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The 2026 World Cup closing ceremony has kicked off with a performance from streamer IShowSpeed, who took to the field alongside drummers and dancers in vibrant tracksuits. Rapper and singer Post Malone followed, performing his hit song Wow.The star-studded pre-match entertainment is also expected to bring in actor Tom Cruise alongside singers Robbie Williams, Laura Pausini and Nicole Scherzinger.AttributionSportItalian singer Pausini told the BBC's Carl Nasman that she's "very excited" and "proud" to be performing alongside Williams and Scherzinger at the closing ceremony."When Robbie [Williams] invited me to sing with him, I felt goosebumps everywhere because Robbie's one of my favorite singer, songwriter, and performer," Pausini told the BBC.The celebrity line-up will continue at half-time with performances by Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira and BTS.Madonna, the best-selling female music artist of all time, is set to perform after the launch of her new album, Confessions II, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart in July.Bieber also returned to the spotlight earlier this year, with his biggest live performance in four years at the Coachella music festival after cancelling his Justice world tour because of health issues.Colombian pop star Shakira and Nigerian musician Burna Boy will reunite on stage after performing together at the tournament's opening ceremony in Mexico City last month.Their collaboration, Dai Dai, has been a global chart hit and has been a fixture in stadiums throughout the tournament.K-Pop group BTS will also perform after making their comeback from a three-year music hiatus to complete their mandatory military service in South Korea. The band is currently in the midst of an 85-date world tour.The half-time break is expected to last 20-25 minutes, with Fifa saying the Super-Bowl-style performance will take 11 minutes.It has been curated by Coldplay's Chris Martin and will raise money for the Fifa Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative working to raise $100m (£73m) for children worldwide.How the World Cup made an 'NFL-obsessed' American a football fanThe financial winners and losers from the World Cup

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The biggest job in world football is up for election - and there’s just one candidate: Gianni Infantino, who is on course to be re-elected as Fifa president by a landslide in March.The Guardian understands more than 200 of Fifa's 211 member associations have already sent formal letters of support for a fourth Infantino term, with only a handful - Germany the most high-profile among them - yet to declare.The endorsements have flooded in despite a summer of controversy. Watch this video to learn more about why Infantino's power is so untouchable. Fifa has been approached for comment.

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German created ‘best England group for togetherness’Captain underlines importance of Nations League gamesHarry Kane has backed Thomas Tuchel to learn from England’s World Cup semi-final defeat against Argentina and believes they must use the forthcoming Nations League campaign to gain experience of playing against the top teams.Kane was an unused substitute as England sealed third place with an entertaining 6-4 victory against France on Saturday – their best finish at a World Cup on foreign soil. Tuchel, who signed a contract extension before the tournament, has been criticised heavily for his tactics against Argentina when he opted to switch to a back five to try to defend a 1-0 lead.Kane admitted England had fallen short against Lionel Scaloni’s side but described the environment Tuchel has created since succeeding Gareth Southgate in 2025 as “the best England group I’ve been a part of in terms of togetherness”.The captain said: “I know there are a lot of questions after the other night. We have to process it as players. I’m sure the manager will. It’s his first major tournament. He’ll learn a lot from the players, the situations, the pressures, the travel.“There are also a lot of things as players we can learn from the other night. For now it’s just trying to process everything. We had a lot of good things, a lot of tough situations we overcame. The group is incredible, the best England group I’ve been a part of in terms of togetherness. The boss was a big part of creating that as well.“Fans are going to be angry and we understand it. It’s a major tournament and that’s why you dream so big. When it doesn’t go your way you have to take the criticism. We’re all willing to do that, to dare to reach the biggest goal of all. We know over the next two years until we’re facing that situation again there is always going to be a question mark. It’s something we have to take and use as motivation.”England missed out on facing regular top-class opposition in the buildup to the World Cup after being relegated from the top Nations League group in 2022 under Southgate. They were promoted in 2024 and will face Spain, Croatia and Czechia, starting with a rematch of the Euro 2024 final against Luis de la Fuente’s side on 26 September at Wembley. After beating France – albeit in a largely meaningless game – Kane thinks England must take the competition seriously if they are to thrive in tournaments.“The last 30 minutes of Argentina is not the team we want to be,” he said. “We spent a lot of time over the last two years talking about that situation, to attack those moments. The bottom line is we lost anyway. It’s easy to go away and talk about it. We need to get better at actually being in those situations. We can train, play the qualifiers … I think the Nations League will be big for us, against Spain and Croatia, big teams.“Getting used to those big environments and finding our best form against those teams, like we did against France, albeit not in the most competitive match. We have to learn, improve. The coach will have improved from these learnings. I can talk as much as I want but ultimately it’s about showing it next time we’re in that situation.”Kane has been on the losing side in two World Cup semi-finals and two European Championship finals and he believes Tuchel is the man to help England to make the final step.“The enthusiasm he has, the emotion he brings, the tactical experience he has … it doesn’t mean you’re going to get it right every time. We want to get it right on the biggest occasions and he expects that from himself as well. He’s a fantastic coach. He not only gave the players belief but he gave the country belief that it was our year. That is why it hurts even more than other years because everyone believed we were going all the way.“Everyone has to process it. He has to process it himself. We’re still in that grieving stage, the emotional stage, and we’ll be in that for the next few weeks. It won’t be until the next camp where you think about what the future holds and what the next target is. We’ll have conversations as captain and manager and with other teammates and staff, to see where we can be better.”

