World Cup 2026 awards including best player, goal, match and the unforgettable moments

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The Independent

20 July 2026

A thrilling

World Cup

reached a flat and then farcical end as ugly scenes marred the aftermath of

Spain

’s final win over

Argentina

There was no doubt, though, that Luis de la Fuente’s side were

deserving winners both of a one-sided final

and a tournament at which they were the most complete team, adding global glory to the continental crown won at Euro 2024.

The winners were only one part of the richer

tapestry, though, with an expanded tournament delivering plenty of drama –

and not all of it, sadly, on the pitch.

Stars like

Lionel Messi

Kylian Mbappe

Rodri

Erling Haaland

and – less entertainingly – Donald Trump were all prominent, while debutants including Cape Verde and Curacao provided memorable moments.

What were some of the highlights and lowlights of the tournament? Here are The Independent’s

2026 awards:

Miguel Delaney, Chief Football Writer:

3-2 Egypt

: The most dramatic of Argentina's many epics.

Richard Jolly, Senior Football Correspondent:

It probably comes down to three 3-2s, between England and Mexico,

and Cape Verde and

and Egypt.

This vote – just about – goes to the last

, for an extraordinary comeback and high drama, even without the subsequent accusations from Egypt.

Lawrence Ostlere: Chief Sports Writer:

3-2 Egypt.

Messi’s

story was heading to an uninspiring end before the wild turnaround.

Jack Rathborn, Sports Editor:

Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde.

A staggering contest where the unthinkable seemed possible for a moment, before the defending champions squeezed through to the last 16. Sidny Lopes Cabral's stunner is now embedded in

history.

Kieran Jackson, Senior Sports Writer:

Mexico 2-3 England.

A contest which matched the stratospheric hype. A volcano of atmosphere at altitude in the Azteca, the World Cup’s most iconic stadium, preceded one very dramatic match: brilliant goals, VAR interventions and a red card. Jude Bellingham

played heroically

to guide England to one of their best-ever

wins; a privilege to witness it.

Will Castle, Sports Reporter:

3-2 Cape Verde.

It's hard not to give this to England-Mexico, but I've got to go with my head over heart. Tiny Cape Verde were the gift that just kept on giving this tournament and seeing them so nearly take the holders to penalties was just mesmerising. Sidny Lopes Cabral's wondergoal had me making very anti-social noises for that early in the morning. Box-office viewing, and an admirable ending for the team that wrote the story of the

Alex Pattle, Sports Reporter: Mexico 2-3 England.

I hear any shouts for

v Egypt or

v Cape Verde, but the former left its drama quite late, and the latter is a close second for me. Mexico v England, however, had a bit of everything – and the drama was consistent throughout. From Jude Bellingham's quickfire double to Jarell Quansah's red card, from a penalty for each side to England's heroic stand, this was a melodrama.

open image in gallery

Lionel Messi of

celebrates after scoring against Egypt (Getty)

MD:

. Central to the best team idea, and no one close to him.

RJ: It has been a constant contest throughout between Kylian Mbappe and

, but Spain’s eventual triumph and

Rodri’s huge role in it means he gets this vote.

Rodri lifts the

aloft after steering

to final victory (Getty)

LO:

Lionel

Messi

has been fantastic too, but Messi lifted a worse team to a

final almost single-handedly.

JR:

. Still operating at an outrageous level, walking a lot of the time, but capable of explosive bursts to complement the majestic way he can still use the ball with or without time and space.

KJ:

Lionel Messi.

Sensational tournament from the 39-year-old

captain in his sixth

. From a first-ever

hat-trick to open up proceddings, before goals after goals after goals. We all thought Qatar was his lasting international legacy, but his performances here have made a complete mockery of those who thought he couldn’t do it at the top level anymore. His turning of the tide against Egypt and England, in particular, shows his indelible aura.

WC:

Kylian Mbappe.

