The biggest party of the summer has come and gone. After all the sturm und drang about cultural friction, ticket prices, a xenophobic political orthodoxy, and the ostensible ignorance and apathy of the American sports fan, someone kicked a ball and the festival atmosphere descended like clockwork for almost the entire duration of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. I say “almost” because, as with any big blowout party, the vast majority of the fun was already had by the time everyone went home. It’s a curious structural feature of the World Cup; it gets less exciting as it goes on. The group stages are full of giddy possibility, color, life, optimism. Photogenic underdogs tend to emerge and win hearts early. The climax tends to come early in knockout play, as higher stakes ratchet up the tension, but entropy generally sets in by the time we reach the quarterfinals. Gambling men will tell you: chalk is law in the world cup. This year was no different.
Spain were, no doubt, deserved world champs, but their final triumph over Argentina can be thought of as a monument to the tournament’s inherent entropic quality. Nobody without a direct rooting interest seemed particularly enthusiastic about the possibility of either team lifting the cup and the match itself was a snoozer, a quality enhanced by the halftime show feeling like a fever dream.
But complaining risks obscuring how much genuine fun was had in the course of this cup. In this age of fragmented reality, reflected and refracted though each individual’s preferred Internet Looking Glass, the World Cup was a rare hit of monocultural communion. The whole world was watching, and so we were, for a few weeks, united as fans. That’s the feeling that will endure, I hope. The matches blur together, the winners and losers become dour little facts, but the experience of the thing resonates deeper. A remarkable watching experience can tattoo itself on the memory.
For this edition of Putting You On Game, I put the call out to readers of this blog to stand up and be counted in this people’s review and reaction to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Seven of you answered the call. I would like to acknowledge and thank each of them here, before we begin let’s meet our contestants:
Now let’s play the feud.
I messed up right off the bat here. I didn’t specify whether I was looking for a combined best XI or a best team that actually played in the tournament. People seemed to lean towards the latter, so I’ll do the same. Special mention, however, is due to Patrick Cleary for providing his Best XI, which is as follows:
Goalkeeper: Orlando Gill (Paraguay)
Right-Back: Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)
Center-Backs: Pau Cubarsi (Spain)-Aymeric Laporte (Spain)
Left-Back: Marc Cucurella (The Spanish Guy with the Hair)
Midfield: Rodri (Spain), Jude Bellingham (England), Michael Olise (France)
Wide Forwards: Lionel Messi (Argentina), Kylian Mbappe (France)
Center Forward: Erling Haaland (Norway)
I’ll say I mostly agree with this, though I’d substitute Dayot Upamecano for Aymeric Laporte. I understand the pick, Spain’s defense was the class of the field and explains, in large part, why they lifted the cup. France’s defense obviously faltered once Upamecano lost his running buddy William Saliba to a back injury, but when he had his preferred complimentary piece next to him, Upamecano was that rare athlete who still looks superhuman on a field loaded with elite competitors. Like a tank with quilted leather massage seats and surround sound.
Additionally, while my head appreciates the Ball Knowledge required to acknowledge Orlando Gill’s shootout heroism to eliminate Germany in the round of thirty-two, my heart is with Vozinha. It was a huge cup for the men between the posts but Cabo Verde’s veteran keeper was the feel good story of the cup, and his performances will forever be a part of its remembrance.
On an actual team of the tournament, the consensus generally settled on the World Champions. Ghost of Giraldus sided with the majority but gave honorable mentions to Cabo Verde and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but S. Mooney provided, in my view the definitive take on Spain’s 2026 squad:
“…they won but also were never really threatened, they didn’t ‘dominate’ but were never really threatened. I also just enjoy the tiki taka style.”
For my own part, aside from those listed, I think I’ll remember this Norway team fondly. Scrappy and a bit limited in the way loveable national teams often are but able to punch above their weight by doing one thing very well. I noticed it from the Senegal game in the group stages, Norway had a different sort of momentum when they had an opportunity to get moving on the counter. A fun-to-watch team, an instant classic kit, a viral crowd celebration, and an iconic star at the center.
Which makes for a good segue.
To my surprise, we actually have a plurality consensus here. Perhaps we can chalk it up to our English respondents contaminating the sample, but Jude Bellingham seemed to make far and away the biggest impression on the voting audience. Allow me to include some impressions below here for your perusal.
