The2026 FIFA World Cup was concluded on Sunday, July 19, when La Roja of Spain lifted the cup for a second time in the history of the Mundial. The country defeated La Albiceleste of Argentina 1-0 in the explosive final played over 120 minutes at the MetLife Stadium, New Jersey. The winning goal was scored by the substitute, Ferran Torres, in the 106th minute. The global football fiesta kicked off on June 11 at the Aztec Stadium, Mexico. The silver trophy went to Argentina, while the Three Lions of England claimed bronze after a pulsating 6-4 victory over Les Bleus of France in a third-place match.

The Spanish side became the first team in history to play eight matches, from the group stage to the final and conceding just one goal, exemplifying a coherent defensive solidity. The team was also unbeaten throughout the tournament. The Spanish team also won the hearts of the football world with a remarkable tactical discipline, which saw the goalkeeper keeping seven clean sheets in eight matches. In its historical run, Spain topped Group H with seven points, defeating Saudi Arabia 4-0, Uruguay 1-0 and drawing 0-0 with Cape Verde, in the Round of 32. It defeated Austria 3-0, and Portugal 1-0, in Round of 16. It trounced Belgium 2-1 in the quarter-finals and beat France 2-0 in the semi-finals. Spain first won the tournament in 2010. 

French player Kylian Mbappé won his second consecutive Golden Boot for scoring 10 goals during the tournament, becoming the tournament’s all-time leading goal scorer with 22 goals. Spanish captain, Rodriguez, was voted the tournament’s best player, winning the Golden Ball. His teammate, Unai Simón, won the Golden Glove, awarded to the tournament’s best goalkeeper; and the Young Player Award went to Pau Curbasi, who is 19 years old.

The 2026 World Cup attracted nearly seven million football fans from across the world, who watched matches during the tournament, making it the most attended World Cup in history. The United States, Mexico and Canada, which jointly hosted the tournament, should be commended for making a success of the tournament in 16 cities – 11 in the US, three in Mexico and two in Canada. The next hosts – Spain, Morocco and Portugal – should strive to beat the record set by the three North American nations.

FIFA deserves commendations for expanding the participating teams to 48. This led to heightened competition among many participating teams. Curacao, Jordan, Uzbekistan and Cape Verde made their debuts this year. For the first time, Africa was given 10 slots, from which only Morocco advanced to the quarter finals, where it was defeated by France. Cape Verde, the Pharaohs of Egypt and the Atlas Lions of Senegal impressed to an extent. Unfortunately, most of the African teams were defeated in the Round of 16, losing in identical fashion by capitulating towards the end of their matches when they were in pole position to win. Their losses drew attention to the flipside of the African football noted for its physicality and the need to blend endurance and tactics into the game.

Like most major football tournaments, the 2026 World Cup had a few hitches, including political, rights and logistical issues. For instance, the upturning of Folarin Balogun’s red card punishment of missing the next match following the intervention of United States President Donald Trump cast a pall on the spirit of fair play associated with FIFA. America’s immigration and visa policies also affected some teams and fans. Somali referee, Omar Artan, who was billed to officiate at the World Cup finals, was barred from entering the country at Miami International Airport by US immigration authorities. No reason was given for the shabby treatment meted to Artan. Also, a footballer from Iran was unceremoniously deported to Iran following an incident where he celebrated a team’s goal with a gun gesture.

No doubt, the absence of the Super Eagles at the World Cup was felt by Nigerian soccer fans and global fans of the team. Having missed the 2022 and 2026 editions of the World Cup, the Super Eagles must endeavour to be at the 2030 Mundial, which will be jointly hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Therefore, we call on the Nigeria Football Federation to begin to prepare for the next World Cup. We believe that early preparation will see the team through. Nigeria has lots of talented players in major clubs in the world. Good enough, the new coach is doing his best in forming a formidable team. He should be encouraged to do so. There is need to discover and nurture new talents to play alongside the established players.