I've said it countless times, there is no sports tournament greater than the FIFA World Cup. It's the most popular sport in the world with strong representation in every continent. It's without question the most prestigious trophy, sought after by every soccer player. I myself first began to follow the tournament at the 1998 World Cup in France. I remember a few months prior my mom had shown me a documentary about the 1994 cup, and I just grew in love with the international tournament. That summer I watched just about every game I could. It's been the same exciting feeling every four years. I sometimes wish it could be annually, but that would no doubt take away from the glory of it. Just like the Olympics these are global tournaments with great anticipation and the highest of stakes. To win a world cup is the pinnacle of any athlete's career.
Since the tournament was in the United States this year I was especially excited to partake in the atmosphere. Last December I made plans with Gabriel to visit him in Boston and attend a Group Stage Match. We decided on Scotland-Morocco, since it took place on a weekend. Although it was a pricey ticket, I knew it was a once in a lifetime experience, and it was worth every penny. The Scottish fans were so fun and friendly, were the many songs. A week later I joined my parents in Los Angeles, and we visited SoFi Stadium during the USA-Turkey match. Although we did not go to this game, it was great to take in the atmosphere. I especially loved the World Cup atmosphere at the Grand Central Market, which had so much great Asian and Latin foods. They even had a viewing setup with TV screens down in their lower level. We went there at least 3 times to eat and watch the games. I felt like a kid again, to see so many different cultures enjoying this beautiful game.
This year the format was expanded into 48 teams in 12 groups, instead of the usual 32. This added a layer of knock-out rounds with 32 teams advancing from the group stage (The 8 best 3rd place teams from the groups advanced). I honestly wasn't too crazy about this format because it brought in some smaller countries that mostly got destroyed (such as Curacao and Uzbekistan). It also meant that 66% of the teams would advance to the knock-out round, so maybe took some away from the importance of the group stage matches. Another new change I did like in this tournament was the water breaks, that broke the halves into four quarters. Nonetheless there were some smaller nations who did surprise everyone (such as Cape Verde who nearly beat Argentina).
The tournament started on June 11th and there were a total of 104 matches. I did my best to follow every game, but unfortunately many were during the day when I had to work. There were many great games, and the superstars really did shine in this tournament (especially Mbappe, Messi, Halaand, Kane, and Bellingham). There were also many legends probably making their final World Cup appearance here (such as Messi, Ronaldo, Modric, Manuel Neur, James Rodriguez, Virgil van Dyke, Neymar, etc). I thought France looked the best throughout the tournament and would be the clear favorites. It was fun to watch Colombia, USA, and Norway make their deep runs. It was also quite exciting to watch Messi and Argentina somehow barely survive all their knock-out matches. In the end Spain were probably the most boring team but also the most tactical with their total possession of the ball. The final match was hardly that exciting, and it was sad to see Messi lose, but Spain were the deserving champions nonetheless. I'm going to run thru my favorite teams with some highlights and my favorite moments as best as I can remember them.
Uruguay- Finished 37th
Talk about biggest disappointment. The two time South American champs usually do pretty well in the tournament but this has to be one of their worse performances. They should have easily advanced in a group with Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia, but somehow tied both of those games. Their best game probably came against the would-be champs Spain losing 1-0. With a team stacked of European stars such as Valverde (Real Madrid), Darwin Nunez (Al Hilal), and Ugarte (Man United) this is a major shortcoming. It's no question the players just didn't mesh will with their dictator coach Marcelo Bielsa.
Scotland - Finished 36th
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I think I first gained an interest in Scotland's National team at the 2024 Euro Cups. I fell in love with their passionate National Anthem "Oh Flowers of Scotland". When I saw them first hand in Boston, I really wasn't sure what to think other then they had completely invaded the city. Granted I appreciate all soccer fans, from all nations, just because we share the same passion for soccer. But I found their jovialness and pride for their nation to be so inspiring. Their songs and chants were so much fun such as "Scotland's on Fire", "No Scotland-No Party", and "We Got McGinn". In a matter of 2 days I had heard these songs so much on the train, at the stadium, and at the bars, that I pretty much knew all the words and was singing with them. I had several great conversations with Scottish people at the bars and throughout. They were so much fun. And their team had some quality with stars such as Scott McTominay (Napoli) and Andy Robertson (Spurs). Sadly they only got one victory against Haiti and fell short to Morocco and Brazil, thus did not make the knock-out round.
