The 2026 World Cup was the largest in the competition’s history.
The first 48-team tournament certainly lived up to expectations, and the come down from the tournament has been quite swift. But before attention fully turns to club football, let’s take one last look back at the World Cup.
There were a number of memorable moments both on and off the pitch, for better or worse. And here at Squawka, we’ve picked out 17 we’ll remember from the 2026 showpiece.
In this article, we’ll cover the following moments:
- ‘Gordon! F**k you!’
- Post-Mexico 2-3 England scenes
- Donald Trump’s influence
- Belgium’s Donald Trump dance
- Norway’s Viking row
- The Tartan Army take over Boston
- Emma Hayes’ tactics board
- Cape Verde’s tournament debut
- Curacao’s historic World Cup goal
- Egypt’s first ever World Cup win
- The first mouth-covering red card
- Ghanaian witch doctor curses Harry Kane
- Lamine Yamal spots his brother
- Djed Spence’s big tackle
- Jude Bellingham’s history-making goal
- Lionel Messi’s last dance
- Wayne Rooney’s honesty
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‘Gordon! F**k you!’
One of the great moments was picked up during Mexico’s 3-2 loss to England. In a lighthearted period during a tense five-goal thriller, Mexico boss Javier Aguirre shouted: “Gordon! F**k you!” before bursting into laughter.
It took the tension out of a monster Azteca clash as Aguirre endeared himself to the England fans. “I remembered it,” Gordon recalled as he saw the funny side of the incident.
“It’s just a bit of fun. With all the heat and tension around the game, it was a bit of fun. I’d just run the full-back down the line so it was a bit of a compliment from him.
“That’s how I took it anyway.”
Post-Mexico 2-3 England scenes
England were reduced to 10 men just 10 minutes into the second half of their last-16 meeting with Mexico following Jarell Quansah’s dismissal. Even so, Thomas Tuchel’s men held out to book a quarter-final spot with a 3-2 win.
Cue jubilant celebrations in both Mexico City and back home. And as fans serenaded the players with their version of Wonderwall, Jordan Henderson leapt over an advertising board, falling awkwardly.
It conspired Henderson broke his wrist as a result. And when Harry Kane was asked about the injury in his post-match injury, the England captain’s voice reached a note only dogs could hear. Brief proof that Kane is indeed human.
Donald Trump’s influence
Folarin Balogun was shown a red card during USA’s 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina. Highlights show it was a justified dismissal. And yet, the co-hosts kicked up a fuss over the striker’s suspension for the subsequent last-16 meeting with Belgium.
The clash with the Red Devils was arguably their biggest in World Cup history. To have been without their star striker for the knockout stage clash with Belgium made tough test all the harder.
That was, of course, until US President Donald Trump got involved. Trump lobbied Fifa to suspend the ban. He made three calls to football’s governing body to ensure Balogun was available to face Belgium. It rightly drew outrage from all quarters, not that it mattered in the end…
Belgium’s Donald Trump dance
That’s because Belgium absolutely battered USA in Seattle. Balogun played the full 90 yet it needn’t have made a difference. The Red Devils, who were on the cusp of a round-of-32 exit to Senegal, made light work of Mauricio Pochettino’s men.
Charles De Ketelaere fired in front after just nine minutes. USA were level through Malik Tillman, though it took just two minutes for De Ketelaere to restore Belgium’s lead. Hans Vanakan, who replaced Amadou Onana midway through the first half, doubled their advantage in the 57th minute.
Romelu Lukaku then ensured USA’s hometown World Cup ended with a whimper rather than a bang. And, of course, the Belgium squad celebrated with an on-pitch Donald Trump dance. A fitting end to the Stars and Stripes campaign.
Norway’s Viking row
Norway performed superbly in their first World Cup since 1998. Indeed, the Vikings made the quarter-finals of the tournament before falling to a 2-1 loss to England. The European nation won a legion of admirers during their stay in North America.
Erling Haaland shone during his debut World Cup, scoring seven times. The Manchester City hitman boosted his following significantly in North America. Yet it was a moment between players and fans that caught the eye.
By way of celebration, Norway would bring a drum on the pitch and perform the now famous Viking Row. It was an occasion to savour for those watching at home and in person. Try telling that to an Englishman in Dorset during the eighth century…
The Tartan Army take over Boston
Like Norway, Scotland also took part in their first World Cup since 1998. The Tartan Army’s stay in North America, however, was short-lived. They failed to build upon a 1-0 win over Haiti, falling to subsequent defeats to Morocco and Brazil.
Scotland’s first two games took place in Boston. It’s estimated that 50,000 fans descended on the city as fans drunk bars dry. Devon Savage from Boston Beer said: “For perspective, from Thursday-Sunday, the Tartan Army drank four times as much Boston Lager as we run through on a typical four-day holiday stretch like 4th of July.”
Supporters made the most of their trip across the pond. They’ll be welcome back to Boston with open arms, that’s for sure.
Emma Hayes’ tactics board
ITV were the dominant British broadcaster in North America. While the BBC rightly made the cost-effective decision to remain in England, ITV were more than happy to set up shop in Brooklyn.
One of the best decisions ITV made was to use Emma Hayes as an in-studio pundit. The USWNT boss was a delight to watch during the first and second-half hydration breaks in North America.
She’d crack out the chalkboard, and break down tactical tweaks and changes into bitesize segments. It was the only good thing about the hydration breaks.
Cape Verde’s tournament debut
Cape Verde were one of four World Cup debutants this summer. Drawn into Group H, featuring Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, few gave the Blue Shark any chance of progressing to the knockout stages.
And yet they the finished second behind eventual finalists’ Spain, knocking out Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. The clean sheet performance against La Roja set the tone for Cape Verde, whose 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha stole the limelight.
