The caucus said it had received information suggesting some individuals were allegedly charged as much as $8,000 each for assistance with travel arrangements linked to the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The Minority also alleged that posters advertising visa acquisition services were displayed at NSA offices and around the stadium.

Addressing the media in Parliament, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, said Ampofo Ankrah should step aside pending the outcome of the investigation.

“There were clear banners of the Tribe Culture Fest dealing with visa acquisitions on behalf of the National Sports Authority, supported by the National Sports Authority,” the caucus said.

The opposition further questioned an estimated $600,000 it claimed was generated through the arrangement.

“The question is simple. Why was a private entity permitted to operate from a state sports facility to facilitate such transactions?” it said.

The Minority demanded answers over who authorised the arrangement, who received the money, what services were provided and what happened to people who allegedly paid but did not receive the promised services.

It also claimed that the NSA Director-General and some members of staff had been questioned by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) as part of the ongoing investigation.

While stressing that it was not seeking to prejudge the outcome of the inquiry, the caucus argued that the head of the NSA should not remain in office while investigations continue.

“We are not prejudging the outcome of the investigation, and we will not declare anyone guilty before the facts are established,” the Minority said.

It added: “We therefore call on the President to dismiss the Director-General of the National Sports Authority with immediate effect or, at the very least, require him to step aside pending the conclusion of the investigation.”

Meanwhile, the National Sports Authority (NSA), in a statement, has denied any wrongdoing.

Adams told Parliament’s Select Committee on Sports, Art and Culture that discussions over taxes and the final settlement of World Cup-related funds were still ongoing.

He said Ghana would know the exact amount due once FIFA completes its financial processes with the tournament’s host countries.

“The country is supposed to benefit from its participation in this World Cup. But as at this moment that I’m speaking to you, we are yet to conclude on that and to receive those funds,” Adams said.

“We hope that by the end of this month, FIFA will have concluded all their processes and their agreements with the host countries.

“So we will know the tax issues, and we’ll know how much would be our portion of what is due to us up to the point that we got.”

Under Ghanaian law, Adams said the funds received from FIFA would be transferred to the country’s Sports Fund through the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

He said the money would provide additional resources for the development of sport in the country.

Adams also said Ghana’s World Cup campaign had highlighted areas that the GFA and the national team’s management need to improve ahead of future tournaments.

He identified player development, coaching, a clear football philosophy and long-term planning as key areas requiring greater attention.

“Having participated in this tournament, there are some lessons that management and the GFA should place greater emphasis on for future tournaments,” he said.

“One, the performance of the team at the World Cup, player development, effective coaching, and a clear philosophy can help unlock the potential of the players.

“This campaign underlined the necessity for long-term planning and a sustainable financial plan for national team activities.”

Ghana reached the last 16 at the 2026 World Cup before being eliminated by Colombia.

Adams disclosed this while appearing before Parliament’s Select Committee on Youth and Sports to account for Ghana’s participation in the tournament held across the United States, Mexico and Canada earlier this summer.

The Buem MP said the tickets were purchased for Ghana’s group-stage matches against Panama, England and Croatia.

A breakdown presented to the committee showed that 948 tickets were bought for the opening game against Panama, 1,000 for the match against England and 974 for the final group fixture against Croatia.

“We spent about $1.26 million on the procurement of the 2,922 tickets,” Adams told the committee.

The minister said the beneficiaries included members of the Ghana Supporters Union, Ghana’s High Commissions in the United States and Canada, Ghanaians living in the diaspora, the Ghana Students Association, the official government delegation and selected officials of the Ghana Football Association.

According to the ministry, the ticket purchases formed part of arrangements to support Ghana’s participation and spectator presence at the World Cup.

The Black Stars played four matches at the tournament, progressing from the group stage after facing Panama, England and Croatia before losing to Colombia in the Round of 32 in Kansas City.

The disagreement emerged after Adams appeared before Parliament’s Sports Committee, where he told members that every sponsored traveller had returned home following the tournament.

Assafuah, however, said the minister’s account did not reflect the information available to him, alleging that some of those who travelled had remained in Canada.

“I know that he sponsored his driver, Mr Otchere, who did not come back. The guy is currently in Canada,” Assafuah told Asempa FM in an exclusive interview.

The Old Tafo MP also claimed that a secretary from the Chief Director’s office who travelled as part of the delegation had not returned.

“There is a secretary at the chief director’s office who was sponsored as part of the 431. That person is still not back. Meanwhile, he’s telling the people of Ghana that 431 people came.”

Assafuah further alleged that some people who travelled with the delegation had presented themselves as staff of the National Sports Authority (NSA) despite not being employees of the organisation.

“Per my information, there are a number of people who represented themselves as staff of the NSA, who were not staff,” he said.

The MP also referred to a report by Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail, which he said indicated that 45 people were seeking asylum in Canada after the World Cup.

“It means that there were people who were sponsored on a visa for the World Cup, and as soon as they go to Canada, they fail to come back,” Assafuah said.

The Sports Minister has maintained that all 431 sponsored travellers returned to Ghana after the tournament.

The “Correct the Map” resolution –– put forward by African Union member states, as well as the Bahamas –– passed with overwhelming support: 164 member states voted in favor, six abstained and only the United States voted against it.

The resolution aims to give an “equitable” representation of the globe’s regions, particularly Africa, arguing that the distortions in the current world map mean the continent has undergone a “symbolic minimization” in people’s collective imagination.

At present, many of the world’s maps are based on the Mercator projection, created by European cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569. It is widely used for navigation since the north-south lines have constant true bearings relative to the equator.

Detailed political world map in Mercator projection BardoczPeter/Getty Images

However, it is less useful as a world map since the scale is distorted, with countries further from the equator appearing disproportionately larger than those closest. For example, on the Mercator, Greenland appears larger than the continent of South America and appears similar in size to Africa.

In reality, Greenland is roughly the size of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Africa is 14 times the size of Greenland.

Some critics of the Mercator projection suspect it has remained widely used because it enlarges and centers Europe, as well as other Western regions such as North America, perpetuating ideas of European superiority.

The UN resolution notes “with concern that this distortion contributes to minimizing the perceived sizes of Africa, Latin America and South Asia, and perpetuating an unbalanced view of the world.”

It adds that the distortions also “contribute to minimizing the extent of socioeconomic realities, infrastructure needs, development potential and prosperity in the Southern regions, and that they can fuel prejudices in the environmental, geopolitical and security fields.”

France backs campaign to ‘correct’ distortions

The resolution therefore proposes, as an “act of cognitive justice and memorial reparation,” that the Mercator projection is replaced with the Equal Earth projection, which depicts the relative surface areas of the world’s regions more accurately.

In the Equal Earth, which was introduced at the 2018 North American Cartographic Information Society conference, Europe appears to shrink, Brazil balloons, and Greenland dramatically diminishes. Africa appears much larger in comparison.

France’s foreign affairs minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, announced Friday that France “will abandon the Mercator projection” in favor of representations that more accurately depict countries’ surface areas, state-owned TV network France 24 reported.

“The United States, Russia and China take on a disproportionate visual prominence compared to Africa, Latin America or southeast Asia,” Barrot said, adding that “distortions eventually take root in perceptions” and that “the time has come to correct them.”

The UN vote comes after the African Union adopted the Equal Earth Map in March and after Togo, on behalf of the AU, asked UN member states in April to do the same. As a result, a draft resolution was created and the UN General Assembly held informal consultations on it in July.

“Africa, once diminished on maps, now insists on being seen at its true scale – geographically, historically, morally, culturally, economically, diplomatically and globally,” Amma Twum-Amoah, commissioner for the AU’s Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, said in a statement in March.

A version of the Equal Earth map with Oceania at the center Equal Earth

New Zealand has also taken issue with the Mercator map, with a tourism ad back in 2018 – featuring then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – joking that “New Zealand is disappearing off the world maps” due to its position in the bottom right-hand corner.

The Equal Earth map addresses this, coming in various forms, including one that centers Oceania, rather than Greenwich, London. Greenwich has long been used as the standard for world time and global geographical reference.

Digital map platforms such as Google Maps also currently use a version of the Mercator projection. The draft resolution urges tech platforms to engage with UN member states and regional organizations and adopt the more accurate projection.

Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Okraku announced the reward during the association’s 32nd Ordinary Congress at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram on Thursday.

Asare, who plays for Hearts of Oak, was the only locally based player included in Ghana’s 26-man World Cup squad.

The goalkeeper started two matches at the tournament and kept clean sheets in both appearances.

His standout performance came in Ghana’s goalless draw against England, where he produced several important saves to help the Black Stars secure a point against one of the tournament’s highly rated teams.

The performance further enhanced Asare’s reputation as one of Ghana’s emerging goalkeeping talents, with his composure and confidence earning praise.

His selection for the World Cup also marked a significant milestone for domestic football, as he became the first locally based goalkeeper to start a World Cup match for Ghana.

Asare made his Black Stars debut during the 2024 Unity Cup and has since established himself as the national team’s first-choice goalkeeper.

His rise offers encouragement to other Ghana Premier League players seeking opportunities with the national team, particularly at a time when most of Ghana’s international players are based abroad.

The JAC Motors vehicle serves as recognition of Asare’s contribution to Ghana’s World Cup campaign and his historic achievement as a locally based player on football’s biggest stage.

Fifa – the sport’s global governing body – said it intends to expand “football development funding” to more than $10bn (£7.5bn) and invite third-party investment in a new venture.

The story was first reported in the Financial Times and the Times, with the latter claiming the plans could potentially earn Fifa president Gianni Infantino tens of millions of pounds.

In a lengthy statement outlining the proposals, Fifa says it will “invite third parties to make minority, non-controlling investments” in a new subsidiary – Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) – to “consolidate” its commercial and event operations.

The plan still needs to be passed by a vote of Fifa’s 211 member nations. But if approval is granted, Fifa says Thrive Eternal is expected to lead the proposed investor group for FFE.

Thrive is an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared.

Fifa sources have told BBC Sport there has been no discussion over Infantino, or anyone else, becoming chief executive of FFE.

In its statement, Fifa did say Infantino and the rest of the organisation “has a duty” to control the development of the project. Fifa has not said precisely what that means, or what the specific nature of Infantino’s involvement will be.

As part of its pitch Fifa says all member associations will be able to access up to $20m (£15m) in “one-off capital” to fund development.

Infantino said every nation should benefit from the riches football creates.

“Parts of the game have turned that popularity into remarkable commercial value – and we celebrate that success and want it to continue, because it lifts the whole game,” he said.

“Our job is to make sure the rest of football grows with it: Fifa exists to support sustainable, inclusive development in every corner of the world.”

However, Uefa has issued a statement criticising the proposals, which it claimed “crosses a line”.

Burnham said going ahead with the idea would mean Fifa had “sold out”.

He wrote on X: “Let me say this very directly. Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the people who fill the stands and who stand on the touchline week in, week out, rain or shine.

“The World Cup is not a product. It is the greatest competition in world sport, and it was never anyone’s to sell. Dress the deal up however you like. Once you have sold a piece of it, you have sold out.

“Football belongs to the fans. It always has, and it always will.”

The Football Association says it was unaware of Fifa’s plans when they were released.

‘None of us are the owners of football’

Fifa argues its plan, with a dedicated commercial subsidiary, is similar to that used by governing bodies in other sports.

In 2018, Premiership Rugby announced a partnership with private equity and investment advisory firm CVC Capital Partners.

However, Uefa sees Tuesday’s announcement as a step too far – and raises the potential for further expansion of Fifa competitions in order to raise revenue, both in terms of size and frequency, which could threaten its own lucrative competitions.

“This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross,” Uefa said.

“Uefa takes it extremely seriously. So should every National Football Association. So should every stakeholder who cares about the future of the game.

“The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade – especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not Fifa’s to sell.”

Fifa says it would retain control of FFE “and exclusive authority over football governance, competitions, the international match calendar and all regulatory and sporting decisions”.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire told BBC Sport the proposals are “an opportunity for Fifa to generate even more money” and there are an “awful lot of interested parties in the game who want a slice of the action”.

He added there was likely going to be pressure for a 64-team World Cup and for it to take place every two years if the FFE organisation is set up because it has “got to make money in order to satisfy the shareholders”.

The matter is likely to be a topic of conversation at the next Fifa Council meeting in the autumn and then around the Fifa Intercontinental Cup, featuring Champions League winners Paris St-Germain, in December.

The proposal could be voted on by all 211 members at the Fifa Congress in Morocco in March.

Kudus, together with Mohammed Salisu, Alexander Djiku and Abu Francis, was ruled out of Ghana’s final 26-man squad after picking up different injuries before the competition.

Reflecting on Ghana’s World Cup campaign, the South African coach, who joined the technical team ahead of the tournament, said the absence of experienced players created challenges for the team’s preparations and selection process.

Speaking to Flashscore, De Sa explained that losing four regular members of the squad, especially in defence, forced the technical team to depend on younger and less experienced players.

“We had lost four regular players, including both centre-backs, a winger from Tottenham Hotspur (Mohammed Kudus) and a midfielder.

“The absence of the centre-backs was particularly concerning because it meant using younger, less experienced players,” he said.

De Sa also pointed to the difficulty of assessing players before the tournament, noting that some of the options available to the technical team were not getting enough playing time at their clubs.

“Some of the players we were considering were also not getting regular game time at their clubs, so the selection process was challenging.

“You could travel to another city to watch a player, take your seat in the stadium and then find that he was on the bench,” he added.

Despite the setbacks, Ghana began the World Cup campaign positively, beating Panama 1-0 in their opening Group L match before holding England to a goalless draw.

However, the Black Stars suffered a 2-1 defeat to Croatia in their final group game and were later eliminated at the Round of 32 stage after a narrow 1-0 loss to Colombia.

With the tournament now over, Ghana is expected to welcome back Kudus, Salisu and Djiku as preparations begin for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The Black Stars have been drawn in Group C alongside Ivory Coast, Gambia and Somalia, with the qualifiers set to begin in September.

The applications form part of 175 asylum claims filed by foreign nationals who entered Canada after receiving temporary residence approval linked to the global football tournament hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico.

IRCC said it approved temporary residence applications for 26,111 people who indicated that they were travelling to Canada in connection with the World Cup.

However, as of July 20, 2026, 175 of those individuals had submitted asylum applications.

“Of the 26,111 individuals with prior FIFA-related approved temporary residence applications, 175 people later submitted asylum claims,” IRCC said in a statement cited by Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail.

The Canadian immigration authorities explained that the figures only cover applicants who specifically stated “FIFA World Cup 26” as the purpose of their temporary residence applications.

Ghana was among the countries with the highest number of asylum claims, recording 25 applications, the same number as China.

Egypt and Colombia followed with 15 claims each, while Senegal, Bangladesh and Nigeria recorded 10 applications each.

Ecuador, Burundi, Nepal and Pakistan each recorded five asylum claims.

Canadian authorities did not disclose the identities or backgrounds of the applicants, including whether they were footballers, team officials, support staff or fans who travelled to watch the tournament.

Asylum applications by visitors who enter countries during major international sporting events are not unusual.

Following the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, about 200 Ghanaians reportedly sought asylum in the country, citing claims of religious persecution, although those allegations were rejected by the Ghanaian government at the time.

Dr Forson made the revelation while presenting the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament on Thursday, July 23, as part of government’s accountability measures on expenditure under the approved budget.

“To support Ghana’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, an amount of GH¢58 million has been paid,” the Finance Minister told Parliament.

He explained that the disclosure formed part of efforts to provide Parliament and the public with a transparent account of government spending on key programmes and sectors.

“In the spirit of transparency and accountability, allow me to lay before this House a clear account of some of the expenditure we have made so far in support of government programmes and sectors approved in the 2026 Budget,” he said.

The Black Stars, coached by experienced Portuguese tactician Carlos Queiroz, delivered a respectable campaign at the expanded 48-team World Cup hosted in North America.

Ghana progressed beyond the group stage before bowing out at the newly introduced Round of 32 stage, finishing 24th overall in the tournament standings.

The appearance marked the Black Stars’ return to football’s biggest stage after successfully qualifying for the global showpiece.

The team will now shift focus to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, where the four-time African champions have been drawn in Group C alongside Ivory Coast, The Gambia and Somalia.

United States forward Balogun was expected to miss his side’s last-16 tie against Belgium after being shown a straight red card during their 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina.