A three-horse race with Bellingham and Messi for me, but Mbappe takes the cake. Yes, he went missing in the semis but before that, he was the driving force of the most dangerous team at this

by far. And unlike Messi, his overwhelming powers did not wane from the groups to the knockouts... until the other night, anyway. At 27, he's already blown past Miroslav Klose's all-time goalscoring record (one of two to do that this tournament, sorry Miroslav); he's on course to become the greatest

player ever.

AP:

It now almost feels ridiculous that we deemed him a fading force in 2022, on his last legs when it came to achieving that elusive world conquest. Just as in Qatar, we've seen every side of Messi: from the magical to the dogged. But we've also seen him score even more goals this year than in 2022, and so many of them in the first few games as part of an electric start to the tournament, in which he was dragging

along a little bit – not for the first time.

Lionel Messi has maintained an extraordinary level for

during the

(Getty)

Pedro Porro v France

. Not just a brilliant finish and crescendo, but a supreme team move.

RJ:

Sidney Lopes Cabral vs

– Extraordinary in every respect, from the manner of it to the context, with Cape Verde the best of the genuine underdogs. Lopes Cabral’s celebration wasn’t bad, either.

Jude Bellingham v France

, securing that coveted bronze medal in style.

Wilson Isidor's rocket against Morocco.

A magic moment for Haiti and the purest of strikes.

Cabral's incredible goal.

The most stunning of strikes from Cape Verde’s Cabral, leaving Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez gazing on in bemusement, just edges out Harry Kane’s winner vs DR Congo for me.

Cabral's stunner against Argentina

. See above for my reaction. Extra points for his chaotic celebration which looked like an outer-body experience.

Wilson Isidor vs Morocco.

The definition of a shot that "stayed hit". I want to say the Haitian arrowed it into the top corner, but there's the

slightest

, most-essential swerve on the ball, just seeing it elude Yassine Bounou's grasp. Beauty.

Sidny Lopes Cabral of Cabo Verde celebrates after scoring vs

MD: The

Donald Trump intervention on Folarin Balogun.

An obvious one but it has potentially huge repercussions.

The Folarin Balogun affair

. Nothing against Balogun but the unholy alliance of Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino confirmed that different rules applied for Americans. It was, in effect, an attempt to rig things in favour of (one of) the hosts. Justice was done with Belgium’s unexpectedly brilliant performance, and the USA’s wretched one, as a team with an eligible again Balogun were beaten 4-1.

LO: The

Balogun

scandal

was another deep low in Gianni Infantino’s reign as Fifa president.

JR: It is obviously the suspension of

Folarin Balogun's ban after a little help from President Trump

. But Iran's gruelling travel schedule and problems leaves a bitter taste.

KJ: No shocks here. As someone who covered the United States on their west coast journey, and the mammoth

feel-good feeling

to go with it,

the Folarin Balogun affair

completely eroded all that and, undoubtedly, impacted the squad before their awful display against a galvanised Belgium in the last-16. Awful

from Trump, awful from Fifa

and awful for the precedent it could set down the line.

The Balogun debacle

. I feel bad that the USA striker's name will always be attached to this absolute farce because it wasn't his fault, at all. But Mr Trump getting on the blower to Mr Infantino and ordering his chum to give the co-hosts special treatment was the most egregious, blatant act of political interference in a game that is meant to be completely free of that, per Fifa's own laws. Today, I feel Belgian.

Folarin Balogun-gate.

There's nothing I could add to my colleagues' brilliant coverage over the last fortnight.

Folarin Balogun was able to play against Belgium with President Donald Trump's intervention assisting the suspension of his ban (Getty)

MD: Between getting to go to the Azteca and attending the theatre of

games.

RJ: The Scotland fans in Boston were brilliant and, while it was far from a great game, it was brilliant to be at their first

win in 36 years. But if events on the field play more of a part in the criteria, it is between Croatia against Portugal and

Norway’s win over Brazil

, with the latter just shading it.

LO: Seeing

England dismantle Croatia

in that stunning second half in Dallas, when the world seemed full of possibility for Thomas Tuchel’s team. They never quite recreated those highs, at least until the bronze match.