Turkey- Finished 35th
I really thought Turkey would at least make it to the knock-out round. It's usually at the Euro Cup I see them play, since they had not qualified for the World Cup since they went on their magical 3rd place run in 2002. I figured they would be the USA's hardest opponent and likely win their group. However they got off to a terrible start in losing to Australia and Paraguay. Their 3-2 win against the USA was too little too late, and they finished last in their group. I had hoped for a good run from Turkey, especially since we plan to visit the country in a few months. But it just wasn't their year. They can at least hold their heads high as beating the host nation in a very loud atmosphere at Sofi.
South Korea- Finished 34th
South Korea is my favorite Asian team, due to them hosting in 2002, and my good friend EJ. I also enjoy their star player Heung-Min Son, who has been the face of Tottenham for the last ten years. I remember staying up quite late for their opening match against Czechia. It was a very exciting game, where after going down goal, they scored two goals to achieve a great comeback win. Unfortunately they then came up short in a very tight game against Mexico and South Africa. They finished 10th in the 3rd place standings which was not enough to get them into the knockout round.
Cape Verde- Finished 32nd
They were the true underdog darlings of the tournament. They shocked the world when they drew against the would-be-champs Spain in their opening match (the only team Spain did not defeat in the tournament). Their 40 year old goalkeeper, Vozinha became the star of the team with many great saves in their opening matches. They tied each of their 3 group games, most impressively against Uruguay 2-2, thus advancing to the knockout round. I think they provided one of the games of the tournament against Argentina that went into overtime. That shot from Sidny Lopes Cabral was the Goal of the Tournament in my opinion, that leveled the match at 2-2. Unfortunately Argentina scored a few minutes to win the game and not send it into penalty kicks. Still what a gutsy performance from such a small nation.
Senegal- Finished 31st
Senegal has become one of the great African football nations since their 2002 quarter-final finish. They were the defending 2025 AFCON champs (controversially later awarded to Morocco due to a 15-min walk off by their players). This was a fun team to watch at high speed with their superstar Sadio Mane. Unfortunately for them they were in a tough group with France and Norway. They lost a nail-biting match against Norway 2-3 then had a dominate win against Iraq at 5-0. Their Round of 32 knock-out match was also a heartbreak where they led by two goals and Belgium came back in the final closing minutes to win in overtime.
Sweden- Finished 27th
Sweden is one of those European mediocre teams (like Austria, Czech Republic, or Switzerland) that has good quality and players across the European leagues, but just can't really make a major splash at these tournaments. They do have an impressive history as Runners-Up in 1958, two third place finishes, a fourth place finish, and three quarter final runs. They opened this tournament with a dominant 5-1 victory against Tunisia, but then were on the receiving end of the same margin of defeat against Netherlands. They tied against Japan to make it to the knock-out round, but were humiliated by the mighty France in the first playoff round, 3-0.
South Africa- Finished 25th
I find the African and Latin teams to usually be very exciting to watch because they play with incredible pace and urgency. This was also the case for South Africa, who came up short in the opening match against Mexico, but then had some solid performances against Czechia and South Korea. Unfortunately they fell short against Canada in the Round of 32. This is however the furthest they have gone. South Africa will always have a special place in my heart as the 2010 World Cup hosts. I also like their yellow/green jerseys.
Ecuador- Finished 25th
Many of the pundits had considered Ecuador as a dark horse to make a deep run in the tournament. This is likely because they finished 2nd in the CONMEBOL qualifying standings. They had superstars such as the tenured Enner Valencia and the star midfield from Chelsea Moises Caicedo. They however lost to the Ivory Coast and drew to Curacao. Their biggest victory came in their 3rd match over the mighty Germany. In the knock-out round they were beat convincingly by Mexico, 2-0.
Ghana- Finished 24th
Ghana is another of the exciting African teams, that have been quite good the last few cups. Their best result is a quarter-final finish at the 2010 World Cup, where they were robbed by Uruguay. They got off to a good start beating Panama and drawing against England, however lost their third match against Croatia. Perhaps their biggest story was one of it's fans that appeared to be some sort of witch doctor who would blow powder all over the stadium. I was glad Colombia was able to beat them in the Round of 32.