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Luis de la Fuente says he will not man-mark Lionel Messi in the World Cup final, even though the Argentina captain has scored eight times and provided four assists and the Spain coach’s own experience suggests it might not be a bad idea.In the buildup to Sunday’s final in New Jersey, De la Fuente told the story of the first time he encountered Messi, 22 years ago, when the Argentinian was a 16-year-old coming through at Barcelona, he was the youth-team coach at Sevilla and the under-19 cup draw brought them together in the last 16 in May 2004 at the Miniestadi.“I’m going to tell you something funny about Messi,” De la Fuente said. “Look, I met Lionel Messi when I was coaching at Sevilla in division de honour [the national under-19 league] and we played a Copa del Rey game against Barcelona. We went to Barcelona. They had spoken very well about a boy called Messi. So, we put a man-marker on him. In the 70th minute it was 0-0. When they gave a yellow card to the player who was marking him, I took him off. And in 15 minutes, Messi scored four goals.”

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Supporters are facing hours of queues to get into New York New Jersey Stadium amid heightened security for the 2026 World Cup final.Spain face Argentina at the 82,500-seater venue, with kick-off at 15:00 local time (20:00 BST).There is increased security partly because United States president Donald Trump is attending the final - the only World Cup match he is watching in person.As a result, the United States Secret Service has taken over security for the game - leading to long waits for supporters to get into the ground.BBC Sport understands people are having to queue for about two hours.There are two levels of security at the stadium, run by both the Secret Service and Transportation Security Administration (TSA).The latter is usually responsible for security at airports in the United States, with fans and media having to go through airport security-style scanners.One member of the media said they, having reached an entrance, were told to go to a different queue as there were no security dogs available to search bags at that gate.BBC Sport has been told by World Cup volunteers at the ground that the number of people arriving early before the game was much more than the previous seven matches at the stadium.Gates opened for supporters at 11:00 local time - four hours before kick-off - with more gates being opened sporadically to ease congestion.It is not thought there will be any delay to kick-off or any other disruption to the match at this stage.When the World Cup finishes, the football continues on BBC SportHow to watch the World Cup on the BBC and ITV

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Manchester United reporter in HelsinkiPublished12 minutes agoTom Heaton is backing Manchester United team-mate Senne Lammens to emerge as a stronger character from his World Cup disappointment.Lammens had been back-up to Thibaut Courtois throughout the tournament until the veteran Belgium goalkeeper was injured 19 minutes from the end of the quarter-final against Spain.The 24-year-old had barely touched the ball before he spilled Pau Cubarsi's shot late in the game, which allowed Arsenal's Mikel Merino to steer home and give Spain a 2-1 victory.Lammens was distraught at the final whistle and Heaton has spoken to the youngster, who was outstanding at United last season after arriving as a relative unknown from Royal Antwerp in preference to Argentina's Emi Martinez, for £18.1m."Yes, I spoke to him," said Heaton after Manchester United's opening pre-season defeat by Wrexham in Helsinki."It was obviously a challenging moment for him, but that's the life of a goalkeeper."As soon as you put the gloves on and go between the sticks, you have to be ready to deal with that."He'll be stronger for it. I think his personality is fantastic for a goalkeeper, so no issues there. As I say, I honestly think it can help him in the long run."Lammens is now on a three-week break before returning to pre-season training.It means he should return in the first week of August and, in theory, be available for the Gothenburg encounter with Paris St-Germain on 8 August.Despite the criticism Lammens received in Belgium for his error, at United, confidence in the youngster remains strong.Karl Darlow, 35, was signed as back-up to Lammens on 14 July and while Heaton, 40, still views himself as a player after signing a one-year deal in the summer, his last competitive senior appearance was in February 2023."I highly doubt Senne will be going into it with fear or worrying about what may happen," said Heaton."That can happen at any point. Literally every time you cross the foot over the earth. If that was your mindset, I'd be inclined to say it's more likely to happen."Goalkeeper is a position where if something goes wrong, it's going to end in a goal. Goals can change games and cause you to lose. You have to be realistic about that."It is tough, but Senne is very strong mentally. I saw that from him as a young goalkeeper coming into Manchester United and dealing with it unbelievably well."Pre-match, post-match and topical United contentListen on SoundsSubscribe and listen for everything you love about the Red DevilsLatest Manchester United news, analysis and fan viewsAsk about Man Utd - what do you want to know?

