many goals were disallowed due to questionable fouls, but it felt like the refs looked for reasons to keep the scoring down.
• Delays in calling fouls. When I was refereeing, the only time you didn't call a foul upon recognition is when the fouled team had the ball and advantage (in which case you allowed them to play on). In this tournament, apparently, you can call fouls when:
• it happened a half-minute earlier (offsides calls were notorious for this)
• it happened on the other side of the pitch, minutes earlier
• it happened on the other side of the world, days earlier
• Team USA (vs. Belgium). For whatever reason, the USA just cannot master men's soccer.
• The common hairstyle. AI tells me that this "textured crop with a mid-fade is one of the most popular men's hairstyles, combining short, choppy layers on top with clean, faded sides." Alex Baena (below) showcases the look. Many other players did in this Cup. I wasn't a fan; echoes of mullet.

Alex Baena (Spain)

Jury's Still Out

• The expanded format. Increasing the teams by 50%? More teams can be thrilling (see Cape Verde above); it can also mean more 'chaff' can get in, diluting the talent level and making for embarrassing blowouts.
• VAR. This year they used a team of Video Assistant Referees (VAR). In certain cases, the on-field ref could appeal to VAR (and review the footage himself) to determine if any calls needed to be adjusted. I'm of mixed mind here . . . on the one hand, every ref wants to get it right, and if video can aid that, why not? On the other, several VAR episodes this WC caused only drama (going from 'no foul' to 'red card' is a bit much to me). I think this is best used for offsides or offenses that happened away from a referee's vision vs. things he sees and calls on the field.

Final Thoughts

The fact that I watched so much indicates where my heart lies—I love this game. It was delightful to see it on U.S. soil (and thus at reasonable times), I'm glad the games were largely broadcast over the air so I could enjoy them, and the likes listed above outweighed my dislikes. It was fun to see the world come together and celebrate. Until next time, world. See you in four years.

*I am. But I concede that the Germans didn't deserve to win.

**They didn't. I checked. Okay, they did, but not in ways relevant to my point.