But, after an intervention from US President Donald Trump, the one-match ban was suspended for 12 months. No reason was given, beyond citing a rule that allows punishments to be suspended.

Balogun started the match, which Belgium won 4-1.

In a statement provided to the BBC, NFF president Lise Klaveness said the federation had reacted with “strong concern” and a decision on whether or not to make a complaint would be made at its next board meeting.

The federation has already filed a complaint about Fifa’s first Peace Prize being awarded to President Trump.

“It is appropriate to include the Balogun case in the inquiry to Fifa’s ethics committee that we made before the World Cup regarding Fifa’s so-called peace prize award during the draw in Washington before Christmas last year,” Klaveness said.

The statement followed reports the International Olympic Committee (IOC) could also investigate Fifa president Gianni Infantino.

Infantino has been an IOC member since 2020.

Section two of the Olympic charter states: “Members of the IOC will not accept from governments, organisations, or other parties, any mandate or instructions liable to interfere with the freedom of their action and vote.”

In response to a BBC request, the IOC issued a statement saying: “Complaints to the IOC ethics commission are confidential. The IOC will therefore not make any public announcement about whether a complaint has been submitted or not by an external party. The IOC will only communicate sanctions should the ethics commission decide to impose some.”

Why was Balogun allowed to play?

Image source: AFP via Getty Images

Image caption: Folarin Balogun was sent off during the United States’ match against Bosnia & Herzegovina

Despite being shown a straight red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Balogun remained available for the United States’ match against Belgium.

His reinstatement followed a phone call between Trump and Infantino, with the US president later saying Fifa had made a “great decision”.

Infantino has maintained Fifa’s judicial bodies operate independently.

At a news conference in the Oval Office on 6 July, President Trump said: “I spoke to Gianni. So I saw the play, and I’m a person that loves sports and I understand sports really well, and that wasn’t a foul.

“Yes, I asked for a review by Fifa. I spoke to a man who is highly respected. I asked for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul. I didn’t tell him what to do, I can’t tell him what to do.”

The Royal Belgian Football Federation said it was “deeply concerned by the course of events” and it would “fight… in defence of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football as a whole”.

Fifa ruled Belgium’s request for an explanation of Balogun’s suspended red card “inadmissible,” meaning it had no grounds to appeal.

Uefa, European football’s governing body, said Fifa’s actions had “crossed a red line” and described it as an “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.”

The deduction, according to the Minister, is in line with provisions under the new Sports Act, which requires a percentage of financial benefits received by athletes and officials from sporting activities to be channelled into the fund for sports development in Ghana.

The Black Stars, who made their fifth appearance at the FIFA World Cup in North America, exited the tournament at the Round of 32 stage after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Colombia.

Speaking in an interview with Sporty FM, Mr Adams, who is also the Member of Parliament for Buem Constituency, confirmed that all players have received their appearance fees but outstanding qualification bonuses are yet to be settled.

“We also paid their appearance fee fully, and so every player was paid; no player is currently owed in terms of appearance fee. However, what is outstanding is the qualification bonus from the group stage to the Round of 32, and that is yet to be paid,” he said.

The Minister explained that deductions must now be made from the bonuses before payments are completed, following guidance from the administrator of the Sports Fund.

That is also so because some deductions have to be made per the new Sports Act for every bonus that is paid and every financial benefit for officials or athletes in participating in any of our competitions; a percentage will be deducted at source into the sports fund for the development of sports,” he added.

Mr Adams admitted that the earlier payment of the $100,000 appearance fee to each player was made without the required deduction but said steps were being taken to correct the situation.

“Unfortunately, when we paid the $100,000 earlier, those deductions were not made, so our attention has been drawn to the Sports Fund administrator that it is lawful, and if we don’t do it, we will be going against the law.”

He added that the Ministry is currently working with the Sports Fund to determine the exact amount to be deducted from both the already paid appearance fees and the outstanding bonuses.

“So my officers are working with the Sports Fund to determine how much that comes to on the $100,000 that was earlier paid and the outstanding $30,000, so that will be deducted when the Ministry of Finance releases the money.”

According to the Minister, the payment of the remaining bonuses is dependent on two key steps: determining the contribution to the Sports Fund and the release of funds allocated by the Ministry of Finance for Ghana’s World Cup participation.

“So we are waiting on two actions. One is how much will be paid as the percentage contribution to the sports fund from the bonuses, and for the Finance Ministry to release the money allocated for our participation in the World Cup,” he added.

Africa was represented by a record 10 teams at the expanded tournament, with Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Cape Verde, South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo making history by qualifying for the global showpiece.

The continent recorded its most successful World Cup campaign yet, with nine of the 10 African representatives advancing from the group stage to the Round of 32.

Tunisia was the only African team eliminated in the group stage, while Egypt and Morocco went further to reach the quarterfinals.

Speaking at a press conference in Johannesburg on Wednesday, Dr Motsepe highlighted the performances of several African teams, including Ghana’s Black Stars, who he said impressed at the tournament.

“Bafana Bafana played very well; Senegal played very well, Ghana, Algeria all performed well. The two nations that did well based on the results are Egypt and Morocco, and the results speak for themselves,” he said.

The CAF President described the achievement as a historic moment for African football, noting that the continent recorded its highest-ever percentage of teams reaching the knockout stage of the World Cup.

“Significant progress and successes were achieved by the African national teams at the FIFA World Cup 2026, and I am very proud of their performances,” Dr Motsepe stated.

He added that the nine African teams that reached the Round of 32 represented 90 per cent of the continent’s participants — the highest qualification rate recorded at the tournament.

According to him, Africa’s previous knockout-stage qualification rates stood at 40 per cent in 2022, zero per cent in 2018 and 40 per cent in 2014.

Dr Motsepe, however, noted that there are areas requiring improvement and expressed confidence that coaches, technical teams and players would address the challenges ahead of future competitions.

Ghana’s Black Stars, who reached the Round of 32 before being eliminated by Colombia, will now shift their focus to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

The four-time African champions have been drawn in Group C alongside Côte d’Ivoire, Somalia and The Gambia, with the qualification campaign scheduled to begin in September.

Argentina players Paredes, Nahuel Molina and Thiago Almada plus assistant coach Roberto Ayala all appeared to be involved in the fracas on the pitch as Spain celebrated their 1-0 win.

Paredes seemed to push Spain’s Eric Garcia by the throat and unused substitute Gavi tried to intervene but was forced to the ground by Almada.

Paredes pushed the Barcelona midfielder to the turf by putting his hand in the Spaniard’s face.

Fifa has appointed a disciplinary and ethics prosecutor to assess what happened and any player or coach involved could receive a suspension while the Argentine Football Association could also be fined.

“I don’t think [Paredes] should be suspended,” Gavi told El Partidazo de COPE.

“I understand it’s not a good image for children, but I think there’s also that side to football, which is a bit more physical, more aggressive.

“The most logical thing would have been to send him off during the match, and that’s it. In the end, I think it’s all football, and it has to be that way.”

It was incorrectly reported on Fifa’s commentator information system that Paredes had been sent off by referee Slavko Vincic for pushing Garcia by the throat.

Paredes’ red card was deleted on the system shortly afterwards and Fifa has confirmed to BBC Sport that no disciplinary action was taken at the time.

Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez was dismissed during the final, receiving a second yellow card in second-half added time.

Fernandez was sent off late in normal time for two yellow cards, and Spain won 1-0 after extra time on Sunday in New Jersey.

His first booking was for showing dissent towards Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic, and Fernandez was later dismissed for catching Pau Cubarsi with a challenge that sent the defender cartwheeling in the air.

But, in a statement on social media, the Chelsea midfielder did not mention the red card and said: “As time goes by, you realise there is something much bigger than just a result.

“For years, this group has represented the team in the best possible way. It teaches that competing isn’t just about winning; it’s about giving your all for the jersey and never giving up.

“It has been a privilege to be part of a group that always stepped up, competed at the highest level, and defended these colours with pride, humility, and commitment.”

Members of the Argentina team and backroom staff were involved in altercations with Spain players who had begun to celebrate their World Cup success.

Fifa’s disciplinary committee has appointed a disciplinary and ethics prosecutor to assess what happened and any player or coach involved could face suspension, while the Argentine Football Association may also be fined.

Nahuel Molina, Leandro Paredes, Thiago Almada and assistant coach Roberto Ayala all appeared to be involved, with Paredes pushing Spain’s Eric Garcia by the throat.

Spain’s Gavi tried to intervene, but was forced to the ground by Almada, before Paredes pushed Gavi to the turf by putting his hand in the Spaniard’s face.

Ayala then looked to be holding Garcia around the throat, before appearing to strike Spain midfielder Dani Olmo.

‘Let’s forget everything else’

While the match ended with ugly scenes broadcast around the world, questions remain over what happened behind closed doors prior to kick-off.

There has been widespread speculation on social media about what was said in the Argentina dressing room before the game, including whether Lionel Messi informed his team-mates that the final would be his last match for the national side.

It comes after Argentine television company RLC Noticias posted footage appearing to show Messi urging his team-mates to stay calm on their walk to the tunnel – and “forget about everything else”.

In the footage, which has not been verified by the BBC, Messi is seen saying: “Let’s go, boys, [let’s keep] calm people, calm. The main thing is for us to remain calm, boys, that we remain calm.

“Let’s just concentrate on playing, nothing else – calm, OK? Forget everything else.

“Let’s just play, let’s just concentrate on playing. Let’s go.”

‘We must be gracious in defeat’

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Enzo Fernandez was on a yellow card when he challenged Pau Cubarsi

The actions of the Argentina players on the pitch were heavily criticised by former England internationals.

Ex-England captain Alan Shearer said: “Paredes threw two or three haymakers into someone’s face. He went for them. There is no place or space for that.

“We know how much it means to them and we know how much it hurts to lose, but there is a way to lose. Too many times we have seen that from Argentina. The reaction after the final whistle is terrible.”

Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart added: “The game’s done, they can have absolutely no complaints about what happened. Disgusting behaviour.”

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni attempted to calm the situation down in his post-match interview.

He said: “We are gracious in victory, and we must be gracious in defeat. Today, we are showing that we know how to lose.

“We lost the match, and we accept it, but that doesn’t mean we stop living or forget everything we did to get here.”

Argentina, the World Cup winners in 1978, 1986 and 2022, won their first seven matches in North America, beating Algeria, Austria, Jordan, Cape Verde, Egypt, Switzerland and England before losing to Spain.

Against Egypt, Argentina were 2-0 down before scoring three late goals to win and in the semi-final with England, the Three Lions led 1-0 until the 85th minute before goals from Fernandez and a Lautaro Martinez header gave them a 2-1 win.

Several media outlets in Argentina have suggested the final could be Scaloni’s last in charge and called it the end of an era, with talisman Lionel Messi, in tears at the end, unlikely to play at another World Cup.

“The pain is immense, and this wound will take time to heal. But I also hold onto all the good things,” Messi wrote on social media.

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Argentina fans lined the streets to welcome the team home

However, the team were still greeted by thousands of Argentina fans with an open-top bus parade through the streets of Buenos Aires.

Scaloni and 16 of his 26 players returned to the country and were welcomed by a red carpet and military band at Ezeiza International Airport.

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who made 11 saves during the final, was among the players in Argentina, but Messi was one of those who did not make the trip, instead returning to Miami where he plays club football for Inter Miami.

The Black Stars’ final position was confirmed after the conclusion of the expanded 48-team tournament, which ended with Spain defeating Argentina in the final to lift the trophy. England finished third, while France placed fourth.

Ghana finished ahead of several established football nations in the final standings, including Ecuador (25th), South Africa (26th), Sweden (27th), Austria (28th), Algeria (30th) and Senegal (31st).

The Black Stars reached the knockout stage after a competitive Group L campaign against England, Croatia and Panama.

Ghana opened their World Cup campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto, where youngster Caleb Yirenkyi struck a dramatic late winner to seal all three points. They followed that with a disciplined goalless draw against England before suffering a narrow 2-1 defeat to Croatia in their final group match.

Despite finishing third in the group, Ghana progressed to the Round of 32 as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams under FIFA’s expanded 48-team format.

Their campaign ended in Kansas City with a 1-0 defeat to Colombia, as Jhon Arias scored the decisive goal to deny the Black Stars a place in the Round of 16. Nevertheless, reaching the knockout stage marked a significant improvement on Ghana’s group-stage exit at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The tournament also showcased the emergence of promising talent, with Caleb Yirenkyi among Ghana’s standout performers. Experienced campaigners, including captain Jordan Ayew and midfielder Thomas Partey, also played influential roles throughout the tournament.

Ghana’s 24th-place finish represents a positive outcome in their fifth FIFA World Cup appearance and their best performance since reaching the quarter-finals at the 2010 tournament in South Africa. It also marked a return to the knockout stage after group-stage exits in both 2014 and 2022.

The campaign provides a solid foundation as the Black Stars begin a new cycle, with attention now turning to qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

Ghana have been drawn in Group C alongside Ivory Coast, Gambia and Somalia, and will be hoping to build on the momentum from their World Cup campaign as they target a return to continental success.

Ferran Torres’ extra-time strike saw Spain crowned world champions for a second time, ending Argentina’s defence of the title they won in 2022.

Messi has now lost two World Cup finals after Argentina were defeated 1-0 by Germany in 2014.

At 39 years old, Messi is unlikely to feature at the 2030 tournament, though he is yet to clarify his international future.

“The pain is immense, and this wound will take time to heal. But I also hold onto all the good things,” Messi wrote on social media.

“The matches we turned around by giving it our all – moments that will remain in our memories forever – and the support of an entire country which, combined with this group’s hard work and effort, brought us back among the world’s elite once again.

“It is hard to fully appreciate our achievement right now, but this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and message. Once again, we managed to unite as a country and stand together, sharing the immense pride of being Argentine.

“I also want to congratulate Spain on winning the championship.”

Messi contributed eight goals and four assists as Argentina reached the final for the third time in the past four World Cups.

He played a key role in his side coming from behind to beat Egypt and England in the knockout stages, but could not overcome a Spain side that conceded one goal in the whole tournament.

Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who was shown a second yellow card in second half injury time for a late challenge on Pau Cubarsi, wrote on social media that he and his team-mates had “defended these colors with pride, humility, and commitment”.

Fifa’s disciplinary committee has appointed a disciplinary and ethics prosecutor to investigate altercations between both sets of players at the full-time whistle.

“For years, this group has represented us in the best possible way. It teaches that competing isn’t just about winning; it’s about giving your all for the jersey and never giving up,” Fernandez added.

There was the longest half-time in history, featuring performances from artists including Madonna and Justin Bieber, a pre-kick-off speech from Hollywood A-lister Tom Cruise, an appearance by US president Donald Trump and fireworks. Lots of fireworks – all in broad daylight.

Spain won the trophy for the second time, beating Argentina through a Ferran Torres goal in extra time but there was little else to talk about in the game itself. Plenty happened around the game though, with these some of the most memorable moments.

Trump meets the World Cup trophy

This World Cup was co-hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada but it has been the United States which has garnered much of the attention, particularly around comments or actions by Trump.

He previously stated that this has been a World Cup like no other – and he’s certainly not wrong about that, not least with the controversy of US striker Folarin Balogun avoiding a ban despite being sent off .

That came after Trump admitted he had spoken to Fifa president Gianni Infantino, asking him to review the sending off. The lifting of the suspension meant Balogun was able to play for the USA in the last-16 loss to Belgium.

Perhaps just as surprising was Trump’s lack of attendance at games throughout the tournament. He had not been to a single match prior to the final, meaning all eyes were on his appearance at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday.

His arrival was visible to those in the stadium as he was in one of three helicopters that flew overhead before doing a circuit of it and then landing.

He appeared to take his seat – alongside Infantino – about 20 minutes before kick-off, just in time to watch Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger perform in the closing ceremony.

He was later seen in the first half being shown the trophy.

The longest half-time in history

As well as Trump’s appearance, the other big talking point in the lead up to the final was the Super Bowl-style half-time show.

While the mid-game break is usually for players to recover from first-half exertion, coaches to give a team-talk and fans to buy food and drinks, this time it was extended to allow a mini-concert to take place.

There were some big names featured – Madonna, BTS, Coldplay and Shakira, whose song ‘Dai Dai’ is the official anthem of the World Cup – all starred, while there was also an appearance by Justin Bieber.

After getting a pep talk from Ted Lasso and his assistant coach Beard, Bieber changed the pace of the otherwise energetic performances with an acoustic guitar version of ‘Everything Hallelujah’.

