The World Cup Comes to Indian Springs

The 2026 FIFA World Cup launched a somewhat controversial era for the tournament. Many wondered if its expansion from 32 to 48 teams would decrease the overall quality of the tournament, while others were excited for a bigger tournament and to see more countries getting opportunities on the world’s biggest stage. It was an exciting time to follow soccer on the world stage, especially for students at Indian Springs , who come from nine different countries—Mexico, Spain, United States, Canada, Czechia, Ghana, New Zealand, Germany, and South Korea—that played in the tournament.

Underdogs With Plenty of Bite

Underdog stories drove a lot of the drama of this year’s tournament, and the most surprising of the underdog teams was Cabo Verde, an island off the coast of West Africa who made their World Cup debut. 

Cabo Verde’s 40-year-old goalkeeper, Vozhina, became one of the tournament’s heroes when he registered seven saves in the first round against Spain. Cabo Verde wound up tying the World Cup favorites 0-0 in one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history, but Cabo Verde’s run didn’t end there. The team tied two-time World Cup champions Uruguay 2-2 before finishing their group stage with a goalless draw against Saudi Arabia, enough to see the Cabo Verdeans through to the knockout stage. In the round of 32, Cabo Verde ended up losing a 3-2 thriller to defending champions Argentina, but not before winning the hearts of many fans who had never heard of their country.

The other underdog story of this World Cup came from Norway. The Norwegians were seen by many as a dark horse with superstar forward Erling Haaland leading the charge. In their first World Cup since 1998, the Norwegians defeated Iraq 4-1 and then defeated African champions Senegal 3-2 in the group stage. 

Haaland became a national phenomenon throughout America, along with the Norwegian fans’ irresistibly funny rowing celebration that swept through the stadiums and the Internet. He scored the winner for Norway in the round of 32 against Cote d'Ivoire before the Norwegians shocked five-time World Cup champions Brazil in the round of 16, ultimately losing valiantly in extra time against England.

Bad Luck for Hosts

Since this World Cup was hosted by Mexico, Canada, and the United States, the three host nations had a lot of pressure. 

Mexico started this World Cup off quite well, comfortably defeating South Africa, South Korea, and Czechia to win their group. They didn’t have any problem in the round of 32 either; however, they were eliminated in a thriller against England during the round of 16, even though many believed the high altitude of their home stadium would help them. But England’s Jude Bellingham scored two early goals, and the Mexicans lost with a 3-2 score. The team has now lost their last eight matches in the round of 16.

Canada was expected to be the worst host country, having never won a World Cup match and being further handicapped by having their star defender, Alphonso Davis, injured. They started strong, though, with their first World Cup win against Qatar by a margin of 6-0! The Canadians also won their first ever knockout match 1-0 against South Africa in the round of 32, but were defeated by Morocco 3-0 in the next round.

Team USA's World Cup was the most divisive of the host countries. Going into the World Cup, Team USA had dealt with mixed results and doubts. Yet, the Americans comfortably defeated Paraguay and Australia to win their group before defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in the round of 32. Going into the round of 16, Team USA was looking to make it back to the World Cup Quarterfinals for the first time since 2002, hoping to capitalize on an inconsistent Belgium team.

Then politics got in the way. In the game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, star U.S. striker Folarin Balogun received a controversial red card, but it was even more contentious when FIFA President Giovanni Infantino—at the request of President Trump—decided to overturn the card, meaning that Balogun could play against Belgium. Many, including myself, thought that this was a terrible decision, as it compromised the integrity of the game and was openly corrupt. The Americans were embarrassed by Belgium 4-1 in the round of 16 putting a sour taste in the mouth of American fans. The news wasn’t all bad, though.

“Before this World Cup, soccer was already becoming more popular in the U.S., especially among younger people,” said Sara Louis Chopan, an American sophomore. “But I think this World Cup has helped soccer grow even more because it has gotten more people interested in watching and following the sport.”(Sara Louis Chopan and Aitor Gonzales Banuls)

Down to the Favorites Again

Despite all of these twists and turns, by the time that the semi-finals came around, only the top four teams in the world were still alive: Spain, France, Argentina, and England. 

Spain and France had dazzled audiences up to this point, but, surprisingly, the match was not close. Through Mikel Oryazabal and Pedro Porro, the Spanish had established a 2-0 lead by the 58th minute, and they were able to shut down French attackers to advance to the final match.

In the other semi-final match, England v.Argentina was a historic rivalry dating back to 1986 when the teams played in the World Cup semi-final and Argentina came back to win 2-1 won through two Diego Maradona goals.

Argentina was looking to win its second World Cup in a row, while England was looking to win its first since 1966. Both teams played very physically from the start of the match, with England breaking through in the 55th minute when Kyle Gordon gave England the lead. The English manager substituted talented English attacking players for defenders, trying to keep their lead, but instead giving Argentina constant possession of the ball. The Argentines found their equalizer through midfielder Enzo Fernandez in the 85th minute. Momentum shifted, and Lautaro Martinez scored the winner for Argentina in stoppage time. 

As a consolation prize, England won 6-4 in the third place match against France. 

In the final,  Spain was favored to defeat Argentina, although the Spanish dominated throughout the match, they couldn’t find the back of the net. Argentina’s goalkeeper, Emilano Martinez, played impressively. In stoppage time, with neither team having scored, Argentina's Enzo Fernandez picked up a second yellow card, meaning Argentina would play a man down in extra time.

Argentina wouldn’t go down easy, though. The match was still tied halfway through extra time. A minute into the second period of extra time, Spanish forward Nico Williams sent a header into the penalty box, and another Spanish forward, Ferran Torez, blasted the ball into the back of the net and won the World Cup for Spain. 

“Spain is a country where soccer is huge,” said Aitor Gonzales Banuls, a sophomore from Spain. “Everyone plays it during school breaks …. we live and breathe the sport. We lost our high expectations since we hadn't won anything since 2010, yet the whole country still threw its full support behind the team regardless of the results.”