Ultimately, they crashed out in the round-of-32 at the expense of Argentina. That they took the 2022 winners to extra time warrants praise, and then some. It was a first World Cup to remember.
Curacao’s historic World Cup goal
Cape Verde weren’t the only World Cup debutant. Curacao, along with Jordan and Uzbekistan, made their first ever appearance at the tournament. Dick Advocaat’s side, though, were handed a less-than-favourable draw.
Curacao were drawn alongside Germany, Ivory Coast and Ecuador. As one might expect, they crashed out of the group stages. However, there was a historic moment for the Caribbean nation in the first half of their eventual 7-1 defeat to Germany.
They fell behind to Die Mannschaft, yet drew level through Livano Comenencia. It was a fine finish, and a truly memorable minute for Blue Wave.
Egypt’s first ever World Cup win
Having been held to a 1-1 draw in their World Cup 2026 opener with Belgium, Egypt went one better against New Zealand. Finn Surman put the Kiwis in front, just to make the Pharaohs’ task that bit harder.
However, second-half goals from Mostafa Zico, Mo Salah and Trezeguet capped a fine Egypt performance. The 3-1 win marked their first ever World Cup victory at the fourth tournament of asking.
The African giants made it to the last-16 having defeated Australia on penalties in the round-of-32. It was at the former stage, though, where their World Cup journey ended at Argentina’s hands.
The first mouth-covering red card
One of the new rules implemented for the World Cup was the decision to send players off for covering their mouth. The issue came into the spotlight during Benfica’s Champions League meeting with Real Madrid back in February.
Gianluca Prestianni covered his mouth when talking to Vinicius Junior. The Benfica man was accused of racial abuse, which the Argentine denied. Fifa, though, decided that talking with the mouth covered would result in a red card.
And Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron was the first to fall foul of the ruling against Turkey in the group stages. The 32-year-old obscured his mouth while talking with Mert Muldur, who immediately informed the official. A VAR check was made, and Almiron was shown his marching orders.
Ghanaian witch doctor curses Harry Kane
One of the more forgettable group stage games was England’s meeting with Ghana. The Three Lions dominated their African opponents, yet failed to find the breakthrough. The Black Stars sat deep and defended well to claim a result.
Harry Kane missed a guilt-edged chance to fire England in front in the dying ember. The Bayern Munich man, however, surprisingly fluffed his line. Well, it was a surprise to everyone bar self-proclaimed witch doctor Nana Kwaku Bonsam.
Bonsam claimed to have placed a curse on Kane to prevent him from scoring against Ghana. He then released the England skipper from the hex for the eventual 2-0 win over Panama, in which Kane scored. Paranormal forces at play? Or just a bad day at the office for the England star…
Lamine Yamal spots his brother
Spain’s star of the tournament has been in the stands. While Rodri dictated the play, Pau Cubarsi put in performances that bely his tender years and Lamine Yamal hoped to take the tournament by storm, it was the latter’s brother that shone for La Roja.
“This time around, the biggest sensation of the competition isn’t an athlete, the goals, or even the trophy itself. It’s Keyne, Lamine Yamal’s three-year-old brother, who’s taking the tournament by storm with his hilarious moments,” was how Hola! – Spain’s version of Hello! Magazine – reported on the winger’s sibling.
The pick of the bunch came in the aftermath of Spain’s 2-1 quarter-final win over Belgium. Keyne was pulling faces on the big screen. Lamine laughed as the younger Yamal stuck his tongue out for all to see.
Djed Spence’s big tackle
England’s World Cup dream may have ended at the semi-final stage. The Three Lions took the lead 10 minutes after the break through Anthony Gordon. As they sat back, however, England invited pressure upon themselves.
Argentina duly capitalised to claim a 2-1 win through Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez goals. A stand out moment prior to Fernandez’s 25-yard hit was Djed Spence’s tackle on Giuliano Simeone.
The Tottenham Hotspur full-back had been criticised up until the game against Mexico, where he came off the bench to solidify the England defence. And his tackle on Simeone was a stand-out from what was ultimately a dreary 90-minute semi-final clash.
Jude Bellingham’s history-making goal
There was a debate before the World Cup about whether Jude Bellingham or Morgan Rogers should play as the No.10 for England. The former well and truly settled the debate during the tournament itself.
Bellingham came in clutch for Thomas Tuchel’s side in North America. He scored an early second-half strike to put England in front against Croatia. It was the Real Madrid man who broke the deadlock against Panama.
The youngster bagged key braces against Mexico and Norway. And Bellingham scored his seventh tournament goal in the entertaining 6-4 third-place play-off win over France. The late solo strike saw Bellingham become England’s record goalscorer in a single World Cup tournament, knocking Gary Lineker off his perch.
Lionel Messi’s last dance
Eight goals, four assists. It was a sensational World Cup for Lionel Messi. The iconic forward finally got his hands on the trophy in Qatar four years ago. He proved that age is but a number in North America.
Messi was directly involved in a goal in every Argentina game up until the final, which included the opener in the group stage 2-0 win over Austria. The goal in question saw the Argentine star briefly go top as the tournament’s all-time scorer.
While Kylian Mbappe now holds the record, and is likely to keep it for some time, the goal against Austria felt iconic. It’s a shame for Messi and Argentina that the last dance ends on a sombre note.
Wayne Rooney’s honesty
Ronaldinho. Madonna. Ronaldo. Justin Bieber. The most ‘game’s gone’ moment came at the interval of the 2026 showpiece. A first ever half-time show took place. To paraphrase Sean Dyche – Utter Yank nonense.
And as former England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney was asked for his opinion, he duly obliged. “I like a lot of them artists, but I thought it was c**p,” Rooney said. We couldn’t have put it better ourselves.
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