If you’re one of those who believe that “you can’t live by eating caviar alone,” then you’ll appreciate the beauty of the small details alongside the dazzling neon lights of the World Cup, and you’ll know that football isn’t just about superstars, competitive and high-scoring matches, and finals pitting the world’s two best teams against each other. Exquisite shots that result in goals, aesthetically pleasing dribbles, incredible saves by goalkeepers, last-minute goals—these things thrill the stands and those watching on screen during football’s quadrennial pilgrimage season, and, in Eduardo Galeano’s words, bring joy to those who travel the world “wishing for a good match.”
But on the other hand, even among from those at the “bottom”, in the shadows, those given no chance, in this year’s tournament, which for the first time featured 48 teams, beauty can emerge in the stadiums. For example, the fact that Cape Verde, a small island nation with a population of 600,000 whose name most football fans are hearing for the first time, is the only team that didn’t concede a goal (0-0) against world champions Spain, is another beauty worth considering in football. The fact that this tiny country also gave Argentina, the other finalist of the World Cup, a tough time, only to be eliminated after conceding a goal in extra time following a 2-2 draw in regular time, points to another football reality.
Football is beautiful with its surprises, and this World Cup was full of memorable events, including Cape Verde’s success in progressing from the group stage in their first ever appearance, Norway eliminating Brazil and reaching the quarter-finals, Morocco proving their 2022 success was no fluke, and Paraguay eliminating Germany on penalties.
FIFA gives Trump a peace prize!
The tournament started with a terrible joke by FIFA, which caused controversy within the organization and drew widespread condemnation worldwide: awarding Donald Trump a peace prize by calling him “a leader who brings people together in peace”. Then it turned into a scandal when Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was denied entry to the US despite having a valid visa and accreditation. The discriminatory, strict security measures and exorbitant ticket prices received much criticism from the international community. The intervention of FIFA President Infantino, a close friend of Trump, to invalidate the red card shown to American footballer Florin Balogun, the water breaks that interrupted the flow of football and were sacrificed to television commercials, and the abundance of referee decisions favoring Argentina, who had the open support of the murderous Netanyahu, were also widely discussed. The elimination of Iran, who remained undefeated in the group stage and had a clear goal disallowed by VAR, was undoubtedly a disappointing result for football fans. Russia’s ban from international tournaments due to its operation in Ukraine, coupled with the fact that the US continues to bomb Iran while still hosting the World Cup, remains one of the unanswered questions in history.
Good matches, satisfying stars
The fact that the two other host countries, Mexico and Canada, outside the USA (where 70% of the matches were played), were treated as “guests,” and despite developments that would justify those who said “This is the worst World Cup ever!”, in my opinion, the tournament went very well. We watched good matches. We saw stars like Mbappe, Haaland, Kane, Messi, and Yamal. In terms of overall football quality and excitement, it may not have been the most perfect World Cup, but it can be said that football fans were not disappointed in the vast majority of the 104 matches played in 39 days. Spain’s unbeatable modern football, Argentina’s tenacity and transition attacks (except for the final match), France’s athletic football, England’s high press, Norway’s speed centered around Haaland, and Morocco’s confirmation of the success of African football added a unique atmosphere to the tournament.
Personally, when the matches started, I was saying, “Two teams among the three of England, France, and Argentina will play in the final,” but my prediction was wrong; England and France only managed a magnificent 6-4 third-place match. Spain, conceding only one goal in eight matches and displaying “Mediterranean-style discipline” in both defense and attack, truly proved me wrong. In the final, of course, I supported Spain, not Netanyahu, but as a football fan, I also owe a debt of gratitude to 39-year-old Messi for all his efforts and performance.
Spirit of fair play prevailed
The vibrant atmosphere in the packed stands, the complete absence of hooliganism, and the fact that rival fans could sit side-by-side are among the most pleasant and significant images that remain in my memory from the 2026 World Cup. Despite controversial referee decisions, the players’ insistence on fair play, apart from a couple of pushing and shoving incidents, and the peaceful meeting of different football cultures in the stands and on the streets of the cities, were not something to be overlooked, especially in a world where animosity and hatred are increasing every day in club football.
Finally, from our Turkish perspective, it was a rather disappointing World Cup, with our famous players showing no presence whatsoever. Our only consolation was beating host nation USA 3-2 and the fact that Spain, whom we lost to 6-0 in our own country in the qualifying groups before the tournament, ultimately became world champions. At least, we had a world champion from our qualifying group!