DR Congo- Finished 23rd
This is the first time Congo had qualified for the World Cup in over 50 years (since 1974 as Zaire). Just as Ghana was somewhat defined by a unique fan, it was even more the case for Congo. Their superfan would stand as a statue the entire game, as some sort of political protest. Unfortunately he was not allowed into their knock-out game due to some contagion sickness he had. Congo was one of the surprise teams of the tournament, and just barely lost to England 2-1 in the Round of 32 match.
Japan- Finished 21st
The Asian teams are a refreshing change from the European/South American/Africa dominance of the tournament. The two big ones are usually just Japan or South Korea (never China). Just like Korea, the Japanese are a feisty team, fast paced and relentless on the ball. They began with an impressive 2-2 draw against Netherlands, win against Tunisia, and draw against Sweden. In the Round of 32 match they actually led for a while against the mighty Brazil. But in the 2nd half Brazil came back with two goals. I remember watching this one in the Chicago airport, and was glad Brazil was not humiliated in the first knockout round.
Croatia- Finished 20th
For such a small country, Croatia has always done so well at this tournament. I remember they finished 3rd at the 1998 World Cup, Runners-up at the 2018 final against France, and third place once against at 2022 Qatar. They are of course led by their legendary midfielder Luka Modric as well as a great supporting case of stars such as Ivan Perisic (PSV), Kovacic (Man City), and Gvardiol (Man City). They lost their opening match in a 4-2 goal fest against England, then went on to beat Panama and Ghana. In the Round of 32 match, they lost a controversial heartbreaker against Portugal where a goal was ruled offsides by a fractional hairline margin. I of course was cheering for Portugal, but it seemed a hard-done result for Croatia. It was a sad ending for the legendary Luka Modric who has had such an amazing career for his country.
Ivory Coast- Finished 19th
Another of the exciting African teams, that always seems to be in the World Cup. Unfortunately I don't think I was able to catch any of their matches, but know they had a key early victory against Ecuador. They lost a heartbreaker to Germany, but then went on to beat Curacao and finish 2nd in their group. Their Round of 32 match was very exciting, and I remember watching this one on my phone at work. Ivory Coast tied it 1-1 in the 74th minute, until Halaand had a heroic go-ahead goal in the 86th minute. Norway then had an amazing free shot in the final seconds, that was incredibly saved by the Norwegian keeper. It was one of the top ten exciting matches of the tournament.
Germany- Finished 18th
It seems Germany has been nothing but disappointment since their 2014 Championship run. Of course the bar is always pretty high for the four-time World Cup Championships, and everything is probably considered a failure if they don't at least make it to the quarter-finals. The last two cups in 2018, 2022 they did not even advance past the group stage. This time they did by destroying Curacao 7-1, then barely beating the Ivory Coast 2-1. Their third group game lost to Ecuador was probably a warning sign to come. I remember we were driving home from a long day of travel following the Paraguay-Germany game on my phone. We made it home just in time for the penalty shootout where Paraguay was able to win. It was a major upset for Paraguay, and marked the end for the legendary goalkeeper Manual Neuer.
Netherlands- Finished 17th
This is probably the best team that has yet to win a World Cup, alongside Portugal. They always seem to do great in the tournament, with three Runners-Up finishes in 1974, 1978, and 2010. They're lead by their iconic Liverpool defender Virgin van Dyke. They got off to a shaky start after an exciting 2-2 draw to Japan. They then however had a very dominant performance against Sweden (I watched this game at a bar with my brother in Boston). They also easily beat Tunisia 3-1 in their third game to win the group. Their paring against Morocco in the Round of 32 was probably the strongest matchup of all the Round of 32 games. Morocco had finished 3rd at the last World Cup and had quite a star lineup. It was an exciting game that went into penalty shoutout, where Morocco was able to win in the end. Quite a disappointing finish for Netherlands, which will likely be van Dyke's last tournament.
Paraguay- Finished 16
They got off to a terrible humiliating start losing 4-1 in their opening match against USA. This was by far one of the most impressive World Cup performances by the United States and had everyone flying high at the expense of Paraguay. However Paraguay bounced back after this one and somehow beat Turkey down a man, and then tied against Australia. Their Round of 32 victory over Germany was probably it's biggest win in World Cup history (even though they made it to the quarterfinals in 2010). In the Round of 16 they were relentless against the mighty France until they gave up a penalty kick to Mbappe in the 70th minute. I remember catching the tail end of this one at Carl's house on the Fourth of July.