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2 CommentsStephen Robinson expressed his frustration about the format of the Premier Sports Cup after guiding Aberdeen to their second win out of two in Group A.Robinson, who won the competition as St Mirren manager last season, feels the first-round group stage of the League Cup comes too early in the season.The Dons beat Queen's Park 2-1 at Pittodrie on Saturday, having opened with a 2-0 win at Brora Rangers on Tuesday."I don't like the format of the competition. The competitive games come really, really early," Robinson told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound."It's three weeks just into pre-season where you're playing competitive games and we have to win. You have to win as an Aberdeen manager or a Premiership manager."We use it for what it is, we get our fitness, we get things we're keeping trying and we know there's lots of things to be better at."It's very difficult because there's that many new signings. Everyone's still getting to know each other. There's different levels of fitness within the squad. Ultimately, it's a pre-season game that you need to win, simply you have to win."The group format for the first round of the competition was introduced in 2016, with 40 clubs in eight groups. Scottish clubs playing in Europe do not enter the tournament until the knockout stage from round two.Aberdeen travel to take on Queen of the South in Dumfries in their next fixture on Tuesday (19:45 BST) then finish at home to Kelty Hearts on Saturday."We have a hard game Tuesday night, another long travel," Robinson said."You come to Aberdeen to win things. Cup competitions are your best chance to do that normally."I've had good success in the tournament, I know what it means to win it but you still have to give people good game time, you still have to try things."Aberdeen hold out for victory over Queen's ParkGoalkeeper Muller joins Aberdeen on two-year dealAnd he believes the example of St Mirren this term shows the benefit of the format.Craig McLeish's Buddies, like Aberdeen, are on two wins out of two, having scored eight goals without reply."This is when this competition can be good for you. If you start like that and then gain the confidence and obviously his ideas, what he's trying to do, the players obviously then buy into it," Davidson told Sunday's Sportsound."[Stephen Robinson], he knows he needs to start well. If he starts well, obviously especially with a club like Aberdeen, it builds momentum. It makes his season easier."But he's finding it difficult because he's had to bring a lot of new players into the club."This tournament's quite difficult to get going. It's good for competitive games but it's really difficult. Sometimes you see a few upsets. It's quite intense right at the start for everybody."Aberdeen and St Mirren's Premiership rivals Dundee United and Falkirk both endured surprise midweek defeats by lower league opposition, while Kilmarnock were held to a draw by second-tier Raith Rovers in their first game, winning the resulting penalty shootout for a bonus point.And former Dundee United midfielder Scott Allan said: "For the Premiership managers, if they don't get the results or they only scrape by 1-0, there's already questions being asked and they haven't really got to work yet."

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Once the World Cup is lifted by either Argentina or Spain in New Jersey on Sunday night, attention will quickly shift to the new domestic season.The Premier League was well represented in North America, with all 20 of the top-flight teams for 2026-27 having at least one player involved.From injuries to transfers, here is how the World Cup has impacted your Premier League team.When the World Cup finishes, the football continues on BBC SportThe Gunners face an anxious wait over the fitness of William Saliba, who had been managing a back issue before his tournament was ended by the same problem.The centre-back has not yet been assessed by the club's medical team, but were he to be sidelined it would be a big loss - especially as his defensive partnership with Gabriel is so crucial to how the team play.The other two question marks will be over the fitness of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, who helped England finish third while managing their own fitness issues.It does not seem they will need a longer lay-off once the tournament is over, but they will be monitored closely by Arsenal before the new season.Leandro Trossard enjoyed a fine tournament with Belgium, starting all six games and scoring twice as they reached the quarter-finals, before the forward joined Turkish club Besiktas for £15m.Gabriel Martinelli is another player the Gunners could be open to selling this summer, who showed flashes of his quality playing for Brazil.Carlo Ancelotti played the winger in a central role during the tournament, and that may be an extra attraction for potential buyers.The midfielder ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee during Belgium's last-16 win over the USA which will rule him out until next year.They were not planning significant changes in midfield, although an extra body would have been useful, so moved for Johan Manzambi and Joao Gomes - especially with Youri Tielemans joining Manchester United.Manzambi - who has completed a club record move for more than £50m from Freiburg - excelled for Switzerland, scoring three goals, and will form part of Villa's new-look squad as Unai Emery tries to refresh it amid potential further sales.Chelsea have agreed a £117m deal to sign England midfielder Morgan Rogers, while France's Lucas Digne is due to join Paris St-Germain, but goalkeeper Emi Martinez is likely to stay - and might return with another World Cup winners' medal as Argentina defend their title against Spain on Sunday.Bournemouth fans will have been encouraged by the performances of Ben Gannon-Doak at the World Cup, despite Scotland's brief stay in the tournament. The winger played in all three group matches, and particularly impressed in their sole win over Haiti.The Cherries had six players at the World Cup, including New Zealand back-up goalkeeper Alex Paulsen who has joined Motherwell on loan for the coming season.Starring among them, as well as Gannon-Doak, was winger Rayan. The 19-year-old started all Brazil's games bar their opener and claimed an assist in the 3-0 win over Scotland to seal their path to the knockout stage.It further raises Rayan's stock following his January move to Bournemouth, and superb performances in the second half of last season.This could be bad news for Bournemouth though, with Rayan heavily linked with Liverpool, managed by former Cherries boss