We’re now nearly a month into the 2026 World Cup. It somehow feels as if the warm and fuzzy group stage days—back when Team Algeria was embraced by rural Kansans and South Korean and Mexican fans virally vibed together—were both hours and eons ago. The feel-good element of the World Cup’s early weeks continues to linger, for sure, but as all tournaments progress, the stakes amplify—and the atmosphere tends to brood.
High-tension marvels and dramatic controversies occur at every World Cup, but this year feels more compounded thanks to the expanded field (48 teams, up from 32), the vast geographic spread of the venues (16 stadiums across the US, Mexico, and Canada), and the hyperspeed coverage and memeification of every single moment online. This World Cup is projected to be the most-watched ever, surpassing Qatar’s 5 billion-plus audience, largely due to a proliferation of free and easily accessible livestreams (like Casimiro Miguel’s CazéTV, which kickstarted the Vozinha Instagram craze). More eyes from all angles and perspectives on a 24/7 cycle means, naturally, more intensity.
With so many watching and opining on all the jaw-dropping athleticism and off-the-field antics on display, things were always bound to get crazy. Here’s a rundown of the biggest dramas, wildest controversies, and most engrossing storylines that have so far transpired at the 2026 World Cup. Let’s start with the good…
The best game of the tournament so far, in my opinion, was Mexico vs. England in the Round of 16. England won 3-2, with two goals by Jude Bellingham and one by Harry Kane.
There was electricity in the air (literally, as the start was delayed by an hour due to nearby lightning) and entropy on the ground, as a red card flew against England’s Jarell Quansah early in the second half, bringing the side down to 10 men for a sizable chunk of the contest. England defended like their lives depended on it, especially after Mexico’s Raúl Jiménez brought his team to within one with a penalty at minute 69.
The cinema of it all included: the two benches fighting, a world-class performance by English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, and the constant earsplitting noise of 80,000 fans in Mexico City’s famed high-altitude Estadio Azteca (where Mexico had not lost an international competition match since 2013). The absurdity of the storyline started before kickoff, too—there were reports that England would be allowed the use of Viagra to help fend off altitude sickness. They didn’t, per coach Thomas Tuchel, yet they still played hard through the thin air. It paid off.
Also worth highlighting: Argentina vs. Egypt’s Round of 16 match, which Argentina won, nearly miraculously, in a massive late-game comeback from a 2-0 deficit. They finished 3-2.
With the defending champions held scoreless until minute 79, their momentum was catalyzed by center-back Cristian Romero’s timely header. Then came Lionel Messi at minute 83 with a blast from 12 yards; he’s now at eight goals this tournament alone. Enzo Fernández sealed the deal in added time, and the rest is history. Even Tom Brady tweeted: “Yeah, so that might top 28-3,” referring to his New England Patriots’ famous comeback over the Atlanta Falcons at the 2017 Super Bowl.
Speaking of Messi’s goalscoring prowess: There’s been an active race for the Golden Boot, the accolade awarded to the World Cup’s top scorer. The biggest and brightest stars are overperforming compared to years past: In addition to Messi, France’s Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Haaland each have seven, while England’s above-mentioned Kane is close behind at six. All of these men and their teams are still in the running, too, so the numbers are likely to rise. For reference, Mbappé won in 2022 with eight goals, and Kane won in 2018 with six, but the depth of the field wasn’t as impressive during either of those competitions as this year’s edition.
Now, to the questionable…
Many have been baffled by the high number of disallowed goals at this year’s tournament. Hardly a match seems to pass without a would-be scorer being caught offside by his hand, his knee, or even his butt, in the case of Iran’s Mehdi Taremi during a group stage match against Belgium.
VAR, which stands for “video assistant referee,” has factored massively at this World Cup. The technology has received far more airtime, chatter, and frankly disdain than it has at any major tournament since its introduction in 2018. The Wall Street Journal even went so far as to publish an op-ed saying VAR “must be destroyed.”
Some stunning VAR interventions: It robbed Egypt of a critical goal against Argentina by Mostafa Ziko, for a foul that was committed 15 seconds prior with no whistle blown. Perhaps even more egregiously, Croatia was disallowed an equalizer in stoppage time against Portugal due to the soccer ball’s “Connected Ball Technology,” part of VAR’s tech stable, detecting a literal hair’s worth of impact on striker Igor Matanovic. It thus rendered the player Mario Pašalić offsides at the time Josko Gvardiol scored to even the game. Football legend and Croatian captain Luka Modrić’s dismayed expression following what could be his last-ever international match seemed to suggest: VAR will be the end of us all.
Another dishonorable mention: the three-minute “hydration breaks” that splice into both halves of every game and interrupt the sport’s natural momentum and flow. FIFA allegedly implemented them to help protect players from extreme heat—even though several of the venues are climate-controlled and covered. In practice, the breaks feel like just another way for FIFA to juice a few more advertising dollars out of the spectacle. Let’s hope they don’t come back the next time around.