The half-time interval lasted 27 minutes, but did it work? The reaction among fans was a bit mixed – but inside the Match of the Day studio, the assessment by former England striker Wayne Rooney was pretty blunt.

“I thought it was crap,” he said. “I thought the performances were bad. The timings were bad. Just let us play football.”

Meanwhile, the closing ceremony before the match was similar in style to many other such ceremonies with loud music, dancing on the pitch though with the addition too of a somewhat dramatic speech by actor Cruise.

Not quite centre stage for the trophy lift (but close)…

For neutrals, one of the most-anticipated post-match moments centred around how visible a part Trump would play in the trophy presentation.

At the end of last year’s Club World Cup final, Trump got caught up with the Chelsea celebrations after presenting the trophy to captain Reece James.

On that occasion, having handed the main prize over, he remained on the stage for a few seconds alongside James and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez before eventually departing to the rear.

“They told me that he was going to present the trophy and then exit the stage… but he wanted to stay,” said James, who was part of England’s squad for this year’s World Cup.

At the end of Sunday’s World Cup final, Trump – who had joined Infantino in handing out the medals to both the winning and losing players – did linger again for the trophy presentation, although not for quite as long as he did for the Club World Cup.

There had also been boos when Trump and Infantino emerged for the trophy ceremony while at least one player also appeared to choose not to shake Trump’s hand, with Argentina defender Cristian Romero walking straight past him after receiving his medal from Infantino.

Image source: AFP via Getty Images

Image caption: President Trump was on stage when the Spain players lifted the trophy…

Image source: AFP via Getty Images

Image caption: … but he didn’t stay long as he and Infantino left to let the Spain players celebrate the win

Long queues before kick-off with heightened security

Image caption: There were huge queues before the gates were opened to the public at the stadium

This was certainly a glamorous World Cup final and there was no shortage of fireworks – they went off before kick-off, during the half-time show and after Spain’s trophy lift.

But the hours beforehand will have felt anything but glamorous as heightened security meant those getting into the ground faced long queues.

With Trump attending in person, the United States secret service took over security for the game.

Gates for spectators opened at 11:00 local time – four hours before kick-off but stadium staff, performers and media had been arriving since much earlier.

Confusion over access gates had led to some members of the media being told to go to one entrance, only to be told they had to go back and start again at the queue they had been in previously.

Bag checks were also more thorough than in previous games, contributing to the length of time people waited to get in.

Despite that, congestion was eventually eased and the game kicked off without any delays.

After being crowned European champions two years ago in Berlin, La Roja are now world champions having beaten Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final in New Jersey on Sunday.

They achieved the same feat back in 2010, two years after winning Euro 2008.

Spain’s latest success continues their remarkable dominance in the men’s and women’s game.

They are the first nation to be men’s and women’s World Cup winners at the same time – La Roja overcoming England in the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney in 2023.

That’s not all. The men won the Nations League in 2023 and gold at the 2024 Olympics, while the women won the Nations League in both 2024 and 2025.

In fact, in the last five years, Spain have now won an astonishing 16 world and European titles from under-17 to senior level.

“It is a dominance,” Spanish football expert Guillem Balague told BBC Sport.

“It’s like the perfect storm. Culturally, we do things a certain way. Everybody believes in it. The important thing is that we don’t stop.

“It’s another Everest because the men won the World Cup in 2010 two years after winning the Euros. Now we’ve done it again.”

Spain’s winning machine

Women’s football (11 titles 2022-2026)

Senior: 1 x World Cup (2023); 2 x Nations Leagues (2024, 2025).

Under-20: 1 x World Cup (2022).

Under-19: 5 x Under-19 European champions (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026).

Under-17: 1 x World Cup (2022); 1 x European champions (2024).

Men’s football (5 titles 2022-2026)

Senior: 1 x World Cup (2026); 1 x European champions (2024); 1 x Nations League (2023).

Under-23: 1 x Olympic gold medal winners (2024).

Under-19: 1 x European champions (2026).

‘It was risky to appoint De La Fuente’

When Spain appointed Luis de la Fuente as head coach in December 2022, few expected him to deliver the Nations League (2023), European Championship (2024) and World Cup (2026) in so short a time frame.

Spain had just been knocked out of the World Cup by Morocco in the last 16 in Qatar and the federation needed a replacement after Luis Enrique left his role.

“They went with this guy [De La Fuente] who understood the style and the system,” added Balague.

“It was a very risky decision – I don’t think anyone thought he would be so successful.”

It appeared risky because De La Fuente took charge of Spain, who have won three of the past five men’s European Championships – (2008, 2012, 2024) – without having managed a big club.

After retiring as a player in 1994, De La Fuente spent 15 years in different roles with a succession of different clubs, including managing in the lower Spanish leagues, youth roles and assistant coach positions – before he took charge of Spain’s youth teams.

“De la Fuente knew most of these players from the academies and they are growing as a team,” former Spain midfielder Juan Mata told BBC Sport.

“This is not only a team for the present, but also a team for the future.”

Since being appointed senior boss after stints in charge of the under-19s, under-21s and at Olympic level, De La Fuente has implemented a culture of respect for their rivals, for the process and preaching patience and calmness.

“Most of you are younger than me and you need to respect experience,” the 65-year-old told journalists at his pre-match news conference in New York on Friday.

“Once we finished the game, there were footballers who said ‘coach, now what else is there to win as we have won everything in all the categories’.

“We came to the conclusion that what remains is the next match in September because this team are relentless.”

The success of the national teams and Spanish coaches has spilled over to club football.

Despite Pep Guardiola’s decision to leave Manchester City after 10 trophy-packed years, at least a quarter of the managers who start the 2026-27 Premier League season are Spanish.

Spain are now unbeaten in their last 38 matches in all competitions, the longest ever run by any European or South American team in history.

‘We are winning everything’

Meanwhile, the women’s game in Spain has thrived in the last decade and is also starting to reel in big successes in the high-pressure games.

The country’s victory over England three years ago in the Women’s World Cup final came in just their third appearance at the tournament, having made their debut in 2015.

Spain’s women then followed that up by winning back-to-back Nations Leagues in 2024 and 2025.

“The changes in women’s football in Spain have been especially significant,” former player Maria Garrido, who is now a journalist, told BBC Sport in 2024.

“Ten years ago, when I played for FC Barcelona, there was no La Masia [the famed academy at Barcelona] for girls. We covered our own transport costs, our parents brought us to training, and we didn’t earn any money.

“But in the last five years, the situation has improved dramatically. There has been a substantial push to promote women’s football, including the creation of more youth categories, better facilities and conditions, and the establishment of a dedicated football academy for girls.

“This transformation has not only revolutionised the sport but also elevated the respect for women’s football in Spain.”

These successes for both the men’s and women’s teams followed lifting numerous titles at youth level over the last decade.

‘Winning breeds winning’

The future looks bright, with many believing Spain’s dominance will continue.

In Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, the men have two outstanding young talents who have picked up their first World Cup winners’ medal at the age of 19.

Vicky Lopez, who plays for the national women’s team, is a three-time Champions League winner with Barcelona at the same age.

Forward Salma Paralluelo has also represented her country more than 50 times before the age of 23.

Yamal became the third-youngest player to play in a World Cup final, after Brazil’s Pele in 1958 (17 years, 249 days) and Italy’s Giuseppe Bergomi in 1982 (18 years and 201 days).

With Cubarsi also starting on Sunday at the age of 19 years and 178 days, Spain were the first side to feature two teenagers in a single World Cup final.

“Spain have got a way of playing that no one in the world has proven they can get anywhere near,” former England goalkeeper Joe Hart told BBC Sport after the win over Argentina.

“No one laid a glove on them at this World Cup, [they faced] just 10 shots on target against them in the whole tournament.”

Meanwhile, France 1998 World Cup winner Thierry Henry told Fox Sports that Spain have the potential to dominate for years to come.

“I want to give credit to the system and what they put in place,” he said.

“Because Spain never used to win like that. And now they win at every level.”

Messi, at 39, gazed long and hard at Argentina’s fans packed around the New York New Jersey Stadium as they sang his name after what may be the last time he graces the game’s biggest stage.

And, with the world watching, it was Lamine Yamal who offered the great Argentina icon consolation before they fell into each other’s arms.

Barcelona’s number 10 embracing their most legendary number 10.

A different image to the amazing photo of a 20-old Messi bathing a six-month-old Lamine Yamal in September 2007 as part of a charity calendar raffle that went viral once more in the build-up to this game.

The baby boy is now a man, and Messi may be at the end of his World Cup journey.

Lamine Yamal – two decades younger and still in the infancy of his career – has effectively completed international football by lifting the World Cup two years after he came to wider prominence by winning the Euros when Spain beat England.

He, like Messi a product of Barcelona, came into the tournament troubled by a hamstring injury, but ended it as the youngest player – at 19 years and six days – to win both the World Cup and Euros.

And one of the key storylines contained within this disappointing World Cup final was how Lamine Yamal’s influence was assisted by the purist strategies of his Spain team-mates – while Messi was betrayed by Argentina’s provocative approach.

It yielded nothing, which was what it deserved.

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Lamine Yamal embraced Lionel Messi at the end of the World Cup final

Spain and Lamine Yamal have grown through the tournament to leave him with the world at his feet and football’s two greatest prizes in his pocket.

As well as having glorious natural gifts, he is also Spain’s lucky charm. They completed their domination of the international stage with Ferran Torres’ decisive 106th-minute strike in extra time.

Lamine Yamal has yet to lose for his country in the 28 competitive matches he has played. He has started 13 games at major tournaments and won all of them – the longest 100% win rate of any European player across major tournaments when starting.

He also became – along with 19-year-old Spain team-mate Pau Cubarsi – just the fourth and fifth teenagers to start a World Cup final and win, after Pele for Brazil in 1958, Italy defender Giuseppe Bergomi in 1982 and Kylian Mbappe with France in 2018.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente spoke afterwards of his “sincere gratitude” to Lamine Yamal.

“He has played great football that will help him to mature and be even a greater footballer than he already is,” he said.

“He really sacrificed for the collective good. This is very important in my squad. In my opinion he played a great World Cup.”

And this is not simply a special talent, it is a special talent with a special temperament.

He shrugged off Argentina’s obvious attempts to intimidate him as he regularly came into close contact with Nicolas Tagliafico in particular.

Former England goalkeeper and BBC Sport pundit Joe Hart summed it up well.

“Not only did Lamine Yamal not react,” he said. “He stood up to it. He was not rattled and he did not back down. He had the entire team trying to smash him.

“He just stayed real cool. It was real standout performance from him.

“Lamine Yamal is 19 years old. What a beautiful day for him. He’s 19 and has completed football.”

With virtually his whole career in front of him, and taking in the experience and influence of Spain team-mates such as his captain and player of the tournament Rodri, there is every chance Lamine Yamal will add more successes like this before he is done.

Argentina spoilers wreck Messi’s World Cup hopes

The joy of Lamine Yamal was the sharpest of contrasts to Messi, who looked heartbroken as he stared into those massed ranks of Argentina supporters, the realisation perhaps dawning that this would be the final time he would take such adoration at the World Cup.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, like Messi trying to win a second successive World Cup, became highly emotional when asked whether this was the legendary attacker’s final game in the tournament – while also reflecting on his own future with his contract due to expire in December.

Scaloni said he had not spoken to Messi, before bursting into tears himself then leaving the news conference.

Messi’s cause was not helped here by Argentina’s confrontational approach from virtually the first whistle, which left their inspiration and leader effectively a passenger for most of the game.

Spain’s victory was a victory for football because Argentina appeared to be focused on anything but that from early on, when Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic exercised the sort of leniency that has infuriated opponents throughout the World Cup.

Alexis Mac Allister’s poor challenge on Dani Olmo received nothing more than a brief admonishment, prompting Spain fans to ironically chant the name of Fifa president Gianni Infantino. It was another nod to the conspiracy theorists who claim Argentina’s road to the final has been smoothed out by officialdom.

It was 40 minutes before Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez received the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Mikel Oyarzabal – greeted with heavy sarcasm by many inside this vast bowl of a stadium.

To see Argentina’s obvious talent, which they displayed by overpowering England in the semi-final, reduced to such spoiling tactics was a dismal sight, hardly designed to aid Messi’s genius and influence.

Messi even got in the act by suggesting the referee should send off Spain’s Marc Cucurella for talking with his hand over his mouth – punishable by a red card if employed in a confrontational manner at this World Cup.

It came after the low point of Argentina’s performance, Enzo Fernandez’s senseless charge at Cubarsi just before the game went into extra time. The Chelsea midfielder was not even looking at the ball when he flattened his opponent. A second yellow card was fully deserved.

Argentina were the first team in the tournament’s history not to have a shot in 90 minutes of a World Cup final. When it did come, in the 117th minute and with desperation mounting, Messi fired off target.

Spain had 12 shots on target, Argentina had none in the entire game.

In a shocking first half, Argentina committed more fouls than passes in the final third of the pitch. Nine as opposed to eight. It summed up their approach.

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: King Felipe VI of Spain hugs Lamine Yamal after the World Cup win

Argentina’s players joined Messi in shedding tears after the final whistle, though even that ended in an undignified scrum between players and officials from either side.

Leandro Paredes – as he was too often after coming on as substitute for the second half – was the aggressor, grabbing Eric Garcia by the throat. He was also involved as Spain’s Gavi was thrown to the ground.

This outstanding World Cup should not be remember for such an unsavoury finale.

Spain may not have been at their best in the final, but they have developed throughout the World Cup, from the shock of being held to a draw in their opening game by Cape Verde to ultimate glory.

The World Cup got the winners it deserved, and in Lamine Yamal it has a star of future tournaments.

Messi’s unforgettable World Cup era may be over – but the Lamine Yamal years could go on for a long time to come.

More tournaments, more games, more money.

The new-look Club World Cup, the expanded World Cup, the inflated ticket prices.

And, of course, the Super Bowl-style show that meant the half-time break at the World Cup final lasted 27 minutes and 22 seconds.

But why stop there?

Infantino appears to have thrown the door wide open to a 64-team World Cup.

“If you don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving,” he said.

Except, of course, smaller countries are not denied the chance. If they are good enough, they qualify. See Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan.

Purely in terms of the competition format, it does make sense.

The top two teams in the 16 groups would go through to the knockout stage. No longer would there be a need to send a few third-placed teams through.

But is there really any other logical reason to expand to 64 teams?

Who is behind the proposed expansion?

Let’s start with how we got here.

The 2030 World Cup will mark 100 years since the first World Cup, which was held in Uruguay.

The tournament will primarily be hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain – but the opening three matches will be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay as centenary hosts.

Conmebol – the South American confederation – wants more games.

In April 2025, it requested a one-off tournament of 64 teams so it could take on the full programme of the additional four groups.

Its president, Alejandro Dominguez, said it would ensure “nobody on the planet is left out of the party”.

There has been little support from elsewhere.

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin dismissed it as a “bad idea” for both the tournament and qualifying process.

Victor Montagliani – president of the governing body of North and Central America and the Caribbean (Concacaf) – said last year it would damage “the broader football ecosystem”.

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa agreed, saying further expansion could bring “chaos”.

None of which means it will not happen, with the decision taken by the 37 members of the Fifa Council.

Would adding more teams devalue the World Cup?

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Cape Verde were one of the success stories of the World Cup, but they were the only debutants to get out of their group

A 64-team tournament has two main plus points: a more natural format, and more opportunities for emerging nations.

It is the latter which Infantino is championing, especially after the heroics of Cape Verde.

Fifa faced criticism before the tournament, with suggestions the additional teams would not be competitive.

Then Cape Verde drew with Spain and Uruguay to finish second in their group. And the Blue Sharks gave Argentina an almighty scare by taking them to extra time in the last 16, before losing 3-2.

But the fairytale stories must be balanced with the competitive edge of the tournament.

Haiti, Iraq, Jordan, Panama, Tunisia and Uzbekistan failed to pick up a point – and this summer’s group stage had minimal jeopardy for the top nations.

Add more teams and it would be difficult to see a repeat of top-four seeds like Belgium (2022), Germany (2018), Spain (2014), Italy (2010) and France (2002) failing to make to knockout stage.

Then there is the question of where the extra places would go.

Based on this year’s qualifying, these are the additional countries who would have made it into a 64-team World Cup 2026 (with their Fifa ranking at the start of the tournament in brackets):

AFC: Indonesia (118), Oman (79), United Arab Emirates (68).

Uefa: Denmark (21), Italy (12), Poland (36).

Concacaf: Honduras (65), Jamaica (71), Suriname (125).

Conmebol: Bolivia (77), Venezuela (49).

OFC: New Caledonia (151).

Africa: Burkina Faso (62), Cameroon (44), Gabon (86), Nigeria (26).

Six of those teams are from the top 50 of Fifa’s world rankings – three from Europe, two from Africa and one from South America.

And therein lies the problem. Asia and Concacaf are weaker confederations, as was proven by performances this year.

Nine of Africa’s 10 countries got out of the group stage. But only two of nine Asian countries advanced, and just three of the six Concacaf countries – the co-hosts – made it through.

New Zealand, who got one point and finished bottom of their group, are the only country from Oceania in the world’s top 150.

There is an argument that if you extend again, you should give a greater weight of places to Europe just for competitive balance.

But, on the other hand, there are those who would argue that bringing more teams into the World Cup ultimately allows the game to develop further in those countries.

Infantino will sell the expansion as being good for the global game, but there have to be doubts that it is good for the competition.

Almost a third of Fifa’s 211 nations would be present.

Would the group stage not simply become a glorified pan-confederation qualifying competition for what is, essentially, a knockout tournament?

The logistical issues of 64 teams

Expanding the World Cup to 64 teams is really just a case of bolting on four additional four-team groups.

But more groups means more time.

This year’s tournament lasted 39 days. An additional 24 matches would require 20 schedule slots. Or another five days.

But this summer’s event was unique for two reasons: multiple time zones and indoor stadiums.

Fifa was able to elongate a matchday at either end, with games scheduled over a 14-hour period so it could stay true to exclusive time windows for television coverage.

That will not be so straightforward in the future, even with 48 teams.

Climate change is making playing in the daytime more challenging – see the record heatwaves in Europe in recent weeks.

Other countries are far less likely to have the covered venues of Atlanta, Dallas Houston and Vancouver to mitigate it.

The Saudi Arabia World Cup is likely to move to January 2035 but it is not clear how other countries will get around this growing problem.

Until this year, only once had there been dual hosts of the World Cup – Japan and South Korea in 2002.

It is hard to imagine any one country ever being capable of hosting again. Even Saudi Arabia.

Could we be looking at World Cups hosted by, for instance, the UK and Scandinavia? Or Eastern Europe?

How would an Asian or African country be able to fund hosting the World Cup?

Let’s look a just a few issues that would need to be resolved.

This summer there were 16 host cities with stadiums having capacities ranging from 43,000 to 81,000. More would be required.

There would need to be 64 individual, elite-level training facilities for the qualifying nations.

Then there is the provision of hotels for the fans, and the infrastructure and support network to move them around.

Expanding the World Cup is not as simple as giving more opportunities to more countries.

Is the expansion mainly about money?

One of Infantino’s key promises when he was elected was to bring more money into the game.

Every football association now has access to $8m (£5.9m) in funding over a four-year period, with a further $1.2m (£890,000) on top for the smaller nations.

Confederations get $60m (£44.5m) to develop, promote and organise football.

It is why Infantino is likely to be re-elected unopposed next year.

This money has to come from somewhere, primarily the World Cup.

In 2017, Fifa projected a 48-team World Cup would bring in $6.5bn (£4.8bn).

In 2022, it revised the format again and added 24 games. Now, it expects to rake in $9bn (£6.7bn) this year.

A 64-team event is likely to raise more from television, sponsorship and ticket sales.

Fifa says it has a responsibility to grow the game, and its tool for this appears to be more and more football.

But critics would argue there has to be a point where expansion is no longer good for the game.

The European title holders had created the best opportunities against the defending world champions, who mainly resorted to spoiling tactics and had Enzo Fernandez sent off just before the game went into extra time.

Torres was the hero for Spain when he collected substitute Nico Williams’ header to beat Argentina keeper Emiliano Martinez with a powerful shot from close range after 106 minutes.

The game failed to live up to expectations as it descended into a war of attrition – while away from the action, this was the World Cup where razzmatazz and superstars came to the showpiece.

President Donald Trump flew in to New Jersey in one of a fleet of helicopters before kick-off, while Shakira, Madonna and Justin Bieber performed in the first World Cup half-time show, stretching the interval out to 27 minutes.

In a dour affair littered with interruptions, followed by that lengthy interval, the game never had any fluency or flow, although Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal forced first-half saves out of Argentina keeper Martinez.

Spain constantly complained about referee Slavko Vincic’s leniency, especially when Alexis Mac Allister was late on Dani Olmo, with the first yellow card coming after 40 minutes when Lisandro Martinez brought down Oyarzabal, although the Manchester United defender went off injured shortly afterwards.

The game boiled over in stoppage time when Fernandez, who had already been cautioned, received a second yellow card for a reckless challenge on Spain defender Pau Cubarsi.

Argentina keeper Martinez had been their hero, and he prevented Spain scoring a winner in the final seconds of normal time when he made a superb save from Lamine Yamal’s free-kick.

He was in action again with another crucial stop from Williams’ header. Williams then had a goal ruled out for substitute Mikel Merino’s foul on Nicolas Otamendi.

Argentina came back to beat Egypt and England in the knockout stage – but could not repeat the feat here as Spain won the men’s World Cup for the second time.

And it means they become the first nation ever to be men’s and women’s world champions at the same time.

The France forward netted 10 goals in eight games to edge out Lionel Messi in a high-quality race.

Having struck eight times to finish top scorer at Qatar 2022, Mbappe has won the Golden Boot in back-to-back World Cups.

The 27-year-old was the first man to reach double figures for World Cup goals since Gerd Muller for West Germany in 1970.

Only Just Fontaine, who hit 13 for France in 1958, and Hungary’s Sandor Kocsis with 11 in 1954, have scored more individual goals in a single tournament.

Mbappe is also now the men’s World Cup all-time top scorer with 22 goals – one ahead of Messi.

World champions Spain swept the rest of the awards, including captain Rodri winning the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.

Mbappe moved clear of Messi on Saturday with two goals in the bronze match, although he could not stop France falling to a 6-4 defeat against England and finishing fourth.

“When you score that many goals in the World Cup, it certainly takes you to a whole new level,” he said after Saturday’s match in Miami.

“But I would have preferred not to be the top scorer and to have played in the final. It’s good for my legacy once I’ve retired, but right now, that’s not what’s on my mind.”

Mbappe also scored twice against Senegal and Iraq in the group stage, as well as Sweden in the last 32.

He followed that with strikes against Paraguay in the last 16 – the 70th-minute winner from the penalty spot – and against Morocco in the quarter-finals.

Messi could have overtaken the Real Madrid forward with a hat-trick in the World Cup final on Sunday.

However, the 39-year-old could not find the net in New Jersey as his Argentina side were beaten 1-0 by Spain, and ended the competition with eight goals in as many matches.

England’s Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland of Norway scored seven times, while France forward Ousmane Dembele and English captain Harry Kane followed them in the list with six.

Golden Ball – Rodri (Spain)

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Image caption: Rodri has won the World Cup and Euros with Spain – plus four Premier League titles with Man City

Manchester City midfielder Rodri, a key figure in Spain’s run to a second men’s World Cup triumph, was named best player.

The 30-year-old received the Golden Ball from Fifa president Gianni Infantino on the field at the MetLife Stadium following the final in New Jersey.

It was the third major individual accolade of his career, having won the Ballon d’Or in 2023 and then Uefa Euro 2024 Player of the Tournament after Spain’s final triumph against England two years ago.

Messi won the Silver Ball as the second-best player, with Mbappe named Bronze Ball winner.

Golden Glove – Unai Simon (Spain)

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Image caption: Unai Simon was in goal for Spain in the 2026 World Cup final against Argentina

Spain’s Unai Simon claimed the Golden Glove award for best goalkeeper after conceding just once in eight games.

The Athletic Club stopper kept seven clean sheets and was only beaten by Belgium’s Charles de Ketelaere in the quarter-final tie.

The 29-year-old was picked ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League title winner David Raya as Spain’s number one, and repaid manager Luis de la Fuente’s faith with a series of solid performances as they were crowned champions.

Best Young Player – Pau Cubarsi (Spain)

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Image caption: Pau Cubarsi and the other Spanish individual award winners got their prizes from Fifa chief Gianni Infantino and United States President Donald Trump

Pau Cubarsi, the 19-year-old Barcelona centre-back, received the award for the tournament’s best young player.

He was a key figure in the Spanish defence that only conceded once all tournament and restricted Argentina to just two shots in the final with none on target.

Cubarsi played every single minute for Spain as they emulated their 2010 World Cup success in South Africa.

Madonna, who sung her hit song Music – seemed to appear from tunnels under the arena, joined by Brazilian football legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.

The performances came in a half-time that ran to 27 minutes and 22 seconds – the longest in World Cup history.

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Madonna was flanked by Brazilian greats Ronaldinho and Ronaldo

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Justin Bieber played guitar in his segment

The length of the half-time show had already caused controversy, with the International Football Association Board (Ifab) rules stating players are only entitled to a maximum 15-minute stoppage.

Colombian pop star Shakira and Nigerian musician Burna Boy reunited on stage after performing together at the tournament’s opening ceremony in Mexico City last month.

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K-Pop supergroup BTS, meanwhile, have been making their comeback from a three-year music hiatus to complete their mandatory military service in South Korea.

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South Korean K-pop group BTS

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The stadium was a riot of colour for the half-time show, with fireworks ringing the stadium

Several celebrities were spotted watching on, including Kylie Jenner and her boyfriend Timothee Chalamet, as well as Beyonce and Jay-Z.

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Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner

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Jay-Z and Beyonce

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British-Argentine actress Anya Taylor-Joy was joined by her husband Malcolm McRae – she told reporters ahead of the England v Argentina semi-final that she was for Argentina in her “heart of hearts”

Earlier, a range of performances began the sporting event’s closing ceremony, including Jennifer Hudson singing the national anthem and a speech from actor Tom Cruise.

Streamer IShowSpeed took to the field at the New York New Jersey Stadium first, alongside drummers and dancers in vibrant tracksuits.

Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams and Italian singer Laura Pausini also performed together, while rapper and singer Post Malone also performed his hit song Wow.

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Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams and Italian Singer Laura Pausini performed together

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Tom Cruise spoke about the power of football to unite people

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Jennifer Hudson sings the national anthem before the match

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David Beckham and his wife Victoria Beckham shared a laugh with actor Tom Cruise

Ahead of kick-off, multi-award-winning singer and actor Jennifer Hudson performed the US national anthem, accompanied by a live band.

After the performances, Tom Cruise took to the stage to introduce the match.

“From every corner of the globe, we have witnessed greatness, and we have shared in moments of joy,” he told the crowd. “Football is a language spoken without words, a force that unites people.”

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The band Animal performed during the half-time show – with an appearance from the Muppets

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Post Malone was joined by rapper Swae Lee to sing their hit song Sunflower

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US actress Jessica Alba and US actor Danny Ramirez were spotted waving flags

Italian singer Pausini told the BBC she had goosebumps when Williams invited her to sing alongside him.

But not everyone was thrilled by the performances half-time performance.

Former England player Wayne Rooney, who was part of the commentary team for the BBC, gave his instant reaction: “I like a lot of them artists, but I thought it was crap.”

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Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump joined the Fifa boss Gianni Infantino

Rapper and singer Post Malone followed, performing his hit song Wow.

More than 80,000 fans, celebrities and foreign dignitaries are expected to pack New York New Jersey Stadium for Sunday’s final between Spain and Argentina.

Multi-award-winning singer and actor Jennifer Hudson sang the US national anthem, accompanied by a live band, ahead of kick-off.

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Jennifer Hudson sings the national anthem before the match

The star-studded pre-match entertainment is also expected to bring in actor Tom Cruise alongside singers Robbie Williams, Laura Pausini and Nicole Scherzinger.

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Post Malone performs during the closing ceremony

Italian singer Pausini told the BBC’s Carl Nasman that she’s “very excited” and “proud” to be performing alongside Williams and Scherzinger at the closing ceremony.

“When Robbie [Williams] invited me to sing with him, I felt goosebumps everywhere because Robbie’s one of my favorite singer, songwriter, and performer,” Pausini told the BBC.

The celebrity line-up will continue at half-time with performances by Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira and BTS.

Madonna, the best-selling female music artist of all time, is set to perform after the launch of her new album, Confessions II, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart in July.

Bieber also returned to the spotlight earlier this year, with his biggest live performance in four years at the Coachella music festival after cancelling his Justice world tour because of health issues.

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Colombian pop star Shakira and Nigerian musician Burna Boy will reunite on stage after performing together at the tournament’s opening ceremony in Mexico City last month.

Their collaboration, Dai Dai, has been a global chart hit and has been a fixture in stadiums throughout the tournament.

K-Pop group BTS will also perform after making their comeback from a three-year music hiatus to complete their mandatory military service in South Korea. The band is currently in the midst of an 85-date world tour.

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Swae Lee performs during the closing ceremony

The half-time break is expected to last 20-25 minutes, with Fifa saying the Super-Bowl-style performance will take 11 minutes.

It has been curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin and will raise money for the Fifa Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative working to raise $100m (£73m) for children worldwide.

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Marine One – carrying US President Donald Trump – flies over the stadium ahead of the match

Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick, and Jude Bellingham set a new England World Cup scoring record as the Three Lions defeated Les Bleus 6-4.

England roared into a 4-0 first-half lead, only to be pegged back to 4-3 by a thrilling second-half fightback from France to set up a back-and-forth battle in the match’s closing minutes, with both sides trading goals before Jude Bellingham put the seal on a quite spectacular 6-4 win.

The first half undeniably belonged to England, who started fast, with captain Declan Rice surging forward and planting a long-range effort into the far corner to put England into a third-minute lead. Then Rice helped contribute to England’s second, with his corner headed into the far corner by a leaping Ezri Konsa on 18 minutes.

It looked like England could score with almost every attack, and a breakaway fronted by Marcus Rashford led to Saka adding a third on 37 minutes, and the Arsenal winger added a second in first-half stoppage time as he took possession on the edge of the area and finished superbly to send England into the dressing room 4-0 up.

If the first half belonged to England, the second was dominated by France, as Didier Deschamps made a raft of changes, and saw immediate improvements as his side came surging back into the game.

Kylian Mbappe scored either side of a Bradley Barcola effort as France threatened to completely wipe out England’s first-half lead. But despite their superior pace and creativity in the final third, they could not take full advantage of their chances, with Michael Olise guilty of two crucial misses as the French forced England onto the back foot.

England needed a change of impetus, and Thomas Tuchel turned to his bench, with the introduction of Bellingham and Elliot Anderson helping bring them back into the game. It set up a breathless final 10 minutes, with the action swinging from one end of the pitch to the other.

A lung-busting run from Djed Spence led to him being brought down in the box as England earned an 87th-minute penalty, and Saka stepped up to calmly complete his hat-trick, but there was still more drama to come.

With the match in stoppage time, Ousmane Dembele added a superb fourth for France to give Les Bleus late hope. But with France pushing for a dramatic equaliser, England broke away again, and Bellingham skipped past two defenders to slam home England’s sixth and secure the victory with the last kick of the game. Bellingham’s strike was his seventh of the tournament, and saw him move beyond Harry Kane and Gary Lineker for the most goals scored by an English player in a World Cup.

It meant that, after one of the most entertaining matches in World Cup history, England ran out the victors by six goals to four, and claimed third place in the tournament – the second-best World Cup finish achieved by The Three Lions.

Fifa brought in mandatory three-minute hydration breaks for the World Cup, regardless of conditions, for all matches played at stadiums in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The governing body said they were brought in as a commitment to player welfare but critics have pointed to broadcasters using the breaks as a way to cash in with commercials.

Former Arsenal manager Wenger, who is Fifa’s head of global football development, said “sometimes people didn’t like” the hydration breaks and Fifa will “analyse after the World Cup what the impact was”.

“It didn’t look to me that it changed the results but we are here to serve people that watch football and we will come to conclusions afterwards,” he added.

“In many games, especially when the stadium was covered, people were not happy with it but at the start of the competition it was decided to do it for everybody.”

As the tournament progressed, supporters started to boo the hydration breaks, such was the frustration at the stoppages.

Experts told BBC Sport an average 30-second World Cup ad slot on Fox Sports in the US costs between $200,000 (£152,000) and $300,000 (£227,000), rising to $750,000 (£567,000) during USA matches and the final stages.

They were effectively tactical timeouts, with coaches getting to run through strategical changes with the players.

European football body Uefa has ruled out introducing the breaks while England manager Thomas Tuchel admitted he is not a fan of them earlier in the tournament, saying they “interrupt and change the identity of a football match”.

Spain boss Luis de la Fuente voiced his support for the breaks last month, saying: “I am always interested in the health of my players. I think it’s the right measure – a pause, freshen up and continue.”

Meanwhile, Wenger said the expansion of the World Cup to feature 48 teams rather than 32, has been a success.

“It was questioned before it started but we found it was ethically needed to give a chance to more teams. I am convinced it was the right decision and it was a great success,” he said.

Luis de la Fuente’s side were due to train at the Melanie Lane training ground in New Jersey but after the session was initially suspended, it was later called off.

About five miles away in Morristown, opponents Argentina were later able to train after a 45-minute delay.

Spain and defending champions Argentina will meet in Sunday’s final (20:00 BST) at the New York New Jersey Stadium.

On Saturday, New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani said the city was under a flood advisory and advised residents not to “risk your safety in these dangerous conditions”.

“The Spanish national team’s training session on the pitches at the Melanie Lane Training Ground in New Jersey has been suspended in accordance with the US storm safety protocol,” the Spanish federation (RFEF) said in a statement.

“The players are currently taking part in a warm-up session indoors.”

US protocol states that any outdoor sporting event must be suspended if lightning or electrical activity is detected within an eight-mile radius of the venue.

Events can only resume if there are no further lightning strikes for at least 30 minutes.

Fifa, football’s world governing body and organisers of the World Cup, said there would be no alternative time slots for European champions Spain to train on Saturday.

Earlier this week, officials in New York and New Jersey issued an air quality health alert because of haze blanketing the city, caused by wildfires in Canada.

Spain booked their place in the final by beating France 2-0 on Tuesday, while Argentina staged a late comeback to beat England 2-1 on Wednesday.

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Argentina are looking to become only the third nation to retain the World Cup

After nine nations made it into the knockout stage, Confederation of African Football (Caf) boss Patrice Motsepe said they had made the continent’s 1.6 billion people proud.

But only Morocco made it to the quarter-finals, while exiting after conceding late goals was a recurring fate which befell five sides – with Senegal and Egypt squandering two-goal leads as they crashed out in dramatic style.

The Egyptians and DR Congo did at least register their first wins at a World Cup, while Cape Verde, Ivory Coast and South Africa joined them in getting past the group stage for the first time.

With the World Cup returning to Africa in 2030, when Morocco co-hosts alongside Spain and Portugal, what can the continent’s sides learn from the first 48-team tournament?

Underdogs steal hearts

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Image caption: Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha saw his fame skyrocket after a string of saves against Spain and Argentina

Cape Verde were undeniably the story of the World Cup, with the debutants reaching the last 32 after draws against Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia.

The Blue Sharks then came close to pulling off one of the all-time upsets against defending champions Argentina, fighting back from a goal down twice before losing 3-2 after extra time.

Goalkeeper Vozinha became a viral sensation with each save, his followers on Instagram going from 50,000 to over 29 million by the end of the tournament. The 40-year-old’s sudden fame even saw a newly-discovered species of sea slug named after him.

Cape Verde’s talent has been plain to see at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) over recent years, and defender Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes says the islanders showed they are “more than capable” of competing with the world’s elite.

“We’ve put ourselves on the map,” Lopes told BBC Sport.

“We’re a small nation but with big hearts and we showed what is possible – and if you believe, you can achieve.”

​​​​​​​Atlas Lions assert dominance

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Image caption: Ayoub Bouaddi has been linked with a move to one of Europe’s top clubs after impressing for Morocco during their run to the quarter-finals

Morocco underlined their position as the continent’s top-ranked team by becoming the first African side to appear in successive quarter-finals.

Yet the Atlas Lions could not match their last four achievement from Qatar 2022 after France, as was the case four years ago, again got the better of the North Africans.

The side’s style of play has become more expansive since Mohamed Ouahbi took over from Walid Regragui, with 18-year-old midfielder Ayoub Bouaddi catching the eye.

“We have a young team who want to grow, who will continue to do so. We have talented players who will enable us to grow,” said Ouahbi.

The scourge of late goals

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Image caption: Senegal led Belgium 2-0 after 85 minutes of their last-32 tie but the Teranga Lions lost 3-2 after the Europeans netted the latest ever winner in World Cup history

Former Ivory Coast defender Emmanuel Eboue told the BBC before the tournament that African sides were susceptible to conceding late goals because of a lack of concentration.

His assertion was born out as DR Congo and the Ivorians both conceded winners in the 86th minute of their last-32 ties, while Canada scored in the second minute of added time to send South Africa home in the same round.

Senegal (against Belgium in the last 32) and Egypt (against Argentina in the last 16) went from 2-0 up late on to 2-2 within the space of three and five minutes respectively. The Teranga Lions eventually lost to a 125th-minute penalty and the Pharaohs were eliminated by Enzo Fernandez’s 92nd-minute header.

With Algeria and the Ivorians also conceding injury-time goals when on the brink of famous results in the group stage, it begs the question: do African teams have a problem closing out games?

“I wouldn’t say it was a trend. I think it’s just unlucky,” Dr Nikita Rowley, a chartered psychologist and course director for sport and exercise psychology at Coventry University, told BBC Sport Africa.

“Every team is more susceptible to mistakes in the closing stages of a match. By that point players are experiencing both physical and cognitive fatigue.

“That cognitive fatigue can affect attention, decision making, communication and makes more lapses more likely. Emotions can be heightened and every action carries greater significance.

“The closer you get to something historic, the more psychologically demanding it can become.”

A learning curve

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Amad Diallo helped Ivory Coast reach the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time, but the Elephants exited after conceding a late goal against Norway

Africa were the big beneficiaries of the World Cup’s expansion to 48 teams, with its number of representatives going from five to a guaranteed nine before DR Congo also made it through intercontinental play-offs.

With all but Tunisia getting past the group stage, the hope is the continent’s footballers will be better prepared next time.

“The reality is that the vast majority of the players in African national teams are not used to these high-stakes games,” Gambian coach Mattar M’Boge, who works in talent identification for Fifa, told BBC Sport Africa.

“The Europeans and the South Americans have advantages because they’re playing more games.

“The Nations League is coming (to Africa) but it’s something that’s been a success for [Europe] because they’re having promotion and relegation. There’s always something on the line.

“Within Africa, as we continue to grow, develop and gain experience, eventually we will have teams used to this collective responsibility.”

Tournament to forget for Carthage Eagles

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Image caption: Herve Renard was not able to revive Tunisia’s fortunes at short notice after being appointed during the group stage

Tunisia were the big disappointment of the finals, sacking coach Sabri Lamouchi – who had only been hired in January – after a 5-1 defeat by Sweden in their Group F opener.

They quickly installed Herve Renard but the two-time Afcon winner could not turn around their fortunes as they suffered a 4-0 reverse against Japan and a 3-1 loss at the hands of the Netherlands.

There are questions for Ghana, too, despite making the knockout stage for the first time since 2010.

The Black Stars did not have a shot on target as they exited against Colombia in the last 32 and registered just four on target in total across their four games as coach Carlos Queiroz prioritised defence.

Only Iraq had fewer attempts than Ghana at the tournament.

Off-field issues

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Image caption: Somali referee Omar Artan was given a hero’s welcome on his return to Mogadishu after being denied entry to the United States

Despite the drama and achievements on the pitch, it must be remembered that this was a World Cup which shut out much of Africa.

Supporters from Ivory Coast and Senegal were barred from receiving the type of visitor visa that US authorities recommended for travelling fans, while people from Algeria, Cape Verde and Tunisia were initially asked to pay a deposit of up to $15,000 (£11,000) to obtain a visa.

The continent’s top referee, Omar Artan, was also turned away five days before the finals began despite the Somalian claiming he held the right papers for entry. Uefa quickly appointed Artan to take charge of August’s Super Cup between PSG and Aston Villa.

Fifa were criticised heavily over Artan’s exclusion and later also came under fire after suspending a one-match ban handed to United States striker Folarin Balogun. Caf did not publicly denounce the world governing body on either issue despite a scathing statements from its European counterpart.

After the success of the first 48-team edition, Fifa president Gianni Infantino has opened the door to a 64-team World Cup, which would mean even more spots for Africa.

Despite a series of firsts being recorded this year, slow progress remains the order of the day for the continent’s sides.

Argentina face potential disciplinary action from Fifa over the incident which could breach rules on political statements.

Asked whether players were in the wrong, Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House Fifa task force, said on Friday that the team had the opportunity and ability to “make those statements” in the US.

The comments could further fuel the row over the incident, which has seen Downing Street back calls for Fifa to investigate.

The Falklands, a British overseas territory in the south-west Atlantic Ocean, remains the subject of a sovereignty dispute between the UK and Argentina.

Players for Argentina held a banner after Wednesday’s semi-final match reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas”, which translates as “The Falklands are Argentine”.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Giuliani referenced free speech protections in the US Constitution, saying: “We believe in our First Amendment rights here in the United States of America.”

Downing Street backed calls for Fifa to investigate the incident, with the prime minister’s official spokesperson saying: “The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are. Our commitment to the Falklands will never waver.”

No 10 added that any potential action against Argentina players who unveiled the banner was “a matter for Fifa”, but echoed the view of Business Secretary Peter Kyle that world football’s governing body should investigate.

For its part, the government of the Falkland Islands said it was “disappointed but not surprised” about the banner and it hopes Fifa will “sanction all behaviour of this nature in line with its own rules”.

“We do not wish to see politics being brought into sport” a statement added.

“Nor do we wish the Islands and their people to be used as a political football in every conversation about England and Argentina”.

In 2013, the people of the Falkland Islands voted overwhelmingly in favour of remaining a UK overseas territory.

Of 1,517 votes cast in the two-day referendum – on a turnout of more than 90% – 1,513 were in favour, while just three votes were against.

Argentina vice-president Victoria Villarruel posted on X after Wednesday’s victory that “it wasn’t just another match” alongside a video of what appeared to be Argentine soldiers.

“The Falklands are Argentine,” Villarruel posted. “They banned bringing them to the stadium and forgot that we carry them in our blood and our hearts.”

Argentina players also sang chants which referenced the Falklands and Argentina greats Maradona and Lionel Messi following their dramatic 3-2 win over Egypt in the last 16.

A brief but bitter war arose between Britain and Argentina over the territory in 1982.

A British military task force ejected Argentine forces, who had landed on the Falklands to stake a territorial claim.

The 74-day conflict led to the deaths of 255 British military personnel, three islanders and 649 Argentine soldiers.

Capdevila, 48, was part of the Spain team that defeated the Netherlands to win the 2010 World Cup final.

The retired full-back was hoping to reunite with his former team-mates and watch Spain’s second World Cup final appearance when they take on Argentina at the MetLife Stadium on Sunday (20:00 BST).

Visitors who want to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without a visa need to apply to the country’s Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), which Capdevila says has been denied.

“I NEED HELP @realDonaldTrump!” Capdevila posted on X on Friday.

“They just told me that I can’t travel to the final with my kids because my ESTA has been denied.”

The former Villarreal and Deportivo defender added: “Can anyone help me with this? You have no idea how excited I was to be there with all my 2010 team-mates and this team to cheer them on.

“I can’t believe they’re not letting me into the USA… and that I’ll miss a moment like this with my kids who love soccer so much.

“If anyone knows how to fix this, I’ll be grateful to you for life.”

Capdevila also called on Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, to help resolve his situation and tagged the Spanish government’s ministry of sport in his post.

In an interview with Spanish radio station COPE, Capdevila said he believes he was denied entry to the United States because of a match he played in Iran in 2016.

The 2008 European Championship winner was part of a side of La Liga legends that faced a team of all-stars from Iran in Tehran.

BBC Sport has contacted the White House for comment.

Capdevila is not the first high-profile person to be denied entry to the United States for the World Cup, with Somali referee Omar Artan dropped from officiating at the tournament after he was denied entry to the country last month.

US officials said the 2025 Confederation of African Football (Caf) men’s referee of the year was refused entry to the country after arriving at Miami International Airport on 8 June because of his “association with suspected members of terror organisations”.

Sunday’s final at the MetLife Stadium will be the first World Cup final to be contested by the European champions, Spain, and the Copa America winners, Argentina

La Roja sealed their place in only a second-ever World Cup final by beating France 2-0 in Dallas on Tuesday.

Three-time winners and reigning champions Argentina booked their place in a second consecutive final after staging a late comeback to beat England 2-1 on Wednesday.

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Joan Capdevila (left) and David Villa celebrate Spain’s World Cup triumph in 2010

In 2007 Lamine Yamal’s parents won a charity photoshoot at Barcelona in which 20-year-old Messi held their five-month-old baby.

Speaking to Messi during a news conference in New York, NFL legend Tom Brady called the photos “very prophetic”.

Messi said: “That photo is incredible. The fact that we’re both playing in the World Cup now is crazy.”

Image source: Joan Monfort

Image caption: The picture of Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal from 2007

Lamine Yamal made his Barcelona debut at 15 and has inherited the number 10 shirt from Messi.

He helped Spain win Euro 2024 and, now aged 19, could become the youngest player to win the European Championships and the World Cup.

“He’s one of the best in the world right now,” said 39-year-old Messi.

“I wish him luck because his success will be Barcelona’s success.

“We’ll try to keep him from playing at his best. Spain has a great team, not just him.

“He’s a tremendous player – a global star. He’s 19 years old and has his whole career ahead of him. I wish him the best, but we’ll give it our all to ensure he doesn’t become champion this time.”

Messi attended a fans’ event on Friday with Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and Spain captain Rodri.

After the news conference, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni hugged Spain counterpart Luis de la Fuente, who was one of the instructors when Scaloni gained his Uefa Pro coaching licence in Spain.

Former England defender Rio Ferdinand and actor Kevin Hart hosted the event, while tennis legend Novak Djokovic and NBA star Kevin Durant joined Brady in asking questions.

Brady continued his ongoing feud with Logan Paul as they argued on stage before the record seven-time Super Bowl winner slapped the YouTuber turned WWE star, with New York Knicks player Karl-Anthony Towns splitting them up.

His remarks follow Ghana’s exit from the World Cup in North America, where the four-time African champions reached the Round of 32 before being eliminated.

Speaking during an inspection tour of the Ho Sports Stadium, President Mahama commended the Black Stars for exceeding expectations and called on football authorities to adopt a long-term approach as the country targets future success.

According to the President, retaining the current squad and convincing head coach Carlos Queiroz to remain in charge would provide Ghana with a solid foundation to challenge for both the Africa Cup of Nations and the next World Cup.

“We need to start preparing for the next World Cup. The Black Stars did well; nobody gave them a chance. People predicted they would crash out in the group stage, but they managed to reach the Round of 32,” Mahama said.

“I’m sure that if we keep this team, and we persuade the coach [Carlos Queiroz] to continue to work with the team, by the time of the next AFCON and the next World Cup, we’ll have a team that can claim the championship in either of those two competitions,” he added.

Ghana enjoyed a promising campaign at the 2026 World Cup, opening with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Panama before earning a historic goalless draw against England for their first-ever World Cup point against the Three Lions.

Although the Black Stars lost 2-1 to Croatia in their final Group L fixture, they progressed to the knockout stage as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams. Their campaign eventually came to an end following a narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia in the Round of 32.

Attention has now turned to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with Ghana drawn in Group C alongside Côte d’Ivoire, Somalia and The Gambia.

The qualifiers are set to begin in September as the Black Stars look to secure a return to the continental tournament after failing to qualify for the 2025 edition.

The 73-year-old Portuguese tactician signed a short-term contract in April ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America after Otto Addo was dismissed in March following a poor run of results.

Under Queiroz, Ghana reached the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time since the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

Speaking on Friday during an inspection tour of the Ho Sports Stadium, President Mahama stressed the importance of maintaining continuity in the national team’s technical setup.

He said the experienced coach has laid a solid foundation that should be built upon ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations and future World Cup campaigns.

According to the President, retaining Queiroz could help Ghana challenge for major honours in the coming years.

“I’m sure that if we keep this team, and we persuade the coach Carlos Queiroz to continue to work with the team, by the time of the next AFCON and the next World Cup, we’ll have a team that can claim the championship in either of those two competitions,” Mahama said.