Andoni Iraola.For a couple of Brentford players, the World Cup could not have gone much worse.Striker Igor Thiago came into the tournament on the back of a stellar scoring season for the Bees and tipped as Brazil's lead attacker in North America. However, after a lacklustre performance in the opener against Morocco he was dropped by manager Carlo Ancelotti and did not appear again.It remains to be seen what impact this has on Thiago's confidence heading into the new season.Meanwhile, midfielder Jordan Henderson made one substitute appearance for England, but his most memorable contribution was falling over an advertising hoarding during the celebrations following the win over Mexico and requiring surgery on a broken wrist.Henderson, however, has stayed with the England squad and should be fit for the start of Brentford's season, though he may have to initially play in a cast.Brighton went into the World Cup with eight representatives and emerged with eight - although the personnel has changed.Dutch centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke has moved to Tottenham from Brighton, with Croatia defender Luka Vuskovic going the other way.Vuskovic endured a difficult World Cup, subbed off after 66 minutes of Croatia's opening loss to England, then not appearing in their three subsequent games.Indeed, the only one of Brighton's eight representatives to make it past the last 16 was Belgium left-back Maxim de Cuyper who played in all six of their matches, starting five.This could be useful for Brighton, who will hope key players like Bart Verbruggen, Pascal Gross and Yasin Ayari will therefore not be too tired after the World Cup and fresh for the start of the Premier League season.Key players Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill and Joao Pedro were left out of their respective squads and have already returned for pre-season training.The greatest concern has been the fitness of captain Reece James, who played into the latter stages of the tournament after helping England reach the third-place play-off, but suffered hamstring issues.Enzo Fernandez and Malo Gusto also reached the latter stages of the competition and are set to return late for pre-season, along with expected new signing Valentin Barco.England midfielder Morgan Rogers is set to arrive at Chelsea from Aston Villa for that club record £117m deal, though international team-mate Trevoh Chalobah is expected to leave this summer.Much like Cristiano Ronaldo after Portugal knocked England out of the European Championship in 2006, Fernandez may find his antics in and around Argentina's victory over England will make him a target for opposition fans next season should he stay with Chelsea.Striker Haji Wright played against Australia and Belgium as co-hosts USA bowed out to the Red Devils in the last 16.The 28-year-old will be one of Coventry's main threats as they return to the Premier League for the first time in 25 years, having scored 20 goals to help them to the Championship title last season.Fellow forward Brandon Thomas-Asante, who scored 13 goals for the Sky Blues last season, also featured in two of Ghana's World Cup games as they exited the competition in the last 32.Crystal Palace were one of the most represented Premier League clubs at the World Cup, with 10 players involved.They received a potential blow, however, when Spain winger Yeremy Pino sustained a shoulder injury during the group stage, but he may be called upon for the World Cup final.Elsewhere, goalscoring midfielder Daichi Kamada and attacking right-back Daniel Munoz impressed for Japan and Colombia respectively. New Palace manager Pierre Sage will hope the club rebuffs any potential suitors.Other key players like goalkeeper Dean Henderson and striker Jean-Philippe Mateta have been peripheral figures for England and France, so should be raring to go when they return for pre-season training.Chief football writerIliman Ndiaye is one of Everton's biggest assets and was at the centre of transfer talk before the World Cup.He made an impact at the tournament with a spectacular strike after coming on as a substitute in Senegal's 5-0 win against Iraq. They reached the last 32 before losing 3-2 to Belgium.It remains to be seen whether the World Cup reignites speculation, but Everton will hope it stays quiet as Ndiaye is arguably their most creative player.Idrissa Gueye, Ndiaye's Senegal team-mate, had his Everton deal expire at the start of July, so is effectively a free agent.All talks on his future were shelved until the end of the World Cup, so a decision on the 36-year-old's next move will be made soon.Nathan Patterson played for Scotland at right-back, but he has failed to convince manager David Moyes that he should be a regular starter at Everton.The Toffees are actively pursuing targets in that position, so Patterson could yet be on the move before the start of the season.It was a World Cup to remember for four out of the six Fulham players involved.Sander Berge and Oscar Bobb were part of the brilliant Norway side beaten by England in the quarter-finals, while Belgium's Timothy Castagne and Morocco's Issa Diop also fell at that stage.While Bobb was not often a starter for Norway, his second-half appearances allowed him to showcase his talents and ability to move the ball in the final third.But for Fulham fans, it was a chance to catch a glimpse of defender Luc de Fougerolles.The 20-year-old has been at Craven Cottage since 2023 but is yet to make an appearance after spending last season on loan at Belgium Pro League side Dender EH.Perhaps new manager Alvaro Arbeloa will be pleased with what he saw.Newly promoted Hull watched two players leave for the World Cup and welcomed home one.Croatia goalkeeper Ivor Pandur made the switch from the Tigers to Rangers for a fee of £6m at the end of June.But moving the other way from Ibrox was Jack Butland to fill the goalkeeping void.Hull fans did have something to cheer as Liam Millar progressed to the last 16 of the World Cup in a historic run for co-hosts Canada.Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic can look forward to having an almost completely fresh squad ready to tackle pre-season before the Premier League starts in August.Like fellow newly promoted Hull, Ipswich only had two players make their way to America, Canada and Mexico for the World Cup.Striker George Hirst was named in the first Scotland squad to reach the World Cup in 26 years, while Ali Al-Hamadi was there with Iraq.Hirst failed to make it off the bench for Scotland in a campaign that ended at the group stage, as Al-Hamadi appeared three times for winless Iraq.For new Ipswich manager Gary O'Neil, it presents a chance to put out his pre-season ideas to an almost full squad - including new signing Emersonn.The striker is the first Brazilian to sign for the Tractor Boys but, despite playing for his country at youth level, he is yet to win a senior cap.Leeds fans could only keep an eye on four of their players at the World Cup - with new signing Harry Wilson's Wales failing to qualify.Left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson was the Leeds player who appeared the most times in the tournament, featuring in all four of Sweden's matches.Midfielder Ao Tanaka was left heartbroken by Japan's stoppage-time loss to Brazil in the last 32. He made three appearances for his nation - who many thought were dark horses for the tournament.Despite coming within a whisker of the semi-finals with Switzerland, Noah Okafor will return to Elland Road fresh, with just one World Cup appearance to his name.With survival the aim for Daniel Farke's side last season, now it is all about progression.Munoz is yet to play a minute at the tournament but Mac Allister has excelled for his country after a below-par season at Anfield, and his effective display against England will certainly have pleased Iraola.Aside from that, Liverpool will take plenty of confidence from the other players they had in North America. Alexander Isak scored once and got three assists for Sweden while Florian Wirtz provided three assists for Germany.Cody Gakpo scored three times for the Netherlands, with Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch also playing for them.Meanwhile, Alisson played every minute for Brazil before they were knocked out by Norway in the last 16.In terms of signings, Liverpool have expressed interest in Yan Diomande, while Bradley Barcola is also on their shortlist. Both impressed for Ivory Coast and France respectively.The 29-year-old's long-term future at Etihad Stadium is uncertain as he enters the final year of his contract, and reports suggest he is set to miss the start of the season to have surgery on an unspecified injury.City hold a strong interest in Lille's Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi after the teenager shone for the North Africans during the tournament, but it remains to be seen whether new manager Enzo Maresca makes a move for the 18-year-old who could cost up to £80m.Club record signing Elliot Anderson enhanced his reputation in England's run to the semi-finals and striker Erling Haaland seamlessly transferred his club form to the world stage, but Rayan Cherki found minutes hard to come by with France.Chief football news reporterThe most concrete World Cup news for Manchester United was Manuel Ugarte's knee injury.Ugarte is going to be out until 2027 after having surgery to repair cruciate ligament damage. Given the Uruguay midfielder was likely to be sold this summer, it has added an extra layer of complication around United's recruitment plans.The 21-year-old shrugged off the disappointment at being continually overlooked by Ruben Amorim to deliver excellent performances over the second half of last season, which suggests he can bounce back from not playing for England at the World Cup.However, Michael Carrick, who experienced the same thing under Fabio Capello in 2010, might need to put an arm around his shoulder.It will also be interesting to see whether there is any fallout from Lisandro Martinez being one of the Argentina players to hold the 'Las Malvinas son Argentinas' banner up after the semi-final win against England.The pair even scored as many goals combined (five) at the World Cup as they did during their challenging debut campaign at St James' Park.Elsewhere, Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes may have missed a penalty in Brazil's last-16 defeat against Norway, but the midfielder still caught the eye by setting up four goals at the tournament.It is easy to see why Newcastle do not want to lose their talisman after he intimated he wished to join Arsenal.The sight of another midfielder, Johan Manzambi, impressing for Switzerland ultimately left Newcastle wondering what might have been after their top target opted to join Aston Villa instead.Newcastle have targeted young players with a similar profile this summer, but head coach Eddie Howe will rely on experienced leaders like Dan Burn to help them along.Burn, fresh from making his World Cup debut for England aged 34, still has a lot to offer.The midfielder helped Sweden to the last 32 of the World Cup, where they lost 3-0 to France.Winger Dan Ndoye was key in Switzerland's run to the quarter-finals and could flourish in Oliver Glasner's new team. He scored twice, including in Switzerland's quarter-final defeat by defending champions Argentina.Austria reached the last 32 with Xaver Schlager featuring and the midfielder is expected to join Forest on a free transfer after leaving RB Leipzig.Ibrahim Sangare helped Ivory Coast reach the last 32, where they lost to Norway, while Tyler Bindon and Chris Wood could not stop New Zealand exiting at the group stage.Sunderland were among the Premier League clubs with the highest number of players participating at the World Cup and it is no surprise given they secured European football last season.There were mixed results for the Black Cats contingent with captain Granit Xhaka narrowly missing out on a semi-final match against England.Chemsdine Talbi was a bright spark for Morocco when used and Brian Brobbey proved as difficult to play against as ever when leading the line for the Netherlands.Striker Wilson Isidor's journey ended at the group stage with Haiti but he will always have that stunning goal against Morocco to look back on.To boost their already exciting squad, Sunderland have added experienced Belgium right-back Thomas Meunier to their ranks.Chief football writerTottenham Hotspur's main transfer business was done before the World Cup, with arrivals such as Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Andrew Robertson, plus central defenders Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke.This has sparked talk of outgoings, which the tournament could have an impact on.It is the third World Cup in succession that Spurs will be represented in the final, with Hugo Lloris playing for France in 2018 and 2022, while Argentina's Cristian Romero is making his second appearance.The arrival of Senesi and Van Hecke has increased speculation about Spurs captain Romero's future, and his displays for Argentina will have further attracted the clubs who have been linked with him, including Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan.Romero has the ultimate showcase when Argentina face Spain in the World Cup final. Another strong performance might bring a move closer, as well as increasing Spurs' bargaining position.

