Winners and Losers From the 2026 FIFA World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is over!

Spain triumphed with a 1-0 extra-time win over Argentina after Ferran Torres' winner on Sunday, after what felt like 15 years of football. It was a dire match, in truth, especially after England's 6-4 win over France the night before.

For the final time of this tournament, your winners and losers are here…

Winner: Spain

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Let's start the winners with the…winners. 

Just like their triumph in 2010, Spain improved throughout the competition and deservedly took home the prize. They beat the favourites, France, in the semifinal. They then withstood an Argentina team that had no desire to play football in the final, scuppering a Lionel Messi fairytale by retaining the ball and not getting involved in the South American side's petulant game.

Spain is the best side in the world at ignoring the noise. Unlike England in the semi, they never retreated and were never overruled by opponents who finished with an XG of 0.00 in normal time.

The right team won. Football won.

Losers: Enzo Fernández and Leandro Paredes

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Enzo Fernández played some brilliant football throughout the World Cup, scoring two excellent goals. 

Even so, he constantly simmered on being too provocative and going too far. It came to a head in the final when he let his nation down with two reckless yellow cards. All the performative aggression and throwing himself around were met with karma.

Leandro Paredes also walked that tightrope. He should now be set for a lengthy ban after going after two Spanish players once the final whistle was blown. Just awful scenes, and a fitting end for a team that embarrassed themselves on the world stage by thinking they could win with underhanded tactics.

Winners: The Welcoming Co-Hosts

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Politics has played a frustratingly big part in this World Cup, so let's park the chat about that for a few minutes. 

Instead, let's celebrate the joy that American, Mexican, and Canadian fans have brought to the tournament as the entire planet descended on their cities.

Beautiful cultural exchanges and multinational celebrations have lit up social media. Mexicans and Koreans partied together before their group match. El Tri fans even paid huge respect to England's supporters after the Three Lions' gruelling triumph at the Azteca, celebrating and high-fiving them at the stadium. 

Watching supporters from the host nations fall in love with Wonderwall, Erling Haaland, and all other manner of things has been a timely reminder that, beyond the idiots who want to use the sport for nefarious means, football will always be for the people.

Loser: Thomas Tuchel

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Thomas Tuchel was brought in to win the World Cup for England. To capitalise on the foundations set by Gareth Southgate, a manager whose football Tuchel previously suggested was too scared to go all the way.

It's almost too painful to consider how close England were to doing that - even if Spain probably would have beaten them in the final. 

Tuchel's decisions with England 1-0 up in the semi against defending champions Argentina are going to haunt supporters as much as any 'Hand of God' or Frank Lampard ghost goal, because the game was in England's control. 

The defensive subs and decision to put as many people behind the ball as possible with 30 minutes to go yielded 12 percent possession. Not to mention an 18-minute spell where England completed two successful passes. Tuchel got what he deserved, but it seemed harsh on supporters who breathed so much life into their weeks abroad.

For England to then beat France 6-4 in the bronze playoff prompted a range of reactions: optimism for the future, frustration that the free-flowing style was nowhere to be seen against Argentina, and concern that they may have missed their chance.

Loser: Brazil

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Brazil's World Cup always threatened to derail after a less-than-impressive qualifying campaign. 

The opening draw with Morocco was followed by comfortable wins over Haiti and Scotland, two of the poorest teams in the competition. A battling victory over Japan suggested the team might be on the up, but Carlo Ancelotti and his players soon ran into the brick wall that is Erling Haaland and Norway.

So many issues bubbled over until the European side could comfortably take down a nation of Brazil's stature. 

Ancelotti seemed to be operating without conviction, as highlighted by bringing Igor Thiago to the tournament and then dropping him after one quiet match. Brazil suffered under his selection decisions, with Joao Pedro an absentee that could have added grit to the frontline. Neymar, despite a consolation penalty goal, was a waste of a selection. 

Then there was the midfield, which exposed the kind of Casemiro that would make Jamie Carragher say he's finished. Ancelotti had zero solutions, not helped by players underperforming, as the best team in World Cup history once again looked well off the pace.

Winner: Erling Haaland

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Just a quick note on Erling Haaland, who more than delivered with seven goals in five matches during Norway's run to the quarterfinal.

Alongside that, the Manchester City striker endeared himself to a new audience through a social media output that's just him being himself. 

The love for the big Viking has been amazing to see, especially as his authentic personality is shining through away from brand deals and corporate pressure.

Loser: Roberto Martinez

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Portugal on paper versus Portugal in reality is very different. Let's run a checklist of what Roberto Martinez had at his disposal:

• Nuno Mendes: The best left-back in the world
• Ruben Dias: A treble-winning centre-back
• Vitinha & Joao Neves: Back-to-back Champions League winning midfielders
• Bruno Fernandes: The Premier League's all-time assists leader in one season
• Cristiano Ronaldo: A goalscoring legend and era-defining winner.

On paper, that's wonderful. But Portugal also had Roberto Martinez in charge - a manager who fumbled a generational Belgium team. If you did the paper test with them, you'd see Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, and a similar bunch of stars in their prime. You'd see constant failure led by a manager who rarely brings flexible tactics to his team.

Ronaldo's biggest fans will say otherwise, but his presence up front overshadowed what Portugal was doing. That's not his fault. He's 41, and he's not able to move like he used to. He could have been a hell of a substitute to bring on and stick in the box, rather than the man who kept getting caught behind play because he's not as sharp as he used to be. 

Martinez is to blame for his failure to play Goncalo Ramos, whose movement added threat whenever he was given time. 

The sense that Ronaldo is bigger than this team still looms, amplified by a manager who skirted around the issue so long that he never had to make the call that keeps him up at night.

Winner: Vozinha

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From a complete unknown to a household name in a matter of weeks.

It was truly a meteoric rise for Cabo Verde's Vozinha, who captured the hearts and minds of soccer fans with his goalkeeping heroics.

The 40-year-old was the star for the small island nation off the coast of Africa. Whether it was keeping eventual world champions Spain off the scoresheet or denying Lionel Messi with monster saves, Vozinha performed beyond anyone's wildest expectations and made fans believe for a brief moment that Cabo Verde could knock off Argentina in the round of 32.

His exploits won him a new legion of fans, especially on social media. He gained 20 million followers on Instagram after becoming one of the true feel-good stories of the World Cup.