From the magnificent stadiums, to the dribbles as well as the excellently curated through passes and of course the record breaking goals, the 2026 FIFA World Cup definitely delivered and we can’t wait to see the world power host Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympic Games, scheduled to be held in Los Angeles July 14–30, 2028. It will be the third time that Los Angeles has hosted the Summer Games, after 1932 and 1984.
As the World Cup comes to an end tomorrow, with the highly anticipated final match between Spain and defending champions, Argentina. We want to reminisce a bit on the tournament thus far. Prior to the commencement of the highly anticipated event, FIFA President, Gianni Infantino promised the 2026 World Cup would be the “biggest event in the history of mankind”. Infantino likened the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada to 104 Super Bowls in one month.
It was a bold claim, so did it pan out like that? For the first time, the World Cup featured 48 teams, with Curacao, Cape Verde, Jordan and Uzbekistan making their debuts. But did this dilute the quality of the tournament? Then there are the mandatory, three-minute hydration breaks, regardless of conditions, which enabled broadcasters to cash in with commercials. There was also the issue of high ticket prices which also led to some controversy, but none of these was enough to keep fans away.
If you wanted great storylines and tabloid headlines, then the group stage was a success.
Watching debutants is always part of the allure of a World Cup, and Cape Verde definitely delivered. A small country in the Atlantic Ocean with just 530,000 people, Cape Verde claimed incredible draws against Spain and Uruguay (and Saudi Arabia too) to finish second in their group. Curacao shrugged off their 7-1 thrashing at the hands of Germany to claim a shock point against Ecuador. And the DR Congo claimed a draw against Portugal and got out of their group. Without these stories, the group stage would have been pretty dull, with the major nations making light work of it.
The World Cup finals was nothing short of thrilling, as Spain, who were the only team that seemingly turned up to play this World Cup final, from the first whistle to the last in extra time. Argentina were damned by their lack of ambition, even before they had Enzo Fernández sent off towards the end of the regulation time. It was extraordinary to report that they did not have an attempt on goal until the 115th minute. Safe to say that Spain did not let them play at all. Just as they have barely let any of their opponents do so during the course of this tournament. Their miserly defence has been the cornerstone of everything. They have been breached just once in their eight matches. The goal came in the 106th minute and it was nothing less than they deserved. Pedro Porro crossed deep and it was a wonderful header back by the substitute Nico Williams. It teed up another replacement, Ferran Torres, for the opportunity of his lifetime. The finish was high and true.
Some lessons to learn from the just concluded World Cup tournament;
- The consistency of Spain: Despite being one of the sure bets for the World Cup, Spain went in headstrong and never wavered in any of their matches until they lifted the cup.
- In all you do, pray for grace to carry you through because certain situations are beyond our control.
- Prove your worth time and time again just like Mbappe did. He won his first World Cup at 19, won a golden boot at 23 and has now become the all time top scorer of the tournament at just 27.
- We can’t talk about lessons learnt in the World Cup without making mention of the perseverance of the Cape Verde team, it was their debut but they were sure to make their impact felt.
- Proper preparation prevents poor performance.