The curtain has fallen on the exceptional edition of the 2026 World Cup, which witnessed the participation of 48 teams for the first time in history.
The 2026 World Cup - which extended to 39 days - was held in the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico.
The Spanish national team was crowned with the World Cup after defeating Argentina with one goal to nil, while England claimed the bronze medal and France finished in fourth place.
Despite the successes and exceptional moments witnessed during the 2026 World Cup, there remain several footballing knots and curses that teams and stars failed to break.
5 curses that went unbroken in the 2026 World Cup
- England failed to reach the World Cup final, extending the curse that has lasted since 1966.
- The dominance of the national coach in the World Cup continues, once again confirming the lack of success for foreign coaches.
No foreign coach in history has ever won the World Cup with any national team from 1930 until 2026 (over a span of 96 years).
- The World Cup title continues to elude Cristiano Ronaldo’s career, after the Portuguese legend failed to win the trophy in his sixth World Cup appearance.
- Brazil continues to fail to reach the final or win the title since its last triumph in 2002.
- Neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo has ever won the Golden Boot award throughout their careers.