The Black Stars opened their World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama before holding England to a goalless draw.

A 2-1 defeat to Croatia in their final Group C match was still enough to see Ghana progress to the Round of 32 as one of the best third-placed teams.

However, their World Cup journey ended after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia in the knockout stage.

The Black Stars will now shift their focus to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Ghana has been drawn in Group C alongside Côte d’Ivoire, Somalia and The Gambia, with the qualifying campaign set to begin in September.

Ghana’s journey at the global tournament ended at the Round of 32 stage after a competitive outing that saw the four-time African champions reach the knockout phase for the first time since the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The Black Stars opened their campaign with a narrow 1-0 win over Panama before securing a hard-fought goalless draw against European giants England.

However, Ghana suffered a 2-1 defeat to Croatia in their final Group C match before exiting the tournament following a painful 1-0 loss to Colombia in the knockout stage.

Despite the early elimination, President Mahama commended the team’s resilience, determination and overall performance throughout the tournament.

“The Black Stars performed admirably at the recent tournament despite many predictions that they would not progress beyond the group stage,” he said.

“They exceeded expectations by advancing to the Round of 32, demonstrating determination, resilience and the quality that exists within the team,” he added.

Ghana’s World Cup campaign had been surrounded by uncertainty before the tournament, with concerns about the team’s readiness to compete against some of the world’s best sides.

However, their performances against established opponents helped restore confidence among supporters and highlighted the potential within the squad.

The Black Stars will now turn their attention to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers as they seek to rebuild and compete for continental honours.

Ghana has been drawn in Group C alongside Côte d’Ivoire, Somalia and The Gambia, with the qualification campaign scheduled to begin in September.

Ghana made its fifth appearance at the global showpiece in North America and reached the knockout stage for the first time since the 2010 edition.

However, the Black Stars’ campaign ended in the Round of 32 after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia.

Reflecting on the team’s performance, Mr Adams said the players had little opportunity to develop a stronger understanding beyond the World Cup qualifying campaign.

“We were at the World Cup with players who did not have the opportunity to play together beyond the qualifiers,” the Buem Member of Parliament said.

Despite the challenges, Ghana began the tournament with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Panama before holding England to a disciplined goalless draw.

A 2-1 defeat to Croatia in their final group match saw the Black Stars finish third, a result that was enough to secure qualification to the Round of 32 as one of the best third-placed teams.

Their World Cup journey, however, came to an end in the first knockout round after Colombia defeated the four-time African champions 1-0.

The Black Stars will now shift their focus to the qualification campaign for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

Ghana has been drawn in Group C alongside Côte d’Ivoire, Somalia and The Gambia, with the qualifiers scheduled to begin in September.

More countries taking part and more matches means more eyeballs on the action – as well as more opportunities to make money.

As the planet’s footballing stars create historic moments on the pitch, billions of dollars are being generated off it.

But not everyone is raking in the big bucks with financial winners and losers.

Fifa – winner

The amount of money world football’s governing body Fifa makes from the World Cup is astronomical. It generated a record $7.6bn (£5.6bn) from Qatar 2022 and is expected to top that in US, Canada and Mexico 2026, especially with the expanded 48-team tournament.

Marion Laboure, senior strategist at Deutsche Bank Research, says Fifa is “without question” the main winner with its revenues over the four-year cycle period approaching $13bn.

Fifa’s income comes from the sale of broadcasting, licensing and hospitality rights, sponsorship deals and ticket sales.

“Fifa also moved into the secondary market with its official resale marketplace, taking a 15% fee from both buyer and seller,” adds Laboure.

We should expect more of this in tournaments to come, with Fifa considering expanding the tournament yet again to 64 teams, which could include the likes of China and India – and the billions more viewers that come with it.

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Fans – losers

While fans may have achieved lifelong dreams, financially speaking, this tournament has been tough.

The vast sums being forked out to pay for the tickets alone and criticism of Fifa’s dynamic pricing strategy, which raises prices when demand is high, have been well-documented.

Even US President Donald Trump admitted he “wouldn’t pay” when asked about the potential $1,000 ticket price for his country’s tournament opener against Paraguay.

Tickets for the final at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium were officially offered at $32,970, while some resale tickets have been listed for more than $2m.

Fifa president Infantino defended ticket costs, arguing they were in line with other US sporting events.

Away from tickets, fans have also been squeezed through flights, food and accommodation.

One example that hit the headlines was the hike in New Jersey Transit train tickets. A 30-minute train journey to the MetLife Stadium rose to $150 for the tournament from the usual $12.90 for a return fare. A backlash led to prices being cut, but they still remained higher than normal.

Broadcasters and sponsors – winners

While broadcasters have had to shell out big bucks to televise the tournament, the viewing figures – and sponsors wanting their brands on show – mean they are also likely to make a killing in selling advertising slots.

Fifa brought in hydration breaks for this World Cup – a move Infantino said was “purely a sporting matter” with no additional revenue for the governing body.

However, the 90 seconds for players to get fluids on board has provided a new commercial opportunity for broadcasters and sponsors wanting to show off their brand, especially in the US, where American sports fans have been long used to games effectively being played around the ad breaks.

Fox Sports, who reportedly paid $485m for the US broadcast rights, introduced the hydration intervals as “sponsored by” a brand.

According to experts, an average 30-second World Cup advertising slot on Fox costs between $200,000 and $300,000. It reached as high as $750,000 during US matches the final stages.

It means hydration break ads could net $250m in the US alone, prompting speculation that they will be here to stay.

“The hydration breaks are pure advertising inventory. I’d be extremely surprised if they disappear. The expanded format will stay because scale is now Fifa’s business model,” says Laboure of Deutsche Bank Research.

Fans in the UK watching games on the BBC or ITV have been shielded from hydration break adverts due to the former not using any advertising and the latter being restricted by regulator rules on the amount of commercials used in a 60-minute period.

The official sponsors of the World Cup pay eye-watering sums to associate brands with the competition, but no doubt end up benefiting financially, with the likes of Adidas and Coca-Cola plastered everywhere.

The German sportswear brand has been locked in a battle with its arch-rival Nike, spending some £50m on their “backyard legends” ad featuring Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham and Lionel Messi.

However, some unofficial brands have benefited from Fifa trying to make sure fans see less of them, such as the Levi’s logo outside the Levi’s stadium in San Francisco being covered up.

David Beckham – winner

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Adidas’s main ad also features an AI version of Sir David Beckham – who, to be honest, might not have had time to attend filming in person.

The UK’s first billionaire sportsman has been in so many adverts from Home Depot to Bank of America, you could be forgiven for forgetting what brand he is actually representing.

Despite hanging up his boots more than a decade ago, Beckham continues to be the face of US soccer, with the American club he co-owns, Inter Miami, estimated to be Major League Soccer’s most valuable franchise at $1.45bn.

He may not have managed to win the World Cup on the pitch, but he’s arguably won the commercial game off it.

Host cities – losers

The 16 host cities across the US, Canada and Mexico have been welcoming an influx of fans and tourists boosting hospitality, hotels and local businesses.

But while the Scots drank Boston dry and have won the heart of the city and its people, experts say the long-term economic benefits are minimal.

Fifa estimated some $41bn would be added to the global economy, of which $17bn would boost the US economy alone, with 185,000 jobs created, mostly in hospitality and accommodation.

But Alexander Budzier, a fellow in management practice at Oxford University and chief executive of project management company Oxford Global Projects, says the long-term economic benefits of hosting such a big sporting event just do not materialise.

Host cities actually typically see a big drop in visitors, he says, as many seek to avoid the tournament chaos.

And while there may be a spike in hiring, he argues it is typically only for lower-paid jobs in hospitality. “It creates jobs, but it does not create wealth,” he says.

Official figures show that hiring in US pubs, bars and restaurants ramped up ahead of the tournament in May, but the boom was short-lived.

The only “worthwhile” economic benefit, Budzier argues, is the regeneration projects that can be done, such as the redevelopment and housing built in Stratford in London following the 2012 Olympic Games.

But due to much of this World Cup using existing stadia, hotels, training complexes and travel infrastructure, “there won’t be any economic benefits from development”.

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Hotels – losers

The expected demand for hotel rooms did not materialise, with industry bodies reporting lower bookings in host cities this year than last.

The British Columbia Hotel Association says that while final booking figures are yet to be confirmed, June and July were “pacing well behind previous years”, despite Vancouver hosting seven of the games in Canada.

It says tournaments “do not create 40 straight days of sold-out hotels”, but rather lead to high-demand around specific dates.

For American hoteliers, the pre-tournament buzz also did not deliver.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) accused Fifa of block-booking too many rooms for its own use and creating false demand. Fifa has said it does not recognise the accusation.

Laboure of Deutsche Bank Research says the same thing happened in France in 1998 when demand did not meet expectations.

“By April, 80% of US hotel operators said bookings were tracking below their initial forecasts – two-thirds of New York hoteliers reported softer-than-expected bookings, and in Seattle nearly 80% did, with many calling the tournament a ‘non-event’,” she adds.

Betting companies – winners

The 2026 World Cup is on track to be the biggest gambling event of all time, with an estimated $50bn placed in bets – around $500m wagered per match, according to financial services firm Macquarie, which has interests in the gambling industry.

It says this is primarily down to the expansion in teams, meaning there will be more than 100 matches played, up from 64 in 2022.

Flutter Entertainment, which owns Paddy Power, Betfair and Sky Bet, forecast the amount placed in bets would be double that of the previous tournament because of growth in the US and also Brazil.

Chad Beynon, an analyst at Macquarie, said in-play betting had taken over from the more traditional pre-match punt.

“Now it’s all about reacting to what you’re seeing on the field, adjusting your views. Whereas before it was kind of sit, watch, wait – you had to place your bet before the match,” he says.

Sports betting in the US is still a relatively new industry. Until 2018, betting on sports was only legal in Nevada, the home of Las Vegas, but a Supreme Court ruling paved the way for many states to legalise it.

However, there are still some states where it remains illegal, including California and Texas. In those areas there has been big engagement in prediction markets – a fast-growing, billion-dollar industry popular with young men – which are not classified as gambling, meaning they can be used to place bets on sport regardless of which state someone is in.

Given Lionel Messi is now 39 and Lamine Yamal just 19, it is testament to the former’s relentless perseverance and the latter’s precocious talent that a match featuring both can take place at all, never mind in the sport’s greatest fixture.

But this is far from the first time the two have crossed paths.

That happened in 2007, when a 20-year-old Messi had recently become a regular starter for Barcelona, and Lamine Yamal was only five months old.

The meeting is documented in a series of photographs taken by Joan Monfort.

They resurfaced two years ago, when Lamine Yamal helped Spain win Euro 2024, as his father posted one online with the caption “The beginning of two legends”.

In the photos, a smiling Messi is cradling and bathing a tiny baby boy who would inexplicably follow so closely in his footballing footsteps.

“It is a true miracle of destiny”, Monfort tells BBC Sport.

“It is serendipity – when you find something extra special, so much bigger than you ever thought.

“If you wrote this in a film it would not seem possible.”

‘Messi had no idea what to do with a baby’

The photoshoot took place in the away dressing room at Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium.

Lamine Yamal’s family had won a competition to be there.

His parents, Morocco-born Mounir Nasraoui and Sheila Ebana from Equatorial Guinea, met after moving to Catalonia as children with their own families.

Lamine Yamal is their eldest child, and shortly after he was born, they entered a raffle run by Catalan newspaper Sport in conjunction with Barcelona shirt sponsor and international children’s charity Unicef.

Those selected at random would have professional photos taken of their baby with a Barcelona first-team player.

Lamine Yamal was among the winners, and on the day the family arrived, they were paired with Messi by chance.

Image source: Joan Monfort

Image caption: Lamine Yamal’s mother Sheila Ebana also took part in the photo shoot

“I had no idea it was Lamine in the photo until one my friends called me in 2024 and told me his father had posted it to Instagram,” Monfort explains.

“Messi is a really introverted guy, very timid and shy. He came into the dressing room and suddenly had to take these photos with a little baby – not even a kid, a proper baby and his face changed like he had no idea what to do!

“It is difficult for a young man, but Lamine was a very happy, smiley little baby. His mum Sheila helped us, she was a young girl and they were a very poor family, but they were very nice to work with.

“Messi was always a professional in these kinds of things and he adapted to the situation very quickly.”

Image source: Joan Monfort

Image caption: Messi still wore number 19 for Barcelona in 2007, only inheriting the number 10 shirt a year later when Ronaldinho left the club

‘I’ll never be able to repay my parents’

By his 19th birthday Messi had scored 11 career goals and won La Liga and the Uefa Champions League once each.

Having turned 19 on Monday, Lamine Yamal has already scored a whopping 56 goals and won La Liga three times and the Copa del Rey once, as well as Euro 2024.

Yamal is not actually the player’s surname, but the second of his two first names.

His full name is Lamine Yamal Naraoui Ebana, and he wears the former two on the back of his shirts for both Barcelona and Spain as an homage to two people who helped his family around the time of his birth.

It has been widely reported in Spanish media that Lamine Yamal’s father promised to name him after two friends who assisted the family financially, helping them to pay their bills at a time when money was tight.

Lamine is a common male first name in Arabic, which can be translated to English as honest or trustworthy, while Yamal is a variant of Jamal, meaning elegance or beauty.

He grew up in Rocafonda, a working-class neighbourhood in Mataro, 20 miles north of Barcelona.

The area was built in the 1960s to house migrants from other regions of Spain, and when they began to move to more well-off areas, migrants from other countries arrived in the 1990s.

Lamine Yamal has celebrated some of his goals by making a 3-0-4 gesture with his fingers, referring to Rocafonda’s postcode.

“What my mother has done, what my father has done, I couldn’t have done that for anyone who is not my child”, Yamal told El Pais in earlier in the tournament.

“If you don’t have money, it’s very hard to help your child play football. And my parents managed to make all that happen. It’s something I’ll never be able to repay them for.”

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: The famous photograph has been turned into a banner by Spain fans at Euro 2024 and the World Cup

‘My heart is breaking in two pieces’

For Monfort, a Catalan who supports Barcelona, an on-pitch meeting between the two is the perfect denouement to a story which began almost two decades ago.

“I think we are closing the cycle of their story,” Monfort, now 58, adds. “It is a happy end.

“I am a fan of Barcelona, and I think for Messi it’s perfect if he can finish his career winning the World Cup for the second time. I think he deserves it.

“And for Lamine he has a lot of time to win trophies like the World Cup. But Spain and Lamine are arriving in a good moment and if he wins it now, it would be worth more than his other titles.

“It is very difficult for me. My heart is breaking in two pieces.”

Image source:Getty Images

Image caption: Messi left Barcelona for Paris St-Germain in 2021, two years before the debut of a 15-year-old Yamal, who went on to inherit the number 10 shirt in 2025

Winner rings are a tradition in American sport, with the NFL’s Super Bowl victors presented with them.

Thirty rings will be made available to the world champions, and a further 1,996 rings will go on sale to fans. Each ring will include a mini World Cup trophy in its design and an engraving in the band.

President Trump, who is to present the trophy, has not attended any of the 102 World Cup games so far, missing all of the USA’s matches before they went out to Belgium in the last 16.

There is a weather warning in New York over air quality caused by wildfires in Canada, but there is no suggestion the final at MetLife Stadium will be affected.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino had already said Trump would attend the final and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has confirmed he will.

The relationship between Infantino and Trump has been at the heart of the biggest controversy at this summer’s World Cup, with the US president calling the Fifa chief to seek a review of United States striker Folarin Balogun’s red card.

The subsequent decision to suspend Balogun’s automatic ban was heavily criticised, with questions raised about the integrity of the tournament.

Balogun was allowed to feature in the knockout game against Belgium, but the USA suffered a 4-1 thrashing.

No other red or yellow cards have been suspended during this World Cup, despite France and England appealing to have their own respective incidents reviewed.

Trump has a history of going to big sporting events, attending the Super Bowl, the US Open tennis tournament, the NBA finals and the Ryder Cup and hosting the UFC at the White House during his two presidential terms.

It is not unusual for heads of states in host countries to attend World Cup finals.

The USA have co-hosted the tournament with Canada and Mexico, with the final two games – both live on the BBC – taking place in America.

England play France in Miami from 22:00 BST on Saturday in the third-place match, while Argentina v Spain is from 20:00 on Sunday.

