It’s been a theme throughout this remarkable World Cup of 2026: football rewards bravery. Play with ambition, send players forward, try to score goals, and more often than not, you are rewarded.
When England took the lead over Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon, they appeared set for their first World Cup final since 1966. Instead, the team sank back, manager Thomas Tuchel sent on additional defenders, and England invited Argentina—indomitable, never-say-die Argentina—to attack their penalty area at will.
To allow Argentina to play the final half hour exclusively in England’s half, to allow Lionel Messi to see that much of the ball, that close to the English goal, in the compressed spaces in which he thrives, where he draws defenders to him in twos and threes, was suicide.
What makes it worse for England is that it was a needless surrender: up until Anthony Gordon scored, they had played Argentina evenly. With a goal advantage, and Argentina pressing more players forward, England had an opportunity to do what teams like Egypt and Cape Verde did: gash the aging Argentinian defense on the counter.
Instead, they retreated so far into their own penalty area they almost disappeared from view. Tim Vickery, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, said that, after the goal, England hung off their crossbar “like a team of bats.” From the moment Gordon scored to the moment Lautaro Martinez headed in Argentina’s second goal 37 minutes later, England had just 12 percent possession. Twelve.
Argentina never panicked. Having won three major tournaments in the last five years, they are, even if somewhat reduced by age, the personification of courage and confidence.
As the tension grew, they improved. They pummeled the England goal, hitting the post twice, forcing excellent saves from the English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, and finally breaking through. By the time Martinez scored the winner from a right-footed Messi cross, England were well past broken.
At this stage of the World Cup, the crucible, the biggest games in sport are won and lost not only on talent differentials but on poise and clarity of purpose. When push really comes to shove, who can play their game? Who can hold their nerve?
The two remaining teams in this North American tournament, Argentina and Spain, in two different ways, are the two that have best answered that question. They know who they are and they believe in themselves steadfastly. On Sunday, whatever the outcome, we will have a worthy champion.
Who’s Up?
- Spain
Argentina’s victory was more stirring, and Messi was once again the best player in this round of the tournament, but Spain’s annihilation of France was a singularly impressive feat of soccer genius.
France came into Tuesday’s semifinal as the favorite to win the tournament, boasting an array of extraordinary attacking players and outscoring their opponents on their route to the last four by a count of 16-2.
But they were so thoroughly outclassed by Spain that you’d never have known it. Spain put on a masterclass: their fluidity in possession, their defensive structure, the timing of their rotations, their collective workrate—for 90 minutes, they played as if they were a single organism.
France, for all their talent, didn’t create a single big chance. They were held to just three shots on target, two of which came after the game had entered second half stoppage time. For much of the game, they couldn’t even get the ball.
Spain’s performance was the culmination not just of their work throughout this tournament, but nearly two decades of top-down player development throughout the country all based around specific principles of play. The late Luis Aragonés, who launched the possession-based model that carried Spain to glory at Euro 2008, deserves his share of the credit.
- Cape Verde
The only team to play both the finalists at this tournament, and they played them both to a draw over 90 minutes: 0-0 against Spain and 1-1 against Argentina. Impresionante.
Who’s Down?
- The Individual
This World Cup has, more than most, been dominated by star players. But France’s capitulation to Spain was a timely reminder that soccer remains one of the ultimate team games, where the superior collective will almost always triumph over the superior collection of individuals.
Argentina, too, would not have advanced to this stage had they been as reliant on Messi as they were during the group phase. Messi has scored just one of Argentina’s eight knockout round goals, and while he has been no less integral to their success, his teammates have stepped up around him—in part, perhaps, because they are so devoted to him.
The Mercury’s Team of the Tournament
The most coveted prize in football…
Goalkeeper—Yassine Bounou, Morocco: Morocco were brushed aside by France, but Bounou was brilliant throughout the tournament—including in the penalty shootout win over the Netherlands.
Left Back—Marc Cucurella, Spain: The mad man of Catalonia is having a sensational tournament: pace, one-on-one defending, shuttling between positions—a world class player.
Center Back—Aymeric Laporte, Spain: This could easily also be Laporte’s Spanish center back partner, 19-year-old wunderkind Pau Cubarsí, but the Athletic Club man has been magisterial at the heart of the tremendous Spain defense.
Center Back—Chancel Mbemba, DR Congo: DR Congo were one of the tournament’s pleasant surprises, and their captain was at the heart of multiple standout performances: excellent in the air, composed on the ball, leading the way from the back.
Right Back—Daniel Muñoz, Colombia: It was perhaps a sign of Colombia’s fatal flaw that Muñoz was the team’s leading scorer, but his effervescent forward runs were critical in propelling Los Cafeteros to the top of their group.
Central Midfielder—Rodri, Spain: The man at the controls of Spain’s passing machine. He has dominated games from his deep-lying midfield position.
Central Midfielder—Jude Bellingham, England: A true big-game player—England wouldn’t have made it out of the Azteca with their tournament intact if not for his athleticism and impact.
Right Wing—Lionel Messi, Argentina: Almost certainly on his way to another Golden Ball, awarded to the tournament’s best player, and for good reason: his sense of timing, manipulation of space, technical ability, and will to win remain unmatched. What a gift.
Left Wing—Julián Quiñones, Mexico: Brazil’s Vini Jr. was electric, and France’s Michael Olise was a wizard on the ball, but Quiñones deserves a special mention for inspiring one of the host nations with his dynamism and goalscoring.
Forward—Kylian Mbappe, France: It ended with a whimper, but Mbappe was like lightning at this tournament. Every time he touched the ball, it looked like he could score.
Forward—Erling Haaland, Norway: No one has done more with fewer touches at a World Cup than Haaland, who both powered Norway to its best ever tournament finish and won plenty of hearts with his whiskey raccoon and such.
Who is Going to Win This Thing?
Spain are the best team; Argentina have the best spirit (and player). Spain will be favored, Argentina won’t care. It should be a great game: the first ever World Cup final contested between the champion of Europe and the champion of South America, and the first World Cup meeting of Spain and Argentina, two of the sport’s defining countries, in six decades.
It’s a final appetizing enough to make you think that, after more than 100 matches, the World Cup is still ending too soon.
