The Winners and Losers of the 2026 FIFA World Cup | OneFootball

While Spain is the ultimate champion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, there are plenty more winners (and far more losers as well) from the massive tournament. 

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has come to a conclusion, and the entire globe can take a collective exhale. It was a blurry six weeks filled with blissful ecstasy and bitter heartbreak, with a touch of controversy mixed in as well.

Spain put together one of the most dominant World Cup campaigns of all time, and La Roja is obviously the team that will return home on the highest of highs. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a handful of other nations, players, and fans that exit the tournament on a podium of their own.

With the world’s biggest sporting event now in our rear view, it’s the perfect time to reflect on who made their mark, for both the right and wrong reasons.

Loser: Thomas Tuchel

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

England had a pretty England-like tournament. The group stages were a mixed bag, but the Three Lions came out on top with seven points.

Unfortunately however, they peaked too early. England’s best performance was probably the opening match against Croatia, a dominant 4-2 win over the reigning third-place finishers. What followed was a series of inconsistent performances against opponents of lesser pedigree, which might be the biggest indictment of Thomas Tuchel.

His team’s valiant 3-2 win against Mexico at the Azteca with 10 men rallied a nation, but the shorthanded victory set a dangerous precedent.

In the quarterfinals against Norway, England came from behind to take a 2-1 lead in the first half of extra time, and again opted to drop back and defend the lead, subbing on defenders for attackers. And it worked.

Next came defending champions Argentina in the semifinals. The Three Lions were the better team after an hour, taking a 1-0 lead after a 55th-minute strike from Anthony Gordon. Not more than 20 minutes after he scored, Gordon would come off for central defender Ezri Konsa, as Tuchel once again made the choice to dig in and protect his team’s lead. The rest was history.

Following the Gordon goal, England managed just 12% possession. From the 71st minute, when Konsa replaced Gordon, to the 92nd minute, when Lautaro Martinez netted the game winner, England attempted 11 passes. Not completed, but attempted.

Tuchel’s decision to retreat will go down as one of the most cowardly in World Cup history, and while we’re yet to see if it will cost him his job, it’s certainly lost him the trust of huge portions of fans, the media, and maybe even his players.

Winner: Vozinha (and Cabo Verde)

Coming into this World Cup cycle, there was much conversation and lamenting of the expanded format, with the narrative being that the smaller nations would simply function as filler that would be put to the sword by the more traditional powers.

Boy, how wrong could they have been.

Cabo Verde was the best story of the 2026 World Cup. The nation of 530,000 gave Spain its biggest test, and it was the only team that the champions did not defeat en route to the title. The Blue Sharks also took runner-up Argentina to the brink of elimination in the round of 32.

The performances of players like Sidny Lopes Cabral, Roberto Lopez, and Kevin Pina were all huge highlights, but 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha was the star of the show. He almost single-handedly won the point against Spain, and he was hugely consistent throughout, gaining over 20 million Instagram followers to date since the beginning of the tournament.

Winner: Norway

*Cue rhythmic rowing*

The Norwegians made it to their first-ever FIFA World Cup quarterfinal, behind the brilliance of one Erling Haaland. The Manchester City star was probably the biggest winner in the entire squad, firstly for his immense performances on the pitch with seven goals, but even more than that, his transformation into a social media icon.

Norway was a popular dark horse pick coming into the tournament, and if not for some questionable attacking play in the first half of the game against England, it could have made it all the way to the last four. Some debut for their golden generation if you ask me.

Loser: Portugal’s Midfield

Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images

Going into the tournament, some had touted the Spanish midfield as the most talented position corps among the field, while other comprehensive casino guides for players placed France’s attack as the most dangerous group. But the majority consensus was that Portugal’s midfield was the one to watch.

Joao Neves and Vitinha were fresh off anchoring back-to-back Champions League triumphs for PSG, while Bruno Fernandes had perhaps the best season of his Manchester United tenure, earning EPL player of the season honors.

So how on earth did they all underperform to such a staggering degree?

With the exception of their 5-0 demolition of Uzbekistan, the Portuguese felt second best in the majority of their games, going out to eventual champions Spain in the quarterfinals. The synergy of the midfield left a lot to be desired. Fernandes had the biggest drop off relative to club form, and he was not able to take creative reins in the way he normally does, while Vitinha probably saw way more of the ball than he needed to. Neves gave a decent enough account for himself in and out of possession, but was nothing to write home about either.

Even without addressing the Ronaldo-sized elephant in the room, the Portuguese midfield underwhelmed to the highest degree, and if they’re to have any success in the upcoming European Championships, they need to figure it out.

Honorable Mention Winners

Mexico: The host nation had the time of their lives, playing every single match at home and enjoying some scintillating football.

Ayyoub Bouaddi: Hugely impressive for Morocco and could have earned himself a huge summer transfer.

Dishonorable Mention Losers

Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images

Uruguay: Out at the group stages despite having Saudi Arabia and debutants Cabo Verde in their group.

FIFA: Despite the quality of the product on the pitch and the undoubtedly absurd riches brought in, there was no shortage of controversy at the 2026 World Cup. From overturned red cards to questionable refereeing and hydration breaks, it’s been a tough PR summer for Infantino and co.