JR: Watching

Lionel Messi's 17th record-breaking

goal

in Dallas against Austria in trademark fashion with that sweeping left-footed finish after starting the move on the half-way line. A special mention to 13 June: Brazil v Morocco in New Jersey, which was an outstanding contest, before the euphoric scenes descended across Manhatten as the New York Knicks won their first NBA Championship in 53 years. A city bursting with joy and embracing sport and the multicultural effect of the

. One of the moments of the year or decade for US culture.

KJ: A once-in-a-lifetime experience

watching England in a

knockout match at the Azteca

. The whole weekend, there was a

magic dust around Mexico City

; fans on both sides were passionate and good natured, both teams played their hearts out on the pitch and it was the best atmosphere I’ve ever experienced in sport. Also, a shout-out for

Iran vs Egypt in Seattle

: brilliant fans, brilliant game, brilliant city.

England's triumph at the Azteca

, without a doubt. This was the proudest I've ever been watching the national team in my lifetime. All the altitude talk, the legend of Mexico's fortress where they're never beaten, swept aside by the gutsiest of all performances. Thomas Tuchel really got it right that night - shame about what happened two games later.

Watching England beat Mexico in the middle of the night.

File this under "core memories" for life. The hour delay added to the anticipation, plunging the game even deeper into the London night, but I felt as awake as one could be, courtesy of the adrenaline. Yet weirdly, contrary to expectation, that buzz didn't keep me up after the game; I slept like a baby and felt energised when I woke up for work the next morning, with that kind of football Boxing Day feeling more like Christmas. I fear that, for some, the heartache of the

tie will eclipse the ecstasy of the Mexico game for a while, but I hope the Azteca showdown eventually occupies its rightful place in the hearts of England fans – it must be treasured.

A general view of the Azteca Stadium during Mexico v England (Getty)

MD: Oddly, how forgettable most of the tournament was. It was entertaining, but in a very forgettable way. A classic case of more is less.

RJ: Even Fifa and Trump can’t ruin the

LO: Possession football still rules.

JR: Beyond the controversy and a sport that is closer to being broken than perfect, it is impossible to overlook how great the

is and how incredibly well equipped the United States are to host major events. Rotation should and will see them wait a while for their next opportunity, but this provided a glimpse of how the LA28 Olympics could look, with football playing a small part there too.

KJ: The

multi-culturalism of the World Cup

, the passion and fervour of players and fans from all over the globe, endures above and beyond all the myriad of politcal-related issues caused by Fifa and Trump.

WC: Infantino is willing to ruin his own tournament to bootlick Trump. Fifa can always go lower.

AP: Fifa has lost control. From Infantino allowing Trump to wade into the Balogun mess, turning it into an outright farce, to the Fifa president hinting at a further

expansion in 2030 (with 64 teams), the governing body lost control of this tournament and has lost sight of itself. Infantino must be removed, yes, but will any replacement be much better? Fifa doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt.

Donald Trump was an uncomfortably prominent part of the

MD: Vozinha; Porro, Cubarsi, Li. Martinez, Cucurella;

, Paredes, Olmo, Bellingham; Messi, Haaland.

RJ: Vozinha; Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Nuno Mendes; Odegaard,

; Messi, Bellingham; Mbappe, Haaland.

LO: Vozinha; Porro, Cubarsi, Saliba, Cucurella;

, Odegaard, Bellingham; Messi, Kane, Mbappe.

JR: Beiranvand; Porro, Cubarsi, Lisandro Martinez, Cucurella; Bellingham,

, Olmo; Messi, Haaland, Mbappe.

KJ: Vozinha; Porro, Saliba, Laporte, Cucurella;

, Fernandez, Bellingham; Mbappe, Messi, Haaland.

WC: Simon; Porro, Upamecano, Laporte, Nuno Mendes;

, Fernandez, Bellingham; Messi, Haaland, Mbappe.

AP: Vozinha; Porro, Upamecano, Laporte, Cucurella;

, Fernandez, Bellingham; Messi, Oyarzabal, Mbappe.

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