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Every World Cup produces cult heroes, icons who make it possible for us to sit back and start misty-eyed recollections by saying: “Do you remember Roger Milla/Saeed Al-Owairan/Keisuke Honda/Paul the Octopus?” Well, the Geopolitics World Cup has not let us down! Here are 10 cult heroes who’ve emerged from this tournament.Yaya Sithole: a catastrophic start as the South Africa midfielder’s error led to the first goal of the GWC against Mexico, compounded by a second-half red card. Bounced back with a vital display in the win over South Korea, leading his country to the knockout round. Decades from now, people will still be talking about the Yaya Sithole redemption arc. Possibly.Vozinha: who else? Cape Verde’s players all became cult heroes, but especially the 40-year-old keeper who spent last season in the Portuguese second tier and this summer keeping out Spain as the Blue Sharks went unbeaten in the group stage, then pushed Argentina to extra time in the last 32. Vozinha’s mum: get in line – we’re all in his fan club now.Djed Spence: a toss-up with Dan “the modern-day header-beast” Burn for England’s cult hero, but let’s give it to the Spurs full-back who transformed from the hapless scourge of Thomas Tuchel’s existence in the group stage to a chin-strapped Cafu in the knockout round. Spence’s slide tackle on Giuliano Simeone (albeit sans chin-strap) will live long in the memory.Matías Galarza: Paraguay’s most magnificent git was always involved despite rarely trying to play football. Almost every time we saw the midfielder he was moaning, playacting, needling opponents – truly putting the “art” into the dark arts. Also scored against Turkey and later nicked the referee’s watch and strapped it to his own wrist. Timeless ’housery.Keyne: poor Lamine Yamal, who turned a craggy 19 during the GWC, must be feeling pretty aged considering he’s been usurped by his three-year-old brother. Keyne gurning and giggling in the crowd has delighted fans in Spain and beyond. Considering some of the other people who’ve hogged TV cutaways, the toddler has been a welcome sight.Iván Barton: Salvadorian referee grabbed the globe’s attention when he sent off Miguel Almirón, bawling at the winger like a mum sending a misbehaving youngster to bed with no dinner. “After review, No 10, Paraguay, covered his mouth! The decision is red card!” No PlayStation either, Miguel!Eloy Room: move over, Vozinha, and make room for Eloy! Yep, another veteran goalie starred at this GWC as Curaçao bounced back from shipping seven (7) against Germany to hold Ecuador to a 0-0 draw. The 37-year-old Room made 15 saves – a record for a 90-minute World Cup match – to earn the tiny Caribbean island their first ever point.Danny Murphy: or should it be Bob the cat? The deadpan BBC pundit’s tale of how a family moggy once made a break for freedom inside a Royal Mail van – sparked by Oscar Bobb coming off the bench for Norway – proved so engrossing that viewers demanded, and got, several follow-ups. A purr-fect hydration-break diversion. Honk!Hossam Hassan: Egypt’s perma-angry, black T-shirted head coach was an intimidating presence – especially paired with his identical twin brother, the team director, Ibrahim Hassan. The pair had a row with Dallas police, led the Pharaohs to the last 16, saw Egypt take a 2-0 lead against Argentina … before the final 15 minutes helped Hossam reach new heights of apoplexy.Romelu Lukaku: how can Belgium’s record goalscorer be obscure enough for cult-hero status? Well, when you polish off USA USA USA 4-1 and celebrate your 93rd international goal with a Trump dance near the corner flag in the aftermath of Balogungate. Thanks, Big Rom (Bigliest Rom?) – the planet is with you.Join Rob Smyth from 8pm BST (3pm EST, 5am AEST) for hot updates from Spain 1-1 Argentina (aet; 4-5 on pens) in the GWC final. The animals below agree, though the punters in New York City disagree. Meanwhile Tom Lutz will be in situ for another liveblog mopping up all other business outside the game, which we’re tempted to call Everything But The Goal.“This game will help us for sure – even if you can never fully celebrate a bronze medal. It’s the first [men’s World Cup] medal for 60 years, first [at a men’s] World Cup on foreign soil, and I hope the players can be proud of that at some point. We set ourselves the highest dream to chase, and we were very, very ambitious with our dream to make the final in the World Cup. So it’s very, very painful if you miss out, the pain will stay for a while” – England head coach Thomas Tuchel after overseeing a quite preposterous 6-4 win over France in the Third Place Play-off.double quotation markMay I be one of the 1,057 pedants to point out that it’s little wonder Brazil lost to Poland in the 1970 TPPO (yesterday’s Football Daily) as they would have been resting players for the next day’s final against Italy (which they won 4-1 to claim their third world crown – Pelé, Carlos Alberto and all that). You must have meant the 1974 TPPO. Easy to be fatigued at this stage of the tournament; just ask Harry Kane” – Jonathan Westwood (and 1,056 others).If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day goes to … Jonathan Westwood (and the 1,056 others). Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here.This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. 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The 2026 World Cup is nearly over and, with the final fast approaching, it is time to put your knowledge of the tournament's history to the test.We want to see if you remember all eight of the countries who have won the men's World Cup.After more quizzes? Go to our dedicated Football Quizzes and Sports Quizzes pages and sign up for notifications to get the latest quizzes sent straight to your device.What information do we collect from this quiz?Related topicsFootballFIFA World Cup 2026Play more quizzesQuiz: Name every nation at the 2026 World CupWhich World Cup team are you? Take our quizWorld Cup quiz: Name every player in England's squadWorld Cup quiz: Name every player in Scotland's squad