“...he came in as probably the most scrutinized player and put England on his back when it counted.”
S. Mooney
“Like Frau Tuchel, I find him repulsive. There is a strong whiff of CR7 about this guy, you can see how full of himself he is as he plays and in the way he carries himself. But he stamped his authority on this World Cup in a way that reminded me of Zidane, and for a few dreadful minutes he made me feel as if England could actually win this World Cup. It feels harsh not to give the player of the tournament award to Messi, who was actually better in this one than I think he was 4 years ago, but I am punishing him for how boring (the final) match was.”
Patrick Cleary
Patrick’s sentiment must have been felt by at least a few of the other voters, as Argentina’s little magician did not receive even a single vote. The Dictator Kylian Mbappe and his loyal strongmen Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele also received no love. Russell Lifson voted for Lamine Yamal and Exa Moseley hand-waved the question, suggesting the award should go to; “someone on (S)pain probably - they blend together…”
If you want my take, I have to stand with James Benson Sarsgard here. My player of the tournament was Erling Haaland, with an honorable mention for Vozinha.
Statistics are for nerds. International sports are about feelings, narratives, the psychic union and cultural explosion they produce. In that regard, in capturing the public consciousness, The Striking Viking stood alone. No other player did more to encapsulate the vibes of World Cup 2026 at their highest.
Shame I can only root for him every four years or so (here’s hoping Norway makes a run to Euro 2028).
The voting public and the institutions are in union here. Cape Verde’s Sidny Lopes Cabral’s wonderstrike against Argentina has received goal of the tournament from both FIFA and this informal straw poll. Not much to be said. You’ll see it for years to come.
We weren’t unanimous, however. S. Mooney recalled Mostafa Zico’s non-goal for Egypt, also against Argentina, ruled out on a controversial foul call.
Ghost of Giraldus gave plaudits to the reigning Ballon D’Or winner, Dembele. He didn’t specify a goal, so how about we just watch all three of the ones he scored against Norway?
Finally, I admire Russell Lifson’s straightforward insight in marking out Ferran Torres’ extra time final-winner as the class of the field.
If I can be a bit selfish here, I’m going to reach for the best goal I saw live. Kylian Mbappe’s strike to put France out of sight against Senegal. Exquisite.
I’m going to step out of the way here and let my respondents have their say:
“The above goal by Cabral. The moment, and his reaction after was special. You see players celebrate in sports all the time, but there was something about the look in his eyes as he ran into the stands looking for his girlfirend that felt really unique, touching, and in many ways unlike anything I’ve ever seen in sports. Very sweet moment, I thought they were destined to win after that, but alas.....”
James Benson Sarsgard
“Cabo Verde’s draw against Spain. Pure WC magic. A heroic rearguard performance that got everyone doubting Spain (until they beat France).”
Ghost of Giraldus
“The first time the fans sang Wonderwall to all of the England players after the Croatia game. I like it a lot. It was just a momentous occasion that really encapsulated the zeitgeist. I watched this with all my friends packed into this tiny room during a house party. Drinks were going and the party was flowing. But we were all zoned into this one thing - into this one match, this one beautiful manifestation of humanity. And after seeing the hope that England could really go all the way, by finally playing with some vigour. It was as if what this entire nation felt became embodied when all the fans start singing Wonderwall to our brave soldiers.
Since we are no longer, as with many nations or peoples, dedicated to war and conquering. The spirit of the volk, whilst often combative, finds victory in any place they can find it. Thus no longer do we parade those returning from the somme, instead we cherish these men who merely kick a ball about, because now they are the ones who carry the soul of their nation upon their backs.
Thus through love and hate, we see them as our soldiers fighting for us. And with each inch they move forward through the field of tournament football do we rejoice beyond compare.
So to see the fans in lands so very far away engage in this wasn’t just fun, or kool, or even beautiful - it was spiritually holy. It became a new form of ritual, and at that point all of us back home sing Wonderwall to our knights in polyester sweat-retaining matte-white armour, because they are so many things we would like to say to them, but simply do not know how.”
I Like Things
“Cody Gakpo scoring to put Morocco ahead a few days after his wife miscarried. The tears on his face and the emotion of the other Dutch players as they celebrated with him remind you how powerful this game is. I was a bit sad when Morocco came back and won that game, which was one of the best of the tournament.”