Egypt- Finished 15th
It seems the Northern African region is stringing together some impressive teams (first most Morocco, but now Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria). Egypt is of course highlighted by their superstar Liverpool forward Mo Salah. He's such a likable guy and it was good to see them make a deep Round of 16 run into the tournament (2nd time in their history after the 1934 cup). Egypt was able to beat Australia in penalty shootout in the Round of 32. In the Round of 16 they were epically robbed, when the ref seemed to clearly favor Argentina on some key calls. Unfortunately I was only following this one from my phone and did not get to watch it unfold. But Egypt was up 2-0 until in the last 15 minutes of the game where Argentina incredibly strung together 3 goals to win it. There were two very controversial calls of a disallowed goal and a penalty appeal for Egypt that went to the favor of Argentina. For this reason maybe people felt Argentina was being shown favoritism.
Portugal- Finished 13th
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It seemed on paper Portugal had all the makings of a favorite contender. They were star studded including Bruno Fernandes (Man United), Ruben Dias (Man City), Cancelo (Al Hilal), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Joao Neves (PSG), Vitinha (PSG), Berardo Silva (Real Madrid), Joao Felix (Al Nassar), Rafael Leao (AC Milan), and of course the legend himself Cristiano Ronald (Al Nassr). Their biggest problem however was their legend himself, CR7 who sadly was just holding them back. The head coach Roberto Martinez had to manage the situation carefully of starring the legendary forward, while still getting the best out of his team. They got off to a bad start in drawing to Congo, but then had a convincing win against Uzbekistan where Ronaldo scored two goals. I was unable to watch their marquee 3rd matchup against Colombia since I was visiting Jennifer in LA. Their first round knockout game against Croatia was an exciting one where Ronaldo was able to score another key PK. However it also seemed he was holding the team back as they were putting too much emphasis to get him a goal. Croatia actually looked like the better team towards the end and unfairly had a goal reversed. In the Round of 16 game Portugal was just no match for Spain, and could really never produce anything meaningful. It was clear at this point that Ronaldo's legendary career came to an end. It's sad to see one of the GOATs to walk off in this manner, especially without a World Cup trophy to his incredible resume.
United States- Finished 12th
I've been a genuine fan of team USA, since the 2002 cup where they made their quarter-final run. As a soccer enthusiast living in America, I think it would really help grow the sport if USA could make a deep run. This seemed like the tournament they would do it, especially after their two opening wins against Paraguay and Australia. I've truly never seen the USA play so well before, and it seemed like maybe Mauricio Pochettino was onto something. Then they lost their 3rd game to Turkey, which wasn't too bad since they had already won the game, and were playing most of their 2nd string players. The Round of 32 match against Bosnia was not as dominant a performance as their opening two wins, and more of a hard-fought battle. They somehow still won 2-0, at the expense of a red card to their best player Balogun. The celebration and good John Denver vibes of "Take me Home, Country Road" were somewhat short-lived when President Trump got involved. He decided to make his mark on the tournament in epic fashion by calling FIFA president Infantino to more-or-less reverse the Red Call decision so that Balogun could play in the next match. Even though the decision was a controversial one, it was quite unprecedented that FIFA would reverse a decision like this. Nonetheless Infantino caved to the pressure, and gave Trump the heroic feel he was after. But this no doubt backfired on team USA and completely distracted them in their Round of 16 matchup against Belgium. The whole world had labeled them the bad-guy cheaters, and it's fair to say team USA looked very razzled from the onset of the game. On the flip side Belgium had all the more purpose to fight against an injustice and soundly defeated America 4-1. It's the second time we've been eliminated by Belgium in the knockout rounds after their 2014 victory. It was really a sad abrupt ending for team USA who looked so incredible those first two games, like a team who could maybe at least reach the quarter finals. I would be quite surprised if Pochettino remained the coach after having to deal with that Trump drama.
Brazil- Finished 11th
After this tournament it's probably fair to say that Brazil is no longer the giant they once were in the 1990s-2000s. Sure, they keep making it to the knock-out rounds, but they haven't been to a final since 2002. Despite having such a super-star lineup they just no longer have the joga bonito style. Even bringing on the highly respected Carlo Ancelotti as coach, did not meet their high expectations for the five-time champs. They drew to Morocco, then had two convincing wins against Haiti and Scotland. They just barely scooted by Japan in the Round of 32 match, and then fell short against Norway in the Round of 16 match. Vinicius Jr had an okay tournament with 4 goals, but it came up short in the key matchup against Halaand. It was good to see that Neymar made the team, but it was sad to see this as his last tournament. He was the face of the 2014 cup, and I'll never forget his heroic goal against Croatia at the 2018 quarter-finals (which they later still went on to lose).
