Was the World Cup 2026 a success?, By Reuben Abati

Spain won at the end of the day on Sunday, 19 July, 1-0 against Argentina, defending champions since Qatar 2022, and that was the climax of a tournament that lasted for 39 days during which 104 matches were played, by 48 teams from six Federations, participating (for the first time in the World Cup finals), in three countries – Canada, Mexico and the United States in 16 host cities – 11 in the United States (Atlanta, Boston Dalla, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle; three cities in Mexico – Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey, and two cities in Canada – Toronto and Vancouver.

FIFA World Cup 2026 was also a commercial success with a record-breaking total prize pot of $871 million, with the champions Spain, taking home $51 million, with gold rings for every member of the team, and the runners-up, Argentina – $34 million, and England in third place, $30 million.

This was England’s best outing at the World Cup since 1966 when they won the trophy, and now a bronze medal that was considered not good enough, even if they won 6-4 against one of the best teams in the world in the 2026 tournament.