Day: July 20, 2026

Norway taking down Brazil, England knocking Mexico out, Lionel Messi’s continued excellence, Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha’s meteoric rise, an incredible Golden Boot race and star-studded semifinals — the 2026 World Cup delivered some incredible moments, and it’s hard to pick a favorite. There were so many thrilling and outrageous matches and tons of fun off the pitch, and FOX Sports ranked the 50 best moments. But we want to weigh in too. We’ve covered the largest World Cup in history from so many angles, but these are our favorite moments from the tournament. And we’re sure we won’t be forgetting about these any time soon. Under normal circumstances, the game would’ve been over. England was hanging on for dear life at that point, sure. But the Three Lions were still leading 1-0. They were still five minutes of regular time away from the World Cup final — their first in 60 years. Most opponents just aren’t coming back from that. But Argentina isn’t normal. Lionel Messi definitely isn’t. So with Messi & Co. knocking on the door, what happened next felt almost pre-ordained. First, Messi set up Enzo Fernández’s equalizer. Then the 39-year-old GOAT found Lauturo Martinez at the back post for La Albiceleste’s stoppage-time winner. Sitting in the Atlanta Stadium press box behind England’s goal, I had the perfect view of both goals. And I still can’t believe what I saw. — Doug McIntyre Going with the U.S. men here, which might be controversial. Of course, the expectation was for this team to get past the round of 16 and into the quarterfinals, and their match against Belgium was a dud compared to their previous games. It was challenging for the group to mentally get past the red card debacle. But taking a step back, I don’t remember a time covering the Americans where they all seemed so loose. It was clear every day in training that the guys were having a blast together, and that was reflected in their performance through four games. Even Christian Pulisic, who is a little more reserved with his emotions, seemed happy and was smiling a lot. USA fans really came together behind this team and the stadiums were rocking in LA, Seattle and Santa Clara. It was fun covering their run. — Laken Litman Erling Haaland ending Brazil’s World Cup has to be at the top. Norway’s round of 16 win was the result that made me sit back in my chair. This was the country’s first World Cup in 28 years, facing a Brazil side that Carlo Ancelotti was hired specifically to fix, and for most of the afternoon, the Seleçao had the better chances. Then Haaland rose for a header, and a few minutes later hammered a left-footed shot from outside the box that no keeper alive was stopping. Two touches, two goals, seven for the tournament. Norway had never reached a World Cup quarterfinal. Brazil hadn’t gone out that early since 1990. The sport’s most decorated nation, undone by a country of just more than 5 million people and one unstoppable striker. Those are the underdog stories that entire fan bases rally around. Oh, and Haaland has also won social media during his time here in North America. His star has never been bigger. — Matteo Bonetti For me, I will go with Jude Bellingham’s World Cup. He entered it with many critics, notably many were from the British media, which is not that surprising as I have known this trend all my life and career. But in the end, this young man once again proved just how special he is and helped the Three Lions earn a third-place finish, which is their best record since 1966 and the highest World Cup placement on foreign soil. Don’t forget: He became the highest midfield goalscorer in single tournament history, as well as the top English male scorer in one tournament. Only Perú’s Teófilo Nene Cubillas has more midfield World Cup goals than Bellingham. Oh, and his solo effort against France? A piece of art. — Luis Miguel Echegaray The end of Cape Verde’s 0-0 draw with Spain was incredible and with what we know now, it is even more impressive. The tiny archipelago nation off the coast of Africa has a population of about 500,000 and has very little history in the game. In one of the viral stories surrounding that team, left back Roberto “Pico” Lopes was recruited when the national team head coach discovered him through Linkedin. But the performance of 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha and the images of him after that game will stick with many people for a long time. Spain won seven of its eight games at this World Cup. It won all seven of its games at Euro 2024. The only blemish on Spain’s record in its 15 games across its last two major tournaments came at the hands of Cape Verde. There was a lot of debate before this tournament about whether a 48-team World Cup was going to work. Cape Verde helped make a strong case to support the expanded tournament. — Brian Sciaretta​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Just as we saw a new generation of elite young players make big strides in the World Cup’s immense global spotlight, we also saw what is likely the curtain call for some of the greatest and most beloved players of all time. Nothing is ever known until a player formally retires, and even then, some players come out of international retirement when asked. But with a very high degree of likelihood, this tournament will be the World Cup goodbye for four of the greatest players of all time and several others who were among the best of their generation. There were many “passing of the torch” moments. The final left us with Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal embracing after Spain’s win, leaving many fans hopeful that Yamal and teenage teammate (for both club and country) Pau Cubarsí can help fill the greatness void left by the near-retirement of Messi and his generation. There was also Gilberto Mora and Guillermo Ochoa, both playing for Mexico against Czechia at Mexico City Stadium. Messi and Yamal were pictured in a now-famous photo together when Yamal was a baby. Similarly, Mora was the youngest player at the 2026 World Cup, and during the tournament, he shared a childhood picture of him with Ochoa, his idol growing up. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s team was led by its legendary 40-year-old captain Edin Džeko, who was born in Yugoslavia, grew up through the war and survived the 1992-95 Siege of Sarajevo. Many of the young Bosnian players on the team, including teenage star Karim Alajbegović, were born abroad after being displaced by the war. Now they are returning to play for the national team. For them, Džeko is an important figure and playing with him at this tournament was heavily symbolic of the country’s brutal past and hopeful future. “I am happy because I am the captain of this great generation,” Džeko said in the lead-up to the tournament. This tournament was a poignant transition between generations. Of course, all World Cups see many great players leave the international side of the game following the tournament, but never has a tournament marked the exit for such a class of legendary players. Goodbye To The GOATs There isn’t anything more that can be said about Messi’s greatness. Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, a World Cup champion, two-time runner-up, two-time Copa América champion, a four-time Champions League winner, 10-time LaLiga champion, two-time Ligue 1 champion, six Copa del Reys and, recently, an MLS Cup. He wasn’t just great; he was also popular and likable. He was a wonderful torchbearer for this sport. We won’t likely see him again at such a stage as he was in Sunday’s World Cup final. Ronaldo never won the World Cup, but he has achieved so many historical accomplishments that make him easily among the greatest players of all time. He has a record 146 international goals for Portugal, where he has won a European Championship and two Nations Leagues. He has won the Ballon d’Or five times and the Champions League five times, the Premier League three times, La Liga twice, Serie A twice and the Saudi Pro League once. The 2026 World Cup was not a great tournament for Ronaldo, now age 41, but his two goals in a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan made him the first player to ever score in six World Cups. He finishes his World Cup career with 11 goals and two assists over 27 games, but his penalty conversion against Croatia in the round of 32 was his only knockout goal at the tournament. As one of the greatest midfielders of all time, Modrić, 40, earned his 200th cap for Croatia during the 2026 World Cup. During his decorated career, he helped Croatia’s national team become one of the best in the world with a second-place finish in 2018 and a third-place finish in 2022. In 2018, he was awarded the World Cup Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. In 2022, he won the Bronze Ball as the tournament’s third-best player. His club career is remarkably decorated. In 2010, he helped Tottenham return to the Champions League for the first time in nearly 50 years. With Real Madrid, he won the tournament six times, a record he shares with four other players. Regarded by many as the greatest goalkeeper of all-time, Neuer came out of international retirement to play for Germany at the 2026 World Cup. Ultimately, it did not go well as Germany was eliminated by Paraguay in the round of 32. Neuer gave his team a chance to win it with a save in the fifth round of a shootout, but Germany would eventually fall. Neuer is a World Cup winner with Germany and a 13-time Bundesliga champion with Bayern Munich, including the recent 2025-26 season. He also won the Champions League twice. National Team Legends If reports are correct, the 35-year-old captain of Liverpool and the Netherlands appears set to retire from the international game following the Netherlands’ round of 32 loss to Morocco at the World Cup. As one of the greatest central defenders of his generation, he won the Premier League twice and the Champions League once with Liverpool. In 2018-19, he was named the Premier League Player of the Season and the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year. The greatest Mexican goalkeeper in history hung up his gloves following the 2026 World Cup. He made just one appearance, coming on as a late substitute in a 3-0 win over Czechia at Mexico City Stadium to participate in his sixth World Cup, a record he shares with Ronaldo and Messi. It was an emotional moment for Ochoa, who was cheered and tossed into the air by his teammates for his legendary career with the team that ended with 153 caps. As one of the top center forwards of his generation, Džeko is sure to bow out of the international team following the World Cup, where he made three starts and was held scoreless. But Džeko was critically important over the past 18 months in ensuring Bosnia and Herzegovina qualified for the World Cup. He memorably scored a late equalizer against Wales in the playoff semifinal, which Bosnia and Herzegovina would eventually win in a shootout. For Bosnia and Herzegovina, Džeko has 73 goals in 151 caps. He has also won the Bundesliga once and the Premier League twice. He has also won the single-season scoring titles in both the Bundesliga and Serie A. The highly accomplished Croatian national team winger was still playing at a high level at this World Cup, and his goal against Portugal in the round of 32 seemed like it might have been enough to propel his team to victory. Unfortunately for Perišić, Portugal found a late winner in one of the tournament’s most debated moments. In Croatia’s opening game, Perišić assisted in a loss to England but picked up an assist to become the second player (along with only Lionel Messi) to have an assist in four different World Cups. At 37, Perišić might have some more left to give and has not announced his retirement from Croatia, but this is likely his last World Cup. It’s been a great international career for Perišić, who has 39 goals in 158 caps. He is still going strong at the club level, having won two straight Eredivisie titles with PSV Eindhoven. Prior to that, he won two Bundesliga titles, a Serie A title and a Champions League trophy with Bayern Munich in 2019-20.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports