Spain are the central story of the 2026 FIFA World Cup review: they won the tournament, allowed just one goal, and extended their unbeaten run to 38 matches. ESPN’s grading piece places them at the top of the field after a tournament that also highlighted major individual performances and several high-profile disappointments.
Kylian Mbappé’s 10 goals earned him a second straight Golden Boot, while Erling Haaland scored seven times as Norway reached the quarterfinals. Lionel Messi also had a major statistical tournament with eight goals, although Argentina fell short of retaining the title.
The expanded 48-team format produced some notable storylines beyond the finalists. Cape Verde reached the round of 32, drew 0-0 with Spain, and pushed Argentina into extra time, while England’s campaign included a 6-4 win over France in the third-place match.
The harsher side of the review focused on traditional powers and leading figures. Germany exited in the round of 32 against Paraguay, Italy did not qualify, Brazil went out in the round of 16, and the article assigned low or failing grades to figures including Julian Nagelsmann, Gianni Infantino and Marcelo Bielsa. Because the source is explicitly opinion-led, those grades should be treated as editorial judgment rather than neutral tournament record.
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