Arguably the biggest story of the World Cup thus far, at least in this country, was the overturn of American striker Folarin Balogun’s red card, which would have prevented him from playing in the US’s Round of 16 match against Belgium. While many felt Balogun’s dismissal was harsh, the news that President Trump had personally called FIFA head Gianni Infantino to ask that the decision be reviewed added an uneasy element to the proceedings.
To justify the suspension of Balogun’s suspension, FIFA cited a little-used article in its disciplinary code that allows it to delay a player’s punishment for seemingly any reason it pleases; they also deployed it prior to the tournament to prevent Cristiano Ronaldo from missing the start of Portugal’s group stage games. It appeared to be the latest in a string of attempts by FIFA to curry favor with Trump, who was given the first-ever “FIFA Peace Prize” by Infantino last summer.
What’s more surprising is just how badly the US crashed out against Belgium following the decision. Balogun might have been feeling sheepish; he registered the fewest touches of anyone on the pitch. USMNT star Christian Pulisic gave up possession multiple times and left with yet another injury. The defense was awful, with goalkeeper Matt Freese flubbing an easy clearance to hand Belgium its third goal. Was this all the result of Trump’s cursed shadow? (The superstitious among us would remind you that the Knicks’ only loss of the NBA Finals came in the game he attended). Was it just a case of greenness against a top-quality team? Was it the overarching weight of the frenzied and politicized moment? Nobody thought the US would win the whole thing, but you would’ve at least expected them to put up a good fight as they exited. Belgium walked away with a 4-1 victory, and mocked Trump by doing his signature dance as their celly.
Portugal’s loss to Spain on Monday, meanwhile, marked an end of an era for football legend Cristiano Ronaldo. Throughout the tournament, the 41-year-old often appeared to be the only one on the field unaware he was no longer the dominant threat he’d once been. When he shouted “I’m back” at the camera during Portugal’s 5-0 win over Uzbekistan…well, it was a short-lived return. It wasn’t the most graceful of exits, but then again, Ronaldo has long held a searing confidence.
And, lastly, the ugly…
Unfortunately, hate speech and discriminatory stances have reared their ugly heads at this World Cup.
Included among these instances was a “Pride Match” scheduled in Seattle. The date was predetermined, but, ironically, the teams who ended up playing that day were Egypt and Iran: both countries that criminalize same-sex relations. Predictably, both nations pushed back on the Pride theme. The Iran Football Federation, in particular, petitioned FIFA to prevent any “ceremonies or promotional activities” in support of the LGBTQ+ community, while the Egyptian Football Association put out a statement declaring it would refuse “the holding of any activities relating to supporting homosexuality” during the game. FIFA did not prohibit Pride Night in the end, and rainbow flags did fly that evening at Lumen Field. While the team's official stance was decidedly exclusionary, Iran striker Taremi came out to share his own views on the matter: “We respect all of the LGBT people,” he said in a post-match presser. “That’s their own idea. It’s not about us. We are here to play football.”
Mexico also found itself in hot water for the ongoing use of a one-word chant, “puto,” a homophobic slur that roughly translates to “male prostitute.” Players have gone so far as to ask fans not to do it, but it was heard throughout this World Cup at matches in Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Mexico City.
But the tournament’s nastiest prejudice of all came from a Paraguayan senator named Celeste Amarilla. After France defeated Paraguay in the Round of 16, Amarilla aimed her racist ire at Mbappé, posting that he was a “colonized Cameroonian” (Mbappé was born in Paris) and he was an “idiot” that “didn’t even learn to write. Instead of drinking mother’s milk, he was sucking on coconuts.” Amarilla is a reminder that for all the good that’s been displayed by visitors, athletes and fans alike during this World Cup, there are still outwardly hateful people out there, too.
Mbappé rightfully and forcefully responded. He said: “You are a despicable woman, unworthy of your office. You do not represent Paraguay, a country that has shown passion and honor throughout the competition. Through your recklessness and brazen racism, the world has already forgotten the journey and the historic effort your players made during this World Cup.”
Despite the negative flare-ups and bouts of bad behavior, a general sense of good does seem to be prevailing. This has mostly been an outstanding, jubilant, and unifying World Cup.
There have been countless posts about life finally feeling “normal” and full again for perhaps the first time since COVID, as well as visitors being pleasantly surprised by American hospitality and commerce (cue: Buc-ees). I teared up when Cape Verde’s Sidny Lopes Cabral scored a picture-perfect arcing goal against Argentina—a moment that will remain famous in that country and beyond for some time. Much of the planet has been introduced to Erling Haaling’s very online humor, Jude Bellingham’s big heart, and 17-year-old Mexican phenom Gilberto Mora’s outsized aura. And there’s still much more to come, with ten days or so left until the final. We’re all going to be a little heartbroken when it’s over.