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After the team’s third-placed finish, we rate the 24 squad members who made an appearance at the tournamentJordan Pickford Could he have done better with Enzo Fernández’s equaliser for Argentina? Jude Bellingham certainly thought so. But the man who has made more World Cup finals appearances than any other Englishman made some crucial saves, including a brilliant stop from Nicolas González in the semi-final. 7Dean Henderson Had to wait until the third-place playoff for some action and ended up conceding four goals despite a strong performance. Will hope to challenge Pickford over next two years. 7Djed Spence Emerged as an unlikely cult hero thanks to some wholehearted performances. He will always be remembered for snubbing Thomas Partey’s handshake and his tackle on Giuliano Simeone against Argentina. 8Marc Guéhi Somehow wasn’t Thomas Tuchel’s first-choice initially, although that was rectified after the Croatia game. England’s most consistent and reliable defender – the way he handled Erling Haaland was a masterclass. 8John Stones Arrived painfully short of match fitness and it showed in the opening game against Croatia. Much improved when called upon in the quarter- and semi-finals. A huge asset when he plays. 7Ezri Konsa A few shaky moments during the group stage but recovered well and filled in capably at right-back when needed. At 28, young enough to be there again in four years. 7Dan Burn Showed his limitations against Argentina. But he will always have those two epic appearances off the bench against Mexico and Norway. No one will forget the clearing headers so powerful they ended up in the opposition’s half. 7Nico O’Reilly Had his strongest game against Norway in the quarter-final when he was at his marauding best. Will be disappointed not to have scored and to have been on the pitch as a substitute when Argentina instigated their semi-final comeback. 6Reece James Such a good player when fit, which is sadly far too rare. Missed most of the tournament owing to a hamstring injury and England suffered when he went off against Argentina. 6Trevoh Chalobah The Chelsea player was a surprise choice to replace Tino Livramento, who pulled out injured at the last minute. Managed only six minutes against France in the end. 6Jarell Quansah Brought in to solve the right-back conundrum against Panama, he was doing well until the rush of blood against Mexico and subsequent red card. Recalled for the France game and had to be replaced. 5Jude Bellingham Showed his supreme quality when it mattered and could not be more committed to his country’s cause, even if his rocky relationship with Tuchel had to be carefully managed. 9Elliot Anderson Didn’t allow himself to be distracted by his £116m move to Manchester City and grew as the tournament progressed. Ran his heart out against Norway and Argentina. 8Morgan Rogers Made the most of his limited minutes in unfamiliar roles. Showed what a good player he is by playing as one of the two central midfielders against Norway before setting up Anthony Gordon from the right wing against Argentina. 8Declan Rice Clearly affected by the hamstring and back problems that marred the second half of his season with Arsenal, even if his effort – as ever – could not be faulted. Needs a long rest to recharge his batteries but may not get one. 6Eberechi Eze Could not have the impact he would have wished for in four substitute appearances before starting against France. Did a decent job in central midfield against Panama but was largely on the periphery when given a chance on the left in the quarter-final. 6Jordan Henderson Spent 12 minutes on the pitch, in a historic appearance against Panama when he became the first England men’s player to appear at seven major international tournaments. But managed to get booked against Mexico as a substitute and break an arm celebrating the win. 5Bukayo Saka Three goals and three assists despite playing through the pain of an achilles injury was a courageous effort from Arsenal’s talisman. It was a huge surprise not to see him come off the bench against Argentina and he showed what England were missing against France. 8Anthony Gordon A quiet start having been preferred to Rashford before responding magnificently to being dropped. Three assists and a goal against Argentina showed why Barcelona were so keen to sign him. 8Harry Kane Sadly his tournament will be remembered for a largely anonymous display against Argentina rather than rescuing England against the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Will he ever have a better chance to win the World Cup? 8Marcus Rashford Made a good start to his third World Cup by coming off the bench to score against Croatia, and started against Panama. But wasn’t seen again until England were chasing the game against Argentina in injury time. 6Ivan Toney Sat on the bench until Lautaro Martínez’s goal in added time of the semi-final. Could not make an impact in the three minutes he was given but did well against France. 6Ollie Watkins Largely a frustrated spectator despite his heroics in the Euro 2024 semi-final and arriving here in a rich vein of form. A half on the left flank against France and a brief appearance against Panama were scant reward. 6Noni Madueke Some promising moments but lacked end product in his four starts and had slipped down the pecking order by the semi-final. Needs to be much more clinical at this level. 5Did not play: James Trafford and Kobbie Mainoo