The 28-year-old was part of Ghana’s squad for the tournament in North America and featured in all the team’s matches. He emerged as one of the standout performers in Ghana’s goalless draw against England, delivering a disciplined midfield display as the Black Stars secured a valuable point against one of the tournament favourites.

Reflecting on the match, the Real Oviedo midfielder said playing in a defensive system required immense discipline, concentration and teamwork from the players to execute the tactical approach effectively.

“It takes much effort and sacrifice. Every player wants to touch the ball, and if you’re not touching the ball for some time, it affects your mentality. It takes great mental toughness, discipline, and dedication to defend from the first minute of a game to the final minutes,” Sibo told 3Sports.

He described the encounter against England as the best game he played at the World Cup, adding that it provided an opportunity for the team to prove its quality to both Ghanaians and the global football community.

“The England match is the best game I played at the World Cup,” he said.

“We showed Ghanaians that we are willing to give it our all for the nation,” he added.

Ghana’s World Cup campaign ended after the Black Stars were eliminated, and the team will now shift attention to preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, which begin in September.

The four-time African champions have been drawn in Group C alongside Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia and Somalia.

Three weeks ago, you called Ghana boring. Some of you didn’t stop at boring; you called us the “anti-football team,” the “most boring team” at the entire World Cup, a Sunday league side that had stumbled onto the wrong stage.

You wrote that our own fans should be embarrassed for celebrating a 0-0 draw like it was a trophy.

You mocked Carlos Queiroz’s low block as the football equivalent of turning off the lights and hiding under the bed.

Last night, your own team tried to do exactly what you mocked us for. And it fell apart in seven minutes.

Let’s not pretend this is a small point. England went 1-0 up against Argentina in a World Cup semi-final, made a string of defensive substitutions to protect that lead, sat deeper, and invited the pressure you spent weeks telling us was cowardly to invite.

Harry Kane said it himself afterwards: once England went ahead, they just tried to hold on, and at that level, holding on isn’t enough.

Enzo Fernández equalised from distance. Lautaro Martínez headed in the winner in stoppage time. A lead became a heartbreak in the time it takes to make a cup of tea.

So, here’s the letter you’re really owed: if low block football was that easy, why did the Three Lions fail at it with a place in a World Cup final on the line?

Because it isn’t easy. It never was.

That’s the part your back pages conveniently skipped when Ghana held out against you for ninety minutes while you had close to 79% of the ball and precisely nothing to show for it.

You called that game a “shocker.” You called it “Queirozball,” said with a curled lip, as if a coach organising eleven players to defend as one unit was some kind of cheat code rather than a football philosophy with a Real Madrid CV and two Premier League titles behind it.

Rio Ferdinand, one of your own, had to step in and remind everyone that Queiroz sets his teams up to be hard to play against and well drilled, and that you have to respect a coach who gets exactly what he asked for out of his players.

That’s the part that gets lost when a low block is dismissed as “boring.”

A back four holding its shape for ninety minutes without a mistake, a goalkeeper making his first World Cup start and not being beaten once, a midfield pressing in unison rather than chasing shadows; none of that happens by accident.

It happens because eleven players trust the structure more than they trust the temptation to freelance.

It happens because a coach has drilled it into muscle memory so that under the white heat of a World Cup, with Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka running at you, nobody switches off.

Ghana didn’t get lucky against England. Ghana got organised against England. There’s a difference, and it’s the difference between a discipline and a default.

England, by contrast, backed into a low block on the fly, under pressure, with twenty-odd minutes left and a semi-final unravelling.

That’s not a system. That’s an improvisation dressed up as a system, and Lionel Messi made you pay for the gap between the two.

Paul Merson said he was devastated watching it happen. Your own pundits pointed out this is the same tactical retreat that’s haunted England for a decade, going back to some of Gareth Southgate’s most cautious nights.

The pattern didn’t start with Ghana, and it certainly won’t end with us.

So no, we won’t be taking lectures on “anti-football” from a press box that just watched its own team get torn apart trying to do, for twenty-five minutes, what we did for ninety with a straight face.

If parking the bus is so easy, so lazy, so beneath the purists, why couldn’t England park it for the stretch that mattered most all tournament?

Here’s the truth, and it applies whether you’re Ghana holding a scoreless draw or England trying to protect a lead in Atlanta: low block football is one of the hardest disciplines in the sport.

It demands positional intelligence from every single player, communication that never drops, legs that keep running in the eighty-eighth minute exactly as they did in the eighth, and a manager willing to absorb the criticism that comes with prioritising the result over the aesthetic.

England had one bad half against Argentina, panicked into their own version of it, and it’s already being dissected as one of the worst tactical calls of the tournament, for all the wrong reasons.

Carlos Queiroz didn’t invent the low block. He’s just one of the few coaches left willing to trust it completely, in public, under exactly this kind of criticism.

Maybe next time before you reach for “boring,” ask yourselves why the team you were comparing us unfavourably to couldn’t survive doing it for even one half.

We’ll be watching the final from home. You should be watching your own dressing room.

Yours, unbothered,

A Ghanaian who was taught that discipline isn’t a personality flaw.

The writer, Joshua Tigo, is a Ghanaian journalist who works for the Adom Brands of the Multimedia Group Limited.

Email: Joshua.tigo@myjoyonline.com

Ninety minutes—or perhaps 120—separate Spain and Argentina from immortality. Every pass, every tackle, every tactical adjustment will carry the weight of history. On Sunday, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will not simply crown a champion; it will answer a question that has been building for a month: which team truly defined this tournament?

For Spain, the final is the culmination of a football revolution completed.

When Luis de la Fuente took charge, many believed Spain could return to the technical brilliance that made them world champions in 2010. Few imagined the transformation would happen so quickly. This Spanish side has evolved beyond the endless possession that once defined La Roja. It presses with aggression, attacks with purpose and defends with remarkable organisation. The passing remains beautiful, but it is now accompanied by verticality, athleticism and a ruthless edge.

Their victories over Portugal, Belgium and France were not just wins; they were statements. Spain have looked like the tournament’s most balanced side, equally capable of controlling possession or surviving difficult moments without losing their identity.

Argentina’s journey has been different.

Champions are rarely remembered for perfect performances. They are remembered for finding solutions when games become chaotic. Argentina have done exactly that.

Every knockout match has demanded resilience. Every challenge has required emotional control. Against England in the semi-final, they showed once again why tournament football often rewards mentality as much as talent. They absorbed pressure, remained patient and struck when opportunities appeared.

That ability to suffer has become Argentina’s greatest strength.

The tactical battle promises to be fascinating.

Spain will want the ball. That is non-negotiable. Their midfield is the engine of everything they do, circulating possession until defensive lines begin to crack. Argentina know that chasing shadows for 90 minutes is a dangerous game. Instead, they are likely to remain compact, forcing Spain into wider areas before launching quick, direct counter-attacks.

The final could ultimately be decided not by spectacular attacking play, but by who wins the midfield.

World Cup finals often become chess matches disguised as football matches. Space disappears. Time feels shorter. Mistakes become fatal. Coaches spend years preparing teams for these moments, yet the decisive moment often comes from an unexpected source—a substitute, a set piece, a defensive error or a moment of individual brilliance.

History offers little comfort.

Spain have reached only one previous World Cup final, winning it in Johannesburg in 2010. Argentina, by contrast, carry the experience and expectation of a nation that has lived through triumph and heartbreak on football’s biggest stage. Their history gives them confidence, but it also adds pressure.

Pressure, however, is unavoidable.

For Spain, victory would confirm the arrival of a new golden generation capable of dominating international football for years to come.

For Argentina, lifting the trophy again would reinforce their status as one of football’s enduring powers and prove that their culture of winning extends beyond one era or one iconic player.

These are the nights players dream about as children.

The stadium will be filled with noise, colour and expectation, but once the referee blows the whistle, all of it fades into a series of tiny decisions: whether to press or retreat, pass or shoot, gamble or wait.

That is what makes World Cup finals different.

They are rarely won by the team with the better highlights. They are won by the team that manages the moment.

On Sunday night, Spain will attempt to complete their footballing renaissance. Argentina will attempt to write another unforgettable chapter in their rich World Cup history.

Only one team will leave with the trophy.

The other will leave with football’s cruellest memory—knowing they stood one match away from immortality.

Defending champions Argentina produced a dramatic late comeback in Atlanta to earn a 2-1 win against Thomas Tuchel’s side, setting up a final against Spain on Sunday.

It was a second World Cup semi-final defeat in eight years for England and Bayern Munich striker Kane following a 2-1 defeat by Croatia in 2018.

While Kane praised Argentina’s 39-year-old inspirational captain Lionel Messi, the 32-year-old former Tottenham striker is unsure if he will be representing England in four years’ time.

“It’s too early to talk about that. For me, it’s about taking it year by year and how I feel,” said Kane.

“The national team is my pride and joy, it’s what I love to do most.

“Four years is a long way away and I’m 33 in the summer, but as you see with Leo [Messi], he’s still performing at the highest level [at 39].

“I never want to put a limit on these things. For now, it’s about processing another tough loss.”

Kane has scored six goals at this World Cup and with a third-place match to come he could still win the Golden Boot – although both Messi, who had assists for both Argentina goals against England, and France’s Kylian Mbappe are on eight.

England went ahead in the 55th minute of Wednesday’s game when Anthony Gordon finished from Morgan Rogers’ cross.

But late goals from Enzo Fernandez and – in the second minute of injury time – Lautaro Martinez meant the Three Lions missed out on their first men’s World Cup final appearance since 1966.

“There’s not much to say – everyone is gutted,” added Kane.

“When you’re so close, 10 minutes away, and it slips out of your hands like that, obviously the lads are devastated.

“We did so well for 60 minutes. We scored and deserved to be ahead, then we struggled to keep the ball, struggled to put pressure on the ball, and it allowed them to create more momentum and chances in the final third.

“We’re going to have to find out how we can improve in those situations. It’s been probably the missing piece now for probably the past four or five tournaments.”

England must now prepare for Saturday’s third-place play-off against France (22:00 BST), which will be live on the BBC.

Familiar story for devastated England

England have now lost in the semi-finals in two of the past three men’s World Cups, and were beaten in the European Championship finals in 2021 and 2024.

Central defender Dan Burn, who was roared on to the field as a second-half substitute when England were still ahead, summed up the feelings of the beaten players.

“Gutted,” said the Newcastle defender. “Absolutely gutted.

“We nailed the gameplan pretty well. To go 1-0 up… then we got too passive, conceded too many crosses and too many chances.

“When you’re playing a team of that quality, it is going to cost you. This will haunt me for a long time, I think.”

England had produced resolute displays in the previous two rounds – beating Mexico 3-2 in the last 16 despite playing most of the second half with 10 men, then hanging on to defeat Norway 2-1 in the quarter-finals.

Asked why Tuchel’s side had been unable to continue that run against the holders, Burn said: “I don’t know.

“It is human nature [to be nervous] when you’re that close to doing something you haven’t done since ’66 and be in a final.

“Argentina have done that and got that confidence. The last few games we have been able to defend the box so well. We thought we could do that again, but we weren’t as tight in the box as we would have liked.”

Burn added: “I am still very proud of what we have done at this World Cup. I don’t think anyone really gave us a chance. We have done a lot of good, and honestly I thought we were going to do it.”

Like Kane, midfielder Jude Bellingham has also scored six goals for England at this tournament.

“The lads did everything they could over the course of the tournament – I can’t fault the effort and the fight,” said Real Madrid midfielder Bellingham.

“That’s the life of a footballer at this level. The more beautiful the journey, the more heartbreaking the end is. I’m really proud of all my team-mates – they put in a magnificent shift over the last few weeks.

“I wanted to be part of an England squad that finally did it and finally got it over the line. To be here telling the fans the same things they have heard for years and years, it’s really gutting.”

‘We invited too much pressure’

Despite the defeat, head coach Tuchel retains the backing of the Football Association and is expected to lead the team into Euro 2028.

But Tuchel said he was surprised his side were unable to see the game out, having got themselves ahead.

“We went 1-0 up, but it totally turned the momentum in their favour,” Tuchel told BBC Radio 5 Live. “They took all the risks after. They played totally free after that with all the risks and a lot of quality.

“They made offensive substitutions and suddenly had four players in the forward line and we couldn’t stop the crosses. We couldn’t stop the runners in the box.

“We were basically not physical enough. We couldn’t win duels and we couldn’t get hold of the ball. It was a total momentum shift from our goal.”

Tuchel said his players had given “everything” during the tournament.

“The conviction and the self-confidence after going 1-0 up was just not there,” he said.

“They [Argentina] played with a mindset of nothing to lose, took a lot of risks and we could not get the momentum back.”

England will co-host the European Championship in 2028, although they still have to qualify.

Asked if they were capable of winning a major tournament, Tuchel said: “Yes, of course we are, even if I have no proof of that at the moment.

“In big defeats it’s important to take them with respect, digest them, stick together, and second of all it’s about the reaction to it. Of course we feel very close and still Argentina showed the gap in the last half an hour.

“Unfortunately we were close and couldn’t push over the line. We wanted to push over the line and that’s our goal, and we are very, very disappointed and will try again.”

But in 2026, the final carries a unique distinction: for the first time in the modern FIFA Ranking era, the two highest-ranked teams in the world are facing each other in the World Cup final.

This is not just a final. It is a confirmation of football’s elite.

For years, the FIFA Rankings have measured consistency, performance and global strength, but the World Cup often tells a different story. The tournament has regularly produced surprises, with lower-ranked nations defeating favourites and rewriting history.

Previous finals have featured giants, but rarely have the No.1 and No.2 ranked nations arrived together on the biggest stage.

The battle of football’s best

This final represents a clash between two complete footballing machines.

Both teams have built their success on more than individual brilliance. They possess world-class talent, tactical identity and squads deep enough to survive the pressure of a seven-game tournament.

Their journey to the final has shown why they occupy the top positions in world football.

They have defeated elite opponents, handled difficult moments and demonstrated the mentality required to compete when every mistake can end a World Cup dream.

A victory for consistency

Reaching a World Cup final requires more than a golden generation. It requires structure.

The two finalists represent years of planning, investment and development. Their success reflects strong football systems, elite coaching and players who have been prepared for the highest level.

While the World Cup is famous for underdog stories, this final celebrates another side of the game — when excellence finally meets excellence.

A final for the history books

The beauty of football is that rankings mean nothing once the referee starts the match. The best team on paper still has to prove itself on the pitch.

That is why this final is so special.

It is a meeting of the world’s strongest teams, a battle between two nations that have reached the summit at the same time.

When the trophy is lifted, history will remember not only the winner, but the moment when football’s two best-ranked nations finally met in a World Cup final.

The kings of the rankings have reached the throne room. Now only one can rule.

He had finally won the World Cup, aged 35, in what he said was his last game in the tournament and – depending on your point of view – cemented his place as football’s greatest ever player.

Four years before that, aged 31, many – including those around him – felt he had played his final World Cup game and would end his career without winning it.

And here he is at 39, having helped take England to the cleaners and send Argentina to their second World Cup final in a row.

Messi’s two assists helped the South American side come from behind to win 2-1, taking him up to four assists at the 2026 World Cup – to go with his eight goals.

The joint top scorer and the second highest assister in the whole show.

Argentina will play Spain, the country where Messi has played most of his football with Barcelona, in Sunday’s final in New Jersey.

“He’s the best player in history, I don’t know what else he would have to do to prove that. The majority of Spaniards love him,” said his national team boss Lionel Scaloni.

BBC pundit Micah Richards said: “They have Lionel Messi. They have the ‘GOAT’. The greatest of all time.

“[It’s about] moments. We thought it could have been Jude Bellingham or Harry Kane, but this is why he is the king.”

How Messi destroyed English hopes

Former Barcelona and Paris St-Germain forward Messi had never played England in his career before – and Thomas Tuchel and every Three Lions fan will wish that was still the case.

The veteran showed a few quality touches in an attritional first half – playing more centrally – but it was after Anthony Gordon gave England a 55th-minute lead that Argentina came to life.

As Tuchel sent on more defenders and England sat back, Argentina had 88% possession for the following 37 minutes.

And Messi had a field day after moving out to the right wing.

“Getting Messi on the wing was the key for us,” said goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez afterwards.

He completed nine dribbles and assisted two goals against England – the first player on record (from 1966 onwards) to do so in a single World Cup knockout game.

