So the World Cup is over. And for most Americans that means back to not caring about soccer. But I don’t care what jokes my fellow Americans may make, there really is nothing quite like this tournament. So before we set our sights on training camp and the upcoming NFL season, let’s revisit some of the best moments from what was truly an awesome 2026 World Cup.
When looking back at a World Cup, the moments that stick with us aren’t always a single goal or highlight. Sometimes they’re dramatic comebacks, Cinderella runs, shocking upsets, or unforgettable matches that capture the spirit of the tournament. With that in mind, here are my rankings of the 10 most memorable moments and storylines from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
10. Tillman’s Free-Kick Sends America Through
I had to get a USA moment in here, right? Having to play a man down up just 1-0 after Balogun’s red card, Tillman helped put away Bosnia-Herzegovina with this free kick goal. It was USA’s first knockout win since ’02, and first knockout win against a European side.
9. Harry Kane Saves England
In the Round of 32, it was Congo DR who led England 1-0 at the 70′ mark after scoring an early goal. It would have been a shocking and awful upset for one of the favorites England. Then comes along Harry Kane to save the day with a late brace.
8. Argentina Survives a Thriller vs Egypt
Another game where a shocking upset almost occurred. This time in the Round of 16 as Argentina escapes Egypt late. We had a shocking VAR moment where an Egypt goal was overturned as officials rewinded 110 yards to take this goal away:
Egypt did score a second goal shortly after this anyway, but still a stunning moment to rewind that far and take this one away. That decision definitely sparked plenty of debate and was one of several VAR moments that left fans, including me, frustrated. But all tournament Argentina was the team that wouldn’t say die. And it was never more apparent than in this game. Scoring in the 79′, 83′, and 90+3′ to send Egypt home in shocking fashion.
7. Haaland Breaks Brazil’s Hearts
Brazil had made at least the quarterfinals in 8 consecutive World Cups dating back to their championship in 1994. But that streak comes to an end in 2026 because of… Norway? Imagine hearing that would be the case back in 2002. Haaland was the hero in this one with his late brace to secure the win. A great header for the first goal, and just a perfect shot to put Brazil away with the second goal. A low, hard-driven shot right into the corner. Perfection. Brazil would get a goal themselves, but it was pretty much over by that point. Norway fought hard this whole tournament, and they plus Haaland were a joy to watch. Their fans are pretty cool, too.
6. Paraguay Shocks Germany in a Penalty Shootout
Is the United States better than Germany as we made it farther and beat this Paraguay team?! Just kidding, I know we suck. But maybe Germany does now too? After failing to make it out of the group stage in the previous two World Cups, Germany finally gets back to the knockouts as heavy favorites against Paraguay. I exaggerate when I say Germany “sucks”, but this certainly doesn’t look like the German team I used to watch growing up. And apparently some German players were scared to take penalties?! Can’t have that on a Germany squad. What an upset by Paraguay though, and credit to them for never looking intimidated and sending the four-time champs home.
5. Two Goals in Two Minutes for Belgium
One of the best finishes of the tournament for sure in this Round of 32 matchup between Senegal and Belgium. Senegal entered this World Cup as a dark horse pick to make a deep run, but finished 3rd in their group after losing to both France and Norway. However they definitely showed up in this game, taking a commanding 2-0 lead into the 80′ against group winner Belgium. Then, in just two minutes, Belgium completely flipped the match on its head and tied things up. If that wasn’t dramatic enough, in extra time VAR confirmed Senegal committed a foul in the box in the 117′. Opening the door for Belgium to score a late penalty to win this Round of 32 thriller.
4. The Goal That Won the World Cup
Well this one is pretty straightforward. In a game Spain certainly deserved to win, it was Ferran Torres’ goal in extra time that sealed the deal for Spain. Argentina finished this game with 0 shots on goal compared to Spain’s 12. Spain also allowed just one goal this entire tournament. I think it’s fair to say the best team won this World Cup, and this is the moment that ultimately won it all.
3. Argentina’s Incredible Semifinal Comeback
England just has a knack for losing in the most heartbreaking ways. Thomas Tuchel has to take a lot of blame here though, as England resorted to a pathetic defensive shell after going up just 1-0. This allowed Argentina to apply a ton of pressure, and it started to feel like Argentina may just be able to do it again. Sure enough, Argentina scores two goals after the 84′ to snatch this game away from England. Obviously this being the semifinal with a trip to the final on the line makes it all the more important and dramatic.
2. 90 Minutes Weren’t Nearly Enough
Madness is really the best word I can think of to describe this Round of 32 matchup between Croatia and Portugal. A second half for the ages. Croatia takes the lead in the 53′ with a Perisic goal, only to see that goal answered by Portugal in the 68′ with a Ronaldo penalty. But it’s stoppage time where this game gets really wild. Portugal looked to have found a winner when Goncalo Ramos headed one home in the 90+4′. What should have been 10 minutes of stoppage time ended up feeling like 1,000 extra minutes as the official had to adjust for all the time wasted from the Portugal goal and the ensuing celebration. So in the 90+13′, it looked like Croatia had found a stunning equalizer right at the end. But VAR, using a chip inside the ball, found that a Croatian player had deflected the cross causing his teammate to be offside. A freaking chip in the ball kept this game from going into extra time. From euphoria to heartbreak for Croatia in the matter of minutes, and vice versa for Portugal.
1. Cabo Verde
Where to even begin with this team. Cabo Verde was a team before the tournament that I looked at and said “this is exactly why they shouldn’t have expanded to 48 teams.” And I couldn’t be happier how wrong I was after seeing this team. Even after they shockingly made the knockouts, which they should be damn proud of, I saw Argentina as the matchup and was like ok now they may get killed. Wrong again! Not only was making the knockout rounds a great accomplishment, but they go toe to toe with Messi and the defending champs. With a population of just roughly 530,000; this country shows up and draws Spain, draws Uruguay, and fought Argentina till the very end. Those are three of the eight countries to ever win a World Cup! Unbelievable. It was a blast to watch this team and to be proven so wrong. Sidny Lopes Cabral also scored perhaps the goal of the tournament against Argentina. This is what the World Cup is all about!
Honorable Mentions
England vs Mexico in Round of 16: Unreal vibes at the Azteca in Mexico. The atmosphere was crazy, and the game was just as nuts. One of the best games of the World Cup. Might need the full highlights for this one.
Spain late winner vs Belgium in Quarterfinals:
Brazil stoppage time winner against Japan in Round of 32:
Kylian Mbappe: Shoutout to Mbappe for becoming the all time leading goal scorer in World Cup history. He currently sits at 22 goals, which is one more than Messi at 21. What’s incredible is Mbappe has only played in three of these, while Messi has been in six. So he will certainly add more goals to this tally before his career is done.
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