So thus ends the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Updated Jul 21, 2026, 12:45 AM UTC
Part Of
Germany at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Let’s be honest, the semifinals were better
This always happens with finals. It was the same in the UEFA Champions League. You get safe, boring, careful football. The semifinals have lower stakes, but they deliver better thrills.
Sure, the World Cup final is the biggest stage the sport has to offer. But you wouldn’t call a game where there were zero shots until the second hydration break particularly thrilling. Comparing it to the quality of the Spain-France semifinal or the intensity of England-Argentina, the difference is night and day.
This final is just more evidence that true spectacle can’t be enjoyed on the very biggest stage. Teams take fewer risks when so much is at stake. It makes for less interesting football. There is probably no way to solve this, so the goal should be to enjoy the tournament as-is. Even if it ended on a dour note, the FIFA World Cup 2026 was full of spectacle and thrills.
Decapitation
How do you stop the king? You cut off his head.
This metaphor would have made more sense if France had made the final. Regardless, Spain did an excellent job making sure Leo Messi did not exist. Argentina had the best player in football history and never got the ball to him. He was effective when he had the ball, but those moments were too few and far between.
This is the trouble with teams that rely on one major talisman. Take away their service and the whole system falls apart. Argentina defended doggedly, but provided no threat at the other end. They were decapitated by Spain and had no answer. Specifically, they could not get the ball past Rodri. So when possession was overturned, when it came time to find Messi, they could not get him into positions to influence the game.
That, more than anything, is the reason they lost.
What is game management?
Egypt. England. Now Spain. The third consecutive team to take a lead against Argentina, then completely surrender the momentum.
Is it something in the water? Pheromones in the dressing room? The psychology of this needs to be studied, because it really doesn’t make any sense. How does a ten-man Argentina dominate Spain for ten minutes straight, after spending the previous 110 minutes barely getting the ball?
It nearly cost the Spaniards more than once. In the end, Argentina’s luck simply ran out. They had no business pulling off some of the comebacks they did, but they deserve credit for doing it anyway. It simply wasn’t enough. If they had shown that level of courage and intensity in the rest of the game, Spain would have buckled and broken. Alas, it ended differently.
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