The entire England team combined completed seven successful dribbles in Atlanta.

Messi had seven touches in the opposition box – the same as every English player added together. Ditto his four chances created.

He also put in a game-high nine crosses.

And by far the most important, he set up both of Argentina’s goals.

The first was from a corner routine when he found Enzo Fernandez, who slammed in an 85th-minute equaliser from outside the box.

And then he crossed for Lautaro Martinez to head in an injury-time winner.

Ex-England defender Richards said: “He walks around the pitch and then he comes alive when the ball comes to his feet.

“This genius comes into play and sometimes that is just the difference.”

Former England keeper Joe Hart added: “The guys went back to what they did against Mexico and Norway where they locked the door.

“What that did was free up Lionel Messi, who had the skeleton key – he absolutely ran the show for the last 15 minutes.”

England captain Kane added: “For large parts of the game we dealt with him really well, but as always with the most dangerous players in the world when they have the ball they can create something. He’s one of the best players ever for a reason.”

Can Messi win the Golden Boot?

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Lionel Messi is Argentina’s runaway international top scorer with 125 goals

This summer Messi became the all-time top scorer at World Cups with 21 goals (out of his 125 Argentina goals in total).

Fifteen of those 21 have come since his 35th birthday.

Eight have been at this tournament, passing the seven he scored in 2022 – which was just one short of Kylian Mbappe in the Golden Boot race.

This time Messi and Mbappe are level on eight goals. Mbappe’s France play England on Saturday in the third-place play-off.

England’s Bellingham and Kane are on six goals each and not out of the picture.

If players finish level on goals, the tie-breaker is assists – with Messi on four to Mbappe’s three.

Messi could yet finish as the top assister at this summer’s World Cup too – sitting one goal behind France’s Michael Olise.

Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, speaking to the BBC, said: “He’s a little magician, he really is.

“He’s done it all tournament now. You look at the goals scored and the balls he’s put into England’s box.”

Will Messi ever slow down?

It is easy to forget Messi, then at Barcelona and aged 29, actually retired from international football in 2016.

He had lost the 2014 World Cup final to Germany and three Copa America finals.

Since reversing that decision he has won the Copa America twice.

When Messi – then of PSG – lifted the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, it felt as if the final piece of the jigsaw of his career was complete.

Many considered that the final thing missing from the argument over the best player ever – with many considering fellow World Cup winners Pele and Diego Maradona the greatest.

“I am very happy for finishing my journey in World Cups in a final, to play the last game in a final. That is really very gratifying,” he said before the 2022 final.

“There are a lot of years from this year to the next one. I don’t think I will be able to do that. To finish this way is brilliant.”

And when he left Europe the next year to join Inter Miami in the MLS, it seemed like he was going to wind down.

Even during last year’s Fifa Club World Cup, which he played in, it was far from clear if he would be involved this summer.

But here he is, still seemingly unstoppable – even though his game has changed.

Before the England tie, he had walked 47% of the distance he covered in this tournament, the highest percentage of any outfield player.

Tactically he has reinvented himself at least five times, says Spanish journalist Guillem Balague, who wrote a biography on Messi.

Messi has now scored or assisted in 13 consecutive matches for Inter Miami and Argentina.

If he gets involved in a goal in Sunday’s final against Spain, it will equal his record set in 2011 of 14 in a row.

He will also become only the second player after Cafu to play in three World Cup finals.

Surely that will be his final World Cup game? After all, he turns 43 in 2030.

But maybe at this stage we need to stop presuming anything when it comes to the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.

A 2-1 defeat by Argentina on Wednesday meant England’s men missed out on a first World Cup final appearance since 1966.

Tuchel was criticised for his substitutions as England squandered a 1-0 lead late on, but he has the full backing of FA chief executive Mark Bullingham.

The German signed a two-year contract extension in February having been appointed in January 2025 on an 18-month mission to win the World Cup.

The 2028 European Championship finals are being hosted by England, Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, and it was said that Tuchel viewed leading the side into a home Euros as a rare opportunity.

England will face France in the bronze-medal match on Saturday (22:00 BST) – and victory will mean this is their best performance in a men’s World Cup since 1966.

“It is heartbreaking to be so close,” said Bullingham.

“The players and Thomas gave it everything today and the squad, coaches and staff could not have worked harder during the tournament.

“I would like to thank them all – and also give my heartfelt thanks to our wonderful fans here in the USA and at home.”

Despite the disappointment of losing in the semi-final, England’s progress will be viewed internally as a relative success.

Tuchel said at his post-match news conference in Atlanta: “We keep on going with the contract until the home Euros.

“I’m looking forward to that even though right now it’s difficult to look that far ahead.

“Of course, it’s a semi-final; a lot of big football nations are eliminated before the semi-final, so it is an achievement.

“No-one wants to hear that at the moment; me neither because we demand the most of ourselves. That’s just the nature of being competitive.”

The clock inside the magnificent Atlanta Stadium showed England were five minutes of normal time away from ending the wait for a men’s World Cup final that stretches back to 1966, when they lifted the Jules Rimet trophy at Wembley.

England’s players and head coach Thomas Tuchel had immortality in their hands as they led through Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute goal.

Their grasp, however, was being loosened by catastrophic decision making from Tuchel that instigated wave after wave of Argentina attacks orchestrated by Lionel Messi.

One goal seemed inevitable – and it came from Enzo Fernandez in the 85th minute.

Then, with England on the ropes, they were floored by Lautaro Martinez’s injury-time header.

England could not come back, so a stunned football nation wakes up to another desperate near-miss from this nearly team.

Tuchel fails in England mission

Tuchel’s unique selling point when he succeeded Sir Gareth Southgate was the idea he would win matches his predecessor could not.

That he would not be gripped by the caution Southgate was criticised for when losing the last two Euros finals to Italy and Spain, as well as the 2018 World Cup semi-final to Croatia.

The thinking was that Tuchel would drive England over the line, whereas Southgate supposedly retreated from it.

And yet, when it counted and the pressure was at its height, Tuchel produced the sort of tactical retreat – and loss – that would have seen Southgate pilloried.

Instead, it will now be Tuchel getting the criticism for that decision – and rightly so.

The Football Association went for a quick-fix appointment to succeed Southgate after Euro 2024, bringing in a proven winner whose sole mission was to win the 2026 World Cup, or put “a second star on the shirt” as Tuchel called it.

A semi-final can only rank as par, and, in the harshest light, a failure, because he was brought in to make sure England did not have any more hard-luck stories or disappointments.

And, as with Southgate, Tuchel has still not guided England to victory against a side there were not high expectations they would beat.

There will be recriminations about how Tuchel engineered England’s defeat mainly by his own hand, effectively repeating everything that brought Southgate so much criticism.

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: England head coach Thomas Tuchel is expected to lead the team into Euro 2028

Once Gordon put England ahead in this latest stormy episode of an old and bitter rivalry, Tuchel decided on a rearguard action.

That had worked for England in their knockout wins over Mexico and Norway – but it would not against a Messi-inspired Argentina.

Tuchel replaced goalscorer Gordon with defender Ezri Konsa with 18 minutes left and switched to a back five. He then brought Nico O’Reilly and Dan Burn on for Declan Rice and Reece James.

It was clear almost instantly that Tuchel had called it badly. It did nothing but invite Argentine pressure and those late goals. This one was almost all on Tuchel.

If there was one statistic that brutally condemned his approach, it was that England only had 12% possession between taking the lead and Martinez’s winning goal nearly 40 minutes later.

Such was England’s sudden attacking need in the closing moments that Tuchel threw on Ivan Toney after 96 minutes – his first appearance of the tournament.

Toney’s “blink and you’ll miss it” cap also brought some of Tuchel’s selections under scrutiny. Was Toney simply picked for a penalty shootout that never came?

And the debate around Tuchel’s defensive picks, especially at right-back, will continue to rage.

Tuchel gambled on the injury-prone Reece James staying fit – but when the Chelsea defender was sidelined with a hamstring issue, right-back suddenly became a problem position.

The position turned into musical chairs between Jarell Quansah – injured against Panama then sent off against Mexico – Djed Spence and Ezri Konsa before James was back for the semi-final.

All this while Trent Alexander-Arnold watched from afar, his natural gifts ignored by Tuchel on the basis of defensive frailty.

And as the ashes are raked over, Tuchel’s decision to ignore the creativity of Cole Palmer and Phil Foden – easy to say with hindsight given both had poor seasons with Chelsea and Manchester City – and Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White will be revisited.

Jordan Henderson, whose tournament ended in bizarre circumstances when he broke an arm amid the celebrations after the win against Mexico, was taken for his influence around the squad but was never going to be a serious on-field performer.

If Tuchel valued his professionalism and personality so much in this area, why not take Henderson on his backroom staff and open up a place for a younger, more creative player?

This was a desperate day for England – and Tuchel and his tactical approach.

A day when it could easily have been said, as the song goes: “Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.”

Was this England’s most painful loss?

England have suffered plenty of pain over the years, but as an observer covering a seventh World Cup, as well as those Euro final defeats, this felt like the worst.

This was not because it was against the old adversary Argentina, with all the history and iconic imagery that evokes, who created such obvious despair among England’s players and supporters.

It was because this will be forever a World Cup semi-final of “what ifs” against an Argentina side that has looked beatable all tournament, but who simply refuse to lose.

This was the World Cup semi-final, the latest big chance to challenge for the sport’s greatest prize in New Jersey on Sunday.

England were within minutes of crossing the barrier that has proved insurmountable for six decades, only to stumble again.

Gordon’s goal looked to have finally given England a measure of control in an occasionally brutal game – and even after they ceded control and possession, the finishing line was in sight until they finally crumbled.

Given the stage, this is a defeat that will be pored over more – and leave more regret – than any other.

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: England suffered a second successive Euros final defeat under Sir Gareth Southgate in Berlin two years ago

What can England take away from World Cup?

England will always have that momentous, spine-tingling night at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, when they dug deep to beat co-hosts Mexico 3-2 in the last 16.

It was one of their great World Cup wins, when Jude Bellingham proved his world-class credentials and Tuchel’s changes and gameplan suggested he just might be the strategist to take England all the way.

Bellingham is joined in that elite class by captain Harry Kane, but the Bayern Munich striker will feel the pain of this exit more acutely than most because he will be 36 by the time the next World Cup comes around.

England have shown reserves of character to come from behind against DR Congo in the last 32 then Norway in the quarter-final, but the times when they truly flowed have been few and far between.

The manner of this crushing loss to Argentina will have England and their fans wondering if the major tournament curse will ever end.

The recovery will need to be quick with a Nations League fixture at home to World Cup finalists Spain – who beat the Three Lions in the Euro 2024 final – in September.

What next for Tuchel?

The FA and Tuchel’s relationship was initially just to the end of this World Cup, but in February he was handed an extension to take him through to Euro 2028.

It was a surprise and a heavy financial commitment by the FA, especially as they did not know how the World Cup would work out.

Tuchel’s tournament cannot be judged as a total success, but he has the FA’s backing to lead the team into the next Euros.

England will have to undergo an element of rebuilding, with the outstanding John Stones surely at the end of his international career. And will Tuchel keep faith with Marcus Rashford?

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is 32 so should continue, but potential successors need to be found.

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Liverpool’s 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha is an England star of the future having made a big impression in the World Cup warm-up matches

Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson can be the midfield bedrock for years, while a fully-fit Bukayo Saka will be another huge asset.

Tuchel still has the talents of Foden, Palmer and Gibbs-White to consider, as well as Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, while Liverpool’s 17-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha showed what a glittering future he has in the World Cup warm-up games in Miami.

There is also the prodigious talent of Arsenal 16-year-old winger Max Dowman, another example of how England’s future can be bright.

For now, however, the pain of the loss to Argentina, and the manner of it, will take some getting over for England and Tuchel.

The defending world champions produced a dramatic late comeback in Atlanta, scoring twice to defeat Thomas Tuchel’s side 2-1 and book a showdown with Spain in Sunday’s final.

After the final whistle, Argentina players celebrated while holding a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas”, which translates as “The Falklands are Argentine”.

The Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the south-west Atlantic Ocean, remain the subject of a sovereignty dispute between Britain and Argentina.

The two nations went to war over the group of islands, situated 300 miles off Argentina’s east coast, from April to June 1982.

The 74-day conflict led to the deaths of 655 Argentine and 255 British servicemen. Three people from the islands also died.

In 2014, Fifa fined the Argentine Football Association £20,000 after its players held up a banner with the same message before a friendly against Slovenia.

World football’s governing body said the gesture had breached rules on political action and team misconduct.

After Wednesday’s victory, Argentina vice-president Victoria Villarruel posted on X, writing “it wasn’t just another match” alongside a video of what appeared to be Argentine soldiers.

“The Falklands are Argentine,” Villarruel posted. “They banned bringing them to the stadium and forgot that we carry them in our blood and our hearts.”

In the build-up to the game, Villarruel had said the semi-final was “about putting the invaders in their place”.

Argentina players also sang chants which referenced the Falklands and Argentina greats Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi following their dramatic 3-2 win over Egypt in the last 16.

However, before the semi-final, manager Lionel Scaloni had said he was “not going to mix” football and politics.

“The reality is that this is a football match. I can’t mix things up, especially out of respect for what happened so many years ago,” Scaloni had said.

“It was a very sad period in our history, and there isn’t much we can do about it, that’s the reality.

“Things are happening elsewhere in the world, and we criticise the existence of war. We certainly remember those people, of course. But it is a football match – we shouldn’t confuse the two.”

The semi-final, which England lost to late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez, was held under increased security measures because of the historical tensions between the two nations.

Thomas Tuchel’s men looked to be on course to end a 60-year wait to progress from a World Cup semi-final when Anthony Gordon broke the deadlock with a smart finish from Morgan Rogers’ cross on 55 minutes.

It sparked what had been a fiery and tense stalemate into a thrilling contest as Lionel Messi inspired Argentina to move up several gears and lay siege to the England goal.

Jordan Pickford made a superb save to deny Nico Gonzalez and Alexis Mac Allister hit the post with a header, before Enzo Fernandez took Messi’s pass and thundered a 25-yard leveller into the corner five minutes from time.

Messi then conjured up his second assist of the game in the second minute of stoppage time with a wonderful cross for Lautaro Martinez to head home after Mac Allister had again hit the woodwork.

La Albiceleste will now meet Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday, July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium. England will face France in the third-place final on Saturday.

The experienced Portuguese coach, 73, replaced Otto Addo in April, only weeks before Ghana’s participation in the global tournament.

According to Mr Adams, the limited preparation period affected the team’s ability to fully benefit from Queiroz’s tactical approach, although the former Real Madrid manager still improved the Black Stars’ performances and produced results that surpassed many expectations.

Speaking in an interview with Joy News, the Minister reflected on Ghana’s challenging build-up to the World Cup, particularly the concerns raised by supporters following a disappointing run of results in pre-tournament friendly matches.

He said the team’s performances before Queiroz’s arrival created doubts about Ghana’s chances of competing effectively at the tournament.

“If you look at the losses that we were suffering in all our friendlies post the qualifications, you just couldn’t trust that everything would be fine. If you watch the strategy of the new coach Carlos, and you look at the friendlies that we had against Wales, our performance against Panama, our performance against England, and even against Croatia, you could see clearly that giving much more time, a lot more could have been done,” he said.

Mr Adams, however, noted a significant improvement in the team’s approach after Queiroz took charge, praising the coach’s tactical organisation, discipline and ability to make Ghana more competitive.

He cited Ghana’s friendly against Wales and their World Cup performances against Panama, England and Croatia as signs of the progress made under the Portuguese coach.

“I don’t think that the coach was bad. I believe that if we had given this coach the opportunity to handle almost all our friendlies, even post-qualification, we could have produced a much better result than we did,” he said.

The Minister added that expectations were low before the tournament, with many supporters doubting Ghana’s ability to make an impact.

“But all the same, Ghanaians didn’t expect us to do anything meaningful. They just thought that we were just going to play the three matches and not impress anybody,” he added.

Ghana began the 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama before holding former champions England to a goalless draw.

The Black Stars later lost 2-1 to Croatia in their final Group L match but progressed to the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams.

Their World Cup journey ended in the Round of 32 following a 1-0 defeat to Colombia, with Jhon Arias scoring the decisive goal.

Ghana will now shift focus to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, where the Black Stars have been drawn in Group C alongside Côte d’Ivoire, Somalia and The Gambia. The qualification campaign is expected to begin in September.