A tournament of contradictions: What did we learn at World Cup 2026?

REPORTER'S NOTEBOOKA look back at the World Cup’s moments of glory and controversy, and their impact on fans, teams and the sport.Spanish star Lamine Yamal with the presidents of the USA and FIFA at the World Cup final award ceremony on Sunday [Franck Fife/AFP]Published On 20 Jul 2026After Spain marched past tournament favourites France and defeated reigning champions Argentina in the final to win the World Cup, one man stood between La Roja and the gilded trophy.As captain Rodri held the coveted prize, with teammates waiting for him and the world watching for the iconic trophy-lift moment, United States President Donald Trump remained glued to his spot on the stage.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Million-strong Madrid crowd prepares to welcome World Cup winners Spainlist 2 of 3‘Campeones! Campeones!’: Jubilation in Spain as La Roja win 2026 World Cuplist 3 of 3Argentina fans throw stones at police after World Cup defeatend of listIt was down to FIFA President and close ally Gianni Infantino to shuffle Trump along and let the world champions have their moment.The president – who ordered the halting of US trade with Spain for what he said was insufficient military spending and opposing the US-Israel war on Iran – eventually moved out of the way and the Spanish captain lifted the trophy as golden confetti filled the air.It was an awkward ending to an extraordinary tournament that had everything.So what has this World Cup really been about?A divisive yet diverse tournamentFor some fans, it was a display of American hospitality – from Kansas City embracing Algeria to Boston being gleefully overrun by Scottish fans.For others, it was about the Trump administration’s inhospitable attitudes – visa denials, the mistreatment of the Iranian team and the scandal of not allowing Somali referee Omar Artan into the country.The Egyptians may see the tournament solely through the lens of the controversial refereeing calls that led to their exit in the thrilling Round of 16 match against Argentina.Argentinians will likely view it as a testament to their “never give up” attitude that led to some spectacular comebacks on the way to the final.Jordanians, Iraqis and Haitians were grateful for the mere participation.It was also a tournament of dark horses and Cinderella stories, with the heroic performance of Cape Verde and Norway’s deep run into the quarterfinal.At the same time, it was a competition where the top four FIFA-ranked teams were the ones to make it to the semis.The World Cup showed football’s ability to unite and bring unadulterated joy, as we even saw some fans of losing teams continue to sing, chant and dance in celebration of the game.The competition, however, was also used to deepen divisions and project political vindictiveness. Some Iranian fans were subjected to abuse and Islamophobic chants from anti-government activists.The US hosts placed arbitrary travel restrictions on the Iranian team.When Iran failed to qualify from the group stage, US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said he was so happy that he “might’ve sung a song or two or maybe even danced a happy dance”.The World Cup, like FIFA, was supposed to be apolitical. But as one Palestinian American fan in New York told Al Jazeera the tournament had turned into a “political summit”, with Trump taking centre stage.The president acknowledged that he made a call to top FIFA officials to revoke the suspension of USA striker Florian Balogun, but Team America still suffered a heavy 4-1 loss in their next match to Belgium.It was a World Cup where many fans raised Palestinian flags and some others raised Israeli flags.Anti-Iranian government protesters outside the Los Angeles Stadium, June 15 [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera]FIFA’s American spinWe saw teenage Lamine Yamal announce himself on the biggest stage, while veterans such as Lionel Messi defied the test of time to play like when they were in their mid-20s.We witnessed unsung heroes rise to the occasion – players such as Spain’s Marc Cucurella and Pedro Porro playing a decisive role in crunch matches, while some bigger stars, especially in the German and Portuguese squads, failed to leave their mark.The tournament brought the world’s game to a country that stood as a global exception in never fully embracing the sport. So FIFA allowed the US to put its own twist on football.From mid-half hydration breaks used by broadcasters to show commercials to championship rings and half-time shows – for many spectators, there was an effort to Americanise the game.Many books have been written about the driver behind the universal appeal of football. There is consensus that one of the leading causes is the accessibility of the sport. All you need is a ball. Anyone, anywhere – rich or poor, young or old – can play and the abundance of play makes it easy to watch.In this World Cup, however, watching was a privilege reserved for those who could afford it. Tickets ran from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of dollars, shutting out working class fans.In host cities, the World Cup felt close yet impossibly far for many fans.“I wish they would help us out – so people like us, who are into the game and have the passion for their teams, were able to go see our idols play,” Juan Cortes, a mechanic in the Los Angeles area, told Al Jazeera at the start of the tournament.The Los Angeles Stadium, which hosted several matches, was a few kilometres from his shop but he couldn’t afford to go to any game.“It’s not every day I get to see a World Cup in my country,” Cortes said.Juan Cortes outside his mechanic shop in Los Angeles, June 11, 2026 [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera]Football, deliveredThat mirage of distances appeared in the final, as well. International fans may have believed the match was in New York because of the city’s skyline in the background.In reality, the New York New Jersey stadium is in suburban New Jersey, surrounded by car parks and motorways that make it inaccessible by foot and an arduous journey for city dwellers.Despite all the misgivings, the World Cup still delivered magical moments, hair-raising excitement, near misses, late comebacks, individual heroics, heartbreak and entertainment that will be remembered for decades.These contradictions and inconsistencies in the North America World Cup are the latest iteration for a sport that always lived and thrived with them.In the words of legendary German manager Sepp Herberger, who inspired the title of the book by British author David Goldblatt chronicling the history of football: “The ball is round. The game lasts 90 minutes. Everything else is theory.”