Colombia- Finished 10th
I've been real impressed with Colombia's play since the 2024 Copa America, where they just fell short to Argentina in the final. While James Rodriguez is still the face and orchestrator of the team, it is thru Luis Diaz (Bayern Munich) where this team looks most dangerous. Throughout this tournament they looked very dominant in almost every game I watched including Uzbekistan and Congo. I missed the draw with Portugal, but even the 1-0 win against Ivory Coast was a convincing win. Their Round of 16 match of Switzerland however was such a disappointment, because they truly looked like the better team. They had way more shots on goal, and a few of those were total giveaways. I was especially frustrated with Luis Diaz who could create so many amazing opportunities but could just never get that finishing touch. I had a bad feeling when we went into PK shootout, after losing in PKs against England in the Round of 16. It really felt like an unfair result, but on the flip side Colombia played too cautiously and just had two many missed opportunities. It was sad to see this as James Rodriguez's final World Cup game after his breakout performance at the 2014 tournament.
Mexico- Finished 9th
I saw a lot of similarities with team Mexico as with team Colombia. They were both very fast paced, attack-oriented, with such a massive loyal fanbase. As partial hosts, team Mexico played their first five games in Mexico and won in convincing fashion each time. Their opener against South Africa truly felt like a statement game. They actually had a tight win against South Korea, but then produced another dominant performance against Czechia. Their knockout win over Ecuador marked the first time they had won a knockout round match since 1986. To see the celebrations in Mexico City were amazing, with nearly a million people taking to the streets. Just as I felt Colombia was the better team against Switzerland, it was the same case in the Mexico-England match. It seemed the final 30 minutes was wave after wave of Mexican attack while England just stacked it's defense. Even though Mexico had 20 shots to their 6 shots, and 67% possession to their 33% it just wasn't enough. They simply lacked creativity to break thru that English defense in the end. As much as I like England, I would have loved to see Mexico advance to the quarterfinals, mostly for their passionate fans. Another thing worth mentioning is their star Quinones, should have been playing for Colombia and NOT Mexico. Many of these players such as Balogun simply play for other countries, since they are given a better chance at playing time (which I think is something FIFA should govern better).
Switzerland- Finished 8th
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Despite always somehow making it to the Round of 16, I usually find Switzerland to be one of the boring mediocre European teams. Their star player is Granit Xhaka who controls the midfield with a feisty leadership. But I was just never all that impressed with their team. For starters they were in one of the easiest groups with Canada, Bosnia, and Qatar. They then had an easy Round of 32 matchup with Algeria. As I mentioned above, I think they were lucky against Colombia in the Round of 16 to take the game to a PK shootout. I will say they were quite hard-done in the quarterfinal match against Argentina, when Embolo was given a red card for diving. This was naturally a yellow card offense, but since he already had a yellow card it turned into a red card. This took the game into extra time, and eventually Argentina was able to take advantage of them being down a man. Switzerland can still hold their heads high as this is one of their furthest runs in the World Cup sine 1954. It is also the fourth time they have made it to the quarter-finals, but never to the semi-finals.
Morocco- Finished 7th
Morocco became the darling African team of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar finishing 3rd place (best of any African team). They looked quite good once again in this tournament with a convincing 1-1 opening draw against Brazil. I actually saw them play their 2nd game live at Foxborough Stadium, against Scotland. I was rooting for Morocco in this game with my brother, despite enjoying all the Scottish fans. Morocco scored an early goal to win, 1-0 and break all the Scottish hearts. They then went on to win their 3rd game easily against Haiti. The Round of 32 matchup against Netherlands was a tough draw for them. However Morocco came out on top on penalty shoots. They then easily beat Canada in the Round of 16 and were matched up against mighty France in the quarterfinals. They were able to hold France scoreless, until the 60th minute when Mbappe broke thru. Dembele scored another one shortly after to send Morocco home packing from the tournament. Still another solid WC performance led by their PSG superstar Hakimi.
Belgium- Finished 6th
We've been hearing about this "golden generation" for Belgium since the 2014 tournament. Even after losing their superstar Eden Hazard, this team still had a star-studded albeit aging lineup. This includes their captain Kevin De Bruyne (Napoli), Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Jeremy Doku (Man City), and Lukaku (Napoli). They got off to a pretty average start in the tournament drawing to Egypt and Iran, before finally getting a convincing 5-1 over New Zealand. They then started to heat up in the knockout round first beating Senegal in a thrilling come from behind match. They then made a major statement in the Round of 16 match against USA where they were on the unfair side of the Balogun Red Card Controversy. This no doubt lit a flame on the Belgium team who dominated USA 4-1 and mocked Trump with his trademark dance. I was actually cheering for Belgium in their quarterfinal match against Spain, and it was actually a pretty good game, until Spain won it in the 88th minute. This will surely be the last match for their legendary stars such as KDB and Courtois. However a new national star was born for them in the young Charles De Ketelaere.
Norway- Finished 5th
I had a feeling Norway could be the dark horse of this tournament and that was certainly the case. Most especially for their Man City superstar Erling Halaand. The striking Viking had an amazing tournament with 7 goals. This was actually a really good team with Martin Odegaard (Arsenal) controlling the midfield. They had two convincing wins against Iraq and Senegal, then rested their stars in their 3rd match against France. They continued their success led by Halaand against Ivory Coast in the Round of 32 and a major upset win against Brazil in the Round of 16. This is the furthest Norway has ever made it in World Cup history. It was especially cool to see an emotional Halaand, leading the Norwegian fans on drum in their iconic "Viking row" chant. They fell short in a very close and exciting match against England. But I really think Norway is now experiencing their own golden age, and could make several more deep runs in the next Euro and World Cups.
France- Finished 4th
I really thought France was the best team in this tournament. They were so exciting to watch. I felt like their front four of Mbappe, Dembele, Olise, and Barcola were just running circles around everyone else. Mbappe was once against the star of the show winning the Golden Boot with a record breaking 10 goals. He also surpassed Messi in a tight head-to-head match to become the all time World Cup goal scorer at 21 (at the young age of 27). I'd say they won every game quite convincingly except against Spain which was quite shocking. I guess it could have been expected however since Spain is the defending Euro Cup Champs and had beaten France in two prior high stake matches. This marked the last game for their legendary coach Didier Deschamps who led them to victory in 2018. He will now be replaced by the equally legendary Zinedine Zidane. I think the future is still very bright for this team and I imagine Mbappe will continue to add to his WC goal record which could become unattainable if he plays in 3 (even 2 more cups).
England- Finished 3rd
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I feel like England is long overdue for a championship having last won it since 1966. They've always been a good team, but they especially seem to be living thru a golden era the last 8 years now. Led by Harry Kane and their breakout star Jude Bellingham (who actually broke-out at the Euro Cups two years ago). Both Kane and Bellingham were having their own inner goal race as they easily cruised through the group stage. I would say things got much tighter for them in the knock-out round where they just barely squeezed by Congo and fought for their lives against Mexico. Bellingham was no doubt the hero of that game against Mexico and arguably took the torch from Harry Kane as his heir apparent. Bellingham also played masterfully against Norway, giving them their two key goals to win the quater final matchup. I was pulling for Argentina in the semifinal match, but I felt like England was the favorite. Once again Argentina was able to pull off some late game heroics to break English hearts. What is especially heartbreaking for England is they nearly had it won in the 84th minute until Argentina scored two goals in the final ten minutes. Their 3rd place matchup against France, was one of the most exciting goal fest games of the tournament winning 6-4. Although they still would have preferred to make it to the finals, they can at least hold their heads high for finishing 3rd place. This was likely Harry Kane's last tournament, but the future is still quite bright for a young English team led now by Jude Bellingham.
