2026 WORLD CUP - Recap - Final - Facts

Messi and Lamine Jamal 
Messi was just 19 years old when the photo of him with the baby, Lamine Jamal, in the bathtub was taken. Nineteen years later, on 19 July 2026, Messi and Lamine Jamal are competing against each other in the Football World Cup final, with Lamine wearing the No.19 shirt.

Best player | Rodri

Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri was named best player of the 2026 World Cup tournament.

Best top-scorer | Kylian Mbappé

Mbappé scored 10 goals and is now the men's Football World Cup all-time top scorer with 22 goals. 

2026 World Cup | recap

A record 10 African nations have qualified for the newly expanded 48-team 2026 World Cup, marking the continent's greatest achievement to date. Several of these teams progressed beyond the group stage into the knockout rounds, with at least one African team reaching the quarter-finals. This underlines their competitive performance, even though no African nation made it to the semi-finals or final.

From the round of 32, Spain, Argentina, England, and France emerged as the strongest teams, winning through the round of 16 and quarterfinals to reach the semifinals. 

Spain beat France 2:0 and Argentina beat England 2:1 to set up the final. England then beat France 6:4 in the third‑place match, while Spain defeated Argentina 1:0 after extra time in the final to win the 2026 World Cup.

Overall, the African teams showed a strong performance, though not yet title‑winning.