Patrick
“(T)rump being pushed aside during the celebration at the end, (T)rump openly flexing corruption to get the red card ejection overturned, cursing his own team”
Russell Lifson
“England’s win over Mexico in Azteca was incredible and will be one of my lasting memories from the tournament. I thought it was a beautiful, gritty display by England and I left the tournament feeling very positive about England’s team despite the loss to Argentina (which was devastating). I thought the win over Norway in the Miami heat was also cool to see and a hard earned victory. They deserved to be in the final and I think they would have had a shot, but that’s how it goes. Should have played Saka
Winning at Azteca is so hard. It’s one of the toughest environments in sports and to do it down a man for 40 minutes. Seeing Jude collapse after was beautiful. They really fought so hard. It’s as good as sports gets.
(F)or a homer pick 1st half USA vs Paraguay was maybe the best they have ever played”
Exa Moseley
“Sad Messi”
S. Mooney
It was razor-close but the English lobby once again makes its presence known. Here’s the prevailing opinion:
“Mexico vs England. I’m super biased but I’ve not seen an England performance like it since maybe Colombia in 2018 and even then, nothing matched it for intensity, drama, and wonderful play from both sides. A proper blood and thunder international where nothing was held back, the will to win overcoming the fear of losing - a rare thing indeed in the strange world of international football.”
Ghost of Giraldus
I asked everyone if they had a superlative that didn’t fulfill any of the prior prompts. Here’s what they gave me.
“The total fiasco surrounding Iran. They got hosed for sure. I’m ashamed of how they were treated in my country/by my government. And their determination to keep going despite all of the obstacles and of course a string of very bad luck at the end.”
James Benson Sarsgard
“The penalty shift - stuttered run ups losing their hot streak for the classic run and smash. Minor perhaps, but big when VAR has tipped the scales towards the big beasts getting more penalties. I hated the conspiracy theorying and hero worship of this tournament. A proper team won, as it should be. The golden boot/ball race is a sideshow. Fuck Gianni Infantino, the ghost at the feast of every match he went to.”
Ghost of Giraldus
“Cabo Verde. I am now Cabo Verdean. Enough Said.God Bless that tiny nation.”
I Like Things
“Vinicius went on a run in the game against Japan (what a match that was, by the way) which would have gone down as one of the greatest World Cup goals of all time if Zion Suzuki hadn’t made the save of his life. He beat 4 or 5 defenders and looked more unstoppable in those 20 seconds than any other player did at any point in the tournament.”
Patrick
“Scotland in Boston, awesome, also Algeria in Kansas. Wonderwall, I like it! Hey, Jude also I like it! Similarly Country Roads was cool! I think in general there was some great singing at this world cup. Trump curse is so real. As a VAR hater from the beginning I feel vindicated. It is ruining soccer. We have lost a lot with VAR specifically in how the game feels. Water/Ad breaks sucked but hopeful those won’t be a lasting thing (at least in 2030). The group stages were so happy and the knockouts felt like poison especially after the Balogun red reversal. A lot of conspiracies, discourse sucked a lot of the time. Found trying to find the wokest one of the last 4 teams hilarious. Was bummed. Yamal didn’t have a great tourney, Spain a great team that wasn’t very interesting unless he was a star to me. Elite tournament if you love Arsenal and love being annoying about Arsenal. Lots of hot guys to look at. How we treated Iran disgusting. John Strong might be the worst commentator in sports. People are letting Stu Holden off the hook for being less bad but he is also awful. The Hargreaves Fox crew was elite. Thank god I can delete the Fox One app from my phone. Enzo (Fernandez) seems like an evil man but the celebration for his goal against England with the puckered face is an all timer and I can’t stop doing it. 48 team world cup I ended up coming around on and I think 64 will be fine. Getting rid of the weird 3rd place stuff will make it feel better. Ronaldo playing for 90 minutes every game genuinely shocking to me. What a waste! France cratered once Saliba was out, coincidence?? Cape Verde was cool I liked when he celebrated in the stands with his girlfriend. Have to put it a second time I hate VAR so much”
Exa Moseley
“The jerseys were awesome this year. More teams showing more vibes. Africa really showing up with some fire, Senegal, Ghana, Morocco, DRC all looked awesome.”