Argentina- Finished 2nd
I have to say I was not very impressed with Argentina for the majority of the tournament. That is until their semifinal win over England. Sure, Messi had another amazing tournament with 8 goals which is just unbelievable for a 39 year old. But they had a fairly easy path throughout the tournament. They had convincing wins in the group stage against Austria, Algeria, and Jordan. But then just barely scooted by with late game drama against Cape Verde in the round of 32, against Egypt in the round of 16, and against Switzerland in the quarterfinals. I guess I came to admire their late-game heroics in the matchup against England, with amazing goals by Enzo Fernandez and Lauturo Martinez (provided by great Messi assists). I really wasn't sure what to expect in the final, but I did have a feeling Spain would be the favorites. I just couldn't believe however Argentina got zero shots in regulation time. Spain completely dominated them with the possession and Argentina really didn't have any good chances till the final dying minutes of the game. It was really just a poor performance by them, or maybe a masterful performance by Spain. Nonetheless it was tough to see the GOAT Messi crying as he thanked the fans which will very likely be his final World Cup. I think he has further added to his GOAT resume with this world cup performance, putting him right up there with Maradona. However I'd be afraid Mbappe could likely surpass his GOATness if he keeps this up for another 8 years.
Spain- Finished 1st
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I think it's fair to say Spain progressed fairly quietly throughout this tournament. Sure they were considered a favorite, ranked number two in the world behind Argentina so it's shouldn't come as no major surprise that the won it in the end. They were after all the defending Euro Cup champions. I think their opening draw against Cape Verde began to raise some major questions. They followed that up with a convincing win over Saudi Arabia, but another tight match against Uruguay. They then began to string together knock-out wins over Austria, Portugal, and Belgium. Spain has always had this boring possession based tactic referred to as "tiki-taka football". They also have incredible chemistry since the majority of their starting lineup play together at Barcelona. They made a major statement in defeating the favorites France in the semi-final, completely shutting out Mbappe and Dembele. Their final game against Argentina was a boring one as expected, but they were without question the better and more deserving team. They controlled the ball for 65% of the game and had 20 shots compared to Argentina's meager 2 shots on goal. It would have been complete robbery for Argentina to have won that game. This team is not very star-power driven, even thou Lamine Yamal is starting to make waves, his performance this tournament was fairly lackluster. Other players such as Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Rodri (Man City), Cubarsi (Barcelona), and Ferran Torres (Barcelona) made more impact. Rodri won the Golden Ball award, while their keeper Unai Simon (Athletic Club) won the Golden Glove award and Cubarsi won the Young Player of the Tournament award. This is the 2nd time Spain has won the World Cup which puts them level with France and Uruguay.
Best Games of the Tournament
10. England-France (Third Place Match) 6-4 England
9. Netherlands-Japan (1st group stage match) 2-2 draw
8. South Korea-Czechia (1st group stage match) 2-1 South Korea
7. Norway-Senegal (2nd Group Stage Match) 3-2 Norway
6. Portugal-Croatia (Round of 32) 3-2 Portugal
5. England-Mexico (Round of 16 Match)- 3-2 England
4. Belgium-Senegal (Round of 32. Extra Time)- 3-2 Belgium
3. Norway-Ivory Coast (Round of 32 Match)- 2-1 Norway
2. Egypt-Argentina (Round of 16 Match) 3-2 Argentina
1. Argentina-Cape Verde (Round of 32 match) 3-2 Argentina
Best Goals of the Tournament
10. Ousmane Dembele (France)- Long range curler against Norway
9. Lionel Messi (Argentina)- Opening Long range goal against Algeria
8. Kylian Mbappe (France)- 2nd long range goal against Senegal
7. Enzo Fernandez (Argentina)- Semifinal strike to equalize against England
6. Jude Bellingham (England)- Third Place Match against France
5. Kylian Mbappe (France)- Goal against Sweden in Round of 32
4. Erling Haaland (Norway)- Header goal in Round of 16 against Brazil
3. Lauturo Martina (Argentina)- Go Ahead header against England
2. Julian Alvarez (Argentina)- Round of 32 strike against Switzerland
1. Sidny Lopes Cabral (Cape Verde)- Round of 32 strike against Argentina
Best Players of the Tournament
Goalkeeper- Unai Simon (Spain)
Forward- Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Forward- Erlin Halaand (Norway)
Forward- Harry Kane (England)
Forward- Kylian Mbappe (France)
Midfielder- Jude Bellingham (England)
Midfielder- Rodri (Spain)
Midfielder- Michael Olise
Defender- Cubarsi (Spain)
Defender- Pedro Porro (Spain)
Defender- Marc Cucurella (Spain)
Honorable Mention
Osaume Dembele (France)
Oyarzabal (Norway)
Enzo Fernandez (Argentina)
Emilano Martinez (Argentina)
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)
Ferran Torres (Spain)
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