The 23rd FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international men’s soccer competition, began on June 11, 2026, with a new 48-national-team format and ended with a bout between Spain and Argentina in the final on July 19th. This year’s FIFA World Cup was the first to be jointly hosted by 3 countries – the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Tournament Highlights

For the first time, the top four ranked teams from the FIFA Men’s World Ranking made it to the semi-finals. Spain advanced to the final after besting France 2 – 0 in the semi-finals and Argentina advanced over England 2 – 1. Spain saw victory in the final against defending champion Argentina, held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with a score of 1 – 0.

Team Spain took home three awards in addition to their victory. Spain’s captain Rodrigo Cascante, known as “Rodri,” scored the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. Goalkeeper Unai Simón won the Golden Glove as the tournament’s best goalkeeper and Defender Pau Cubarsí won the Young Player Award as the tournament’s best young player.

The closing ceremony that took place before the final at MetLife Stadium featured performances by Nicole Scherzinger, IShowSpeed, Post Malone, and Jennifer Hudson, who performed “The Star Spangled Banner.” This year’s final also featured the first Super Bowl-style halftime show in FIFA World Cup history.

Original reporting: The Savannah Tribune — read the source article.