S. Mooney
It occurs to me now that hopping back in to offer my own impressions may be construed as bragging a bit. Not only did I attend a World Cup match (France/Senegal) but I spent my bachelor party weekend orbiting around the ongoing World Cup festivities at the Linc. Drinking with Croatia and Ghana fans in a big rainy parking lot and watching Paraguay send Germany home on penalties from a smartphone in the bleachers at a Phillies game may have actually surpassed going to a match in terms of pure vibes. Once we’d left the ballpark we stuck around at a nearby sportsbar that actually stayed open late to show the shootout between Morocco and the Netherlands. It really did illustrate just how much of an all-encompassing experience the cup was here in the US.
But enough about my Cup, how was yours?
“When (England) beat Norway, you just had to have seen what was happening on the roads. Cars blocking paths, people running onto the roads and standing on cars. You felt as if this was the time, because never were the vibes like this where people just so happy and ready to see it come home.”
I Like Things
“I saw nearly every jersey possible around New York for the past month. It was wonderful hosting the world, and I’m ashamed that the NJ government left a bad impression with their transit price gouging.”
Patrick
“The crowd pop for the muppets halftime show appearance. Neutral (A)merican crowd ALL rooting for (S)pain and booing (A)rgentina a lot. Lots of packed bars and good times, went to a lot of different spots. Small college town but fans of all types even still. The US/Belgium crowd had great energy I wish it was a different result.”
Exa Moseley
“Not my town, but I was in New England when the Scots were there and they were a blast. Big partiers but super nice and great vibes. Made a few friends and now I need to go to Scotland.”
S. Mooney
“The overall experience of watching all of it go down in my country was special, even though Trump tried to taint it, it was nice to have abreak from gross politics and have some camraderie with the rest of the world over a shared bonding event. Looking forward to 2030!”
James Benson Sarsgard
“Yanks getting into Football is always so nice, it’s the world’s game! Everyone is welcome. The cronyism and greasy palms at the top of FIFA will always hang over a modern WC, it’s a shame it was so obvious here. The bad vibes of this Argentina side will haunt them for a decade or more. In the short term, it might help you win games but it will poison the atmosphere in the long run. Goals goals goals galore, Mbappe going Gerd Muller and Bellingham getting more goals than any Englishman ever at a single WC is special. He’s a special player and we must cherish him.”
Ghost of Giraldus
“It made me both radically optimistic and pessimistic. I just gained so much hope only to be left with a feeling of Schopenhauerian demise. Yet the fact that I could be filled with such joy is something I will cherish forever, even if it all came crumbling down. Cus hey, that’s life. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
I Like Things
“Sadly, the Balogun affair is probably going to be the thing which sticks with us the longest. Everyone will be crying conspiracy for decades whenever something goes against their team because of the door that FIFA opened with that decision. It’s going to be very annoying.”
Patrick
“(T)he openness and flaunting of the corruption, the physical fight w(ith) the sore losers at the end, truly a children’s game for babies who can’t grow up”
Russell Lifson
“The gap in the level of play between the top teams and everyone else and between Europe and the field. Having 48 teams allows for some cool cultural moments and a few Cinderella upsets but it really dilutes the group stage and makes the round of 32 more of a formality that a compelling matchup. I also think Europe is really pulling ahead of the rest of the world, Argentina without Messi does not look like a threat in the near future and Brazil and Uruguay were a shell of themselves. Africa is looking markedly better but they’re more catching up to (and surpassing) the Americas than they are competing with Europe. Morocco is a legit threat and earned their win over Netherlands and trip to the semifinal, but other than that and Germany shitting the bed, no top European team was really challenged by another continent (again, not including Messi). All that being said I liked the expansion because it was fun and chaotic and brought the Scots to America.”
S. Mooney
“(T)rump curse real - VAR bad - England needed Saka - It’s coming home 2030”
Exa Moseley
As for myself, I dunno. I suppose what I’ll cherish most about it is how much it allowed me to see people. My father, friends from out of state, the whole sick crew here in DC, plans were being made virtually all the time, and while I watched most of the tournament at home, where the beer is cheaper and my cat and fiancee are around, I had one of the busiest social months I’ve enjoyed in some time. It’s worth acknowledging, I suppose, that The Cup may be over, but The World is as present and welcoming as its ever been.
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