So, the World Cup is over. 32 days, 104 matches and 308 goals later, the greatest competition on earth comes to a close. Filled with drama, quality and controversy, it’s time to look back on the month, looking at our favourite moments, our underdog stories and much more. Here on the Strathclyde Telegraph, our two sports writers Liam McBride and Felix Shoolbread give their picks while Creative Editor Erin Love and Deputy Editor in Chief Neil Singer also have their says!