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Great brought an ideology to Barcelona that Guardiola and Emery refined, defining the playing style of the national teamTwo countries are generating powerful, cross-border momentum in football. Spain represent the leading footballing culture, radiating their influence across the globe. Argentina possess a distinct identity that shapes the South American continent. Consequently, the World Cup is witnessing the perfect final.The architect of Spain’s vision is Johan Cruyff. He brought the 4-3-3 formation and a specific ideology to Barcelona. A cadre of tactical purists, such as Pep Guardiola and Unai Emery, refined his approach into a philosophy that has defined the playing style of the entire league, all youth squads and the national team for nearly two decades. Its principles include ball-oriented defending, clearly defined positions and roles, a high level of organisation, and technical, combination-based football. Eleven players operate as a unit, moving like a swarm.Spain’s head coach, Luis de la Fuente, has internalised this guiding philosophy. He spent decades working in youth development at club and federation level, and his assistants are longtime associates. On the pitch, this style is embodied by Rodri, the world’s best player.Spanish idealism triumphed over French individual brilliance in the semi-final. Spain’s superiority was perfectly illustrated by the goal that made it 2–0, when the full-back Pedro Porro – unmarked inside the penalty area – slotted home with the inside of his right foot.Spain exerts influence across its continent because of its dominance. The nation has won three of the past five European Championships (2008, 2012, 2024) and is, by a wide margin, the most successful country in European club competitions this century. Spanish coaches are in high demand across top leagues, having exported their ideas throughout Europe for years. The women are world champions.The World Cup has underscored the fact that the global style of football is largely shaped by a Spanish-dominated Europe. At present, almost all of the international elite look to the models established by Barça, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal. Wherever a coach follows this guiding principle, sporting progress ensues. This confirms an age-old maxim: the quality of the coaches determines the quality of the sport.It is not true – as is sometimes claimed – that coaching methods have changed globally. What is happening is an alignment with the elite level. This applies to France, especially since Luis Enrique moulded PSG into the best club in Europe. Didier Deschamps has long embodied this philosophy. Although he didn’t quite make it to a third consecutive World Cup final, he is handing over a team with a promising future.England’s squad benefits from the Premier League – the world’s strongest league – which is highly international. The team are physically imposing and battle-hardened. The leaders Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane stepped up, aiming to achieve immortality after a 60-year wait. In the semi-final, however, their opponents’ stronger sense of identity prevailed.Thomas Tuchel moulded his squad into a cohesive unit that functioned well for much of the tournament. Yet the team lacked the biggest-name stars and failed to grow in stature from one match to the next. Ultimately, he lost faith in his lineup against Argentina. His substitutions stripped the team of stability and confidence, causing the collapse.Success follows where, beyond a guiding philosophy, there is outstanding individual quality, as seen in Norway with Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard. Even when such talent is lacking, teams that adhere to the principles of a clear philosophy remain competitive. Canada (Jesse Marsch), the USA (Mauricio Pochettino) and Ghana (Carlos Queiroz) hired coaches with experience in Europe. This trend is extending to Brazil (Carlo Ancelotti), where the unique abundance of talent from the past has faded.Morocco benefit from having a large portion of their squad trained in European academies or playing in top European leagues. Geographical proximity to Andalucía is an asset, and the country is due to co-host the 2030 World Cup. Tactically, the team are no different from Europe’s elite sides. Other African teams, too, defend compactly, operate with structure out of possession and are difficult to beat. Their players and coaches look to Europe for their approach.At this tournament six of the quarter-finalists were from Europe. From the starting lineups, 84 of 88 players were under contract with European clubs last season. The other four played in Europe before moving to a different continent after the age of 30, Lionel Messi among them. With the exception of one penalty, every goalscorer from the winning teams in the quarter-finals and semi-finals plays for a club that has reached a Champions League final in the past decade: Real Madrid, PSG, Arsenal, Liverpool, Atlético, Inter, Chelsea and Tottenham. True excellence is forged in Europe.However, it is quite possible the world champion will come from South America for the second time in a row. Argentina also set a model: defensive, focused on physical duels and prioritising security. Football as an existential struggle, deeply rooted in the culture. With the exception of Brazil, all South American teams were managed by Argentinian coaches.The prime example is Lionel Scaloni, who could become the first coach since the Italian Vittorio Pozzo, in 1938, to successfully defend a World Cup title. Scaloni spent 10 years as a professional in Spain, where he took his first steps as an assistant coach. He was mentored by De la Fuente, the man he will face in the final. It is a small world in football.Philipp Lahm’s column was produced in partnership with Oliver Fritsch at the German online magazine Die Zeit.