"IF YOU thought World Cup 2022 in Qatar was dramatic, think again – 2026's edition has somehow topped it.
The tournament has made history on multiple fronts. It is the first FIFA World Cup to feature 48 teams and the first to be jointly hosted by three nations – the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Between history-making individual feats, shock eliminations, a literal witch doctor and a US president getting involved in disciplinary matters, the tournament has delivered no shortage of unforgettable talking points.
Here's a rundown of its biggest moments.
Unlikely goalkeeping heroes
Group stage football gave us some genuinely superb goalkeeping displays from names that don't usually make headlines.
Curacao's Eloy Room put in a 16-save shift against Ecuador – a record for a 90-minute World Cup match – to earn his country its first-ever World Cup point.
Iran's Alireza Beiranvand was similarly heroic in a goalless draw with Belgium, while Cape Verde's veteran shot-stopper Vozinha – at 40 years old – became the calm, composed anchor behind his side's fairytale run to the knockouts in their World Cup debut.
The Viking Row goes viral
Norway’s fans brought a little Viking magic to the World Cup with their iconic “Viking Row” celebration.
With thousands of supporters moving in perfect sync while chanting and rowing their arms, the electrifying display quickly became one of the tournament’s most eye-catching fan moments.
The Viking Row quickly escaped stadiums, and took place anywhere fans gathered, be it Times Square, Miami Beach, or the stress of Dallas, Texas – and even made its way to the Norwegian parliament.
New rule, first victim: the "Prestianni Law"
FIFA introduced a new rule for this tournament, dubbed the Prestianni Law, following a Champions League incident earlier this year involving Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni and Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior.
During the match, Prestianni allegedly made a racist remark while covering his mouth, making it impossible to verify what was said.
Under the new rule, covering your mouth during a confrontation now carries an automatic red card. Paraguay's Miguel Almiron became the first player to fall foul of it, being sent off against Türkiye.
Underdogs shock giants
The beauty of football? Anything can happen. World Cup 2026 was packed with giant-killing moments as underdogs refused to be intimidated by the sport's biggest names.
The Democratic Republic of Congo held favourites Portugal to a draw, while tournament debutants Cape Verde stunned the football world by frustrating Spain in a goalless stalemate before pushing Argentina to the brink in the knockout stages.
Paraguay then dumped four-time champions Germany out on penalties, before Morocco sent the Netherlands packing in a thrilling penalty shootout.
Ronaldo's last dance
Cristiano Ronaldo rewrote World Cup history by becoming the first player to score at six different editions of the tournament (2006–2026).
He marked the milestone in style, scoring twice against Uzbekistan to become the oldest player ever to net a World Cup brace at 41.
He then went one better against Croatia in the Round of 32, converting a penalty to become the oldest player ever to score in a World Cup knockout match.
Sadly, that goal against Croatia turned out to be his World Cup swansong. Portugal fell 1-0 to Spain in the Round of 16, and Ronaldo confirmed afterwards that this was his last World Cup.
Iran's cruel exit – out without losing a single game
Spare a thought for Iran, which went the entire group stage unbeaten (three draws) and still didn't make the knockouts, despite the litany of issues they encountered along the way.
Their fate came down to a wild 3-3 draw between Algeria and Austria, where Algeria led in stoppage time only for Austria to snatch a last-gasp equaliser.
That draw gave Algeria enough points to leapfrog Iran in the third-place standings, sending Iran home on goal difference despite not tasting defeat once.
Balogun and the call from the White House
USA striker Folarin Balogun was sent off in the Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, triggering an automatic one-match ban for the Round of 16 clash with Belgium.
Days later, FIFA lifted the ban after reports emerged that President Donald Trump had called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to request a review of Balogun's red card.
Belgium's federation was furious, UEFA called it a "red line" being crossed, and former FIFA boss Sepp Blatter waded in too.
Balogun played the full match, but the USA lost 4-1 anyway and were eliminated – so the whole saga ended up being somewhat moot on the pitch, even as it continues to be argued over.
Third place chaos
England beat France 6-4 in Miami in what's being called one of the best World Cup games ever played.
England raced into a stunning 4-0 half-time lead, but France hit back hard after the break, with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice.
Ten goals from start to finish, and England's best World Cup finish since they clinched the trophy in 1966. Not bad for a match neither team really wanted to play.
The new all-time top scorer
Kylian Mbappe ends World Cup 2026 as the all-time leading scorer in men's World Cup history, finishing on 22 career goals.
His brace in the third-place win over France pushed him past both Miroslav Klose's long-standing record and the mark Messi had set earlier in the tournament.
A fitting way to cap off a tournament in which he was arguably his nation’s most consistent performer.
Spain are champions again
In what was arguably the most one-sided World Cup final witnessed in the modern era, a dominant La Roja beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time to claim their second World Cup title, their first since 2010.
For 90 goalless minutes, Argentina's defence – and a heroic Emiliano Martinez, who broke the World Cup final record with 11 saves – kept Spain at bay, till substitute Ferran Torres finally found the breakthrough in the 106th minute to settle it.
The win also means Spain has become the first nation to hold both the men's and women's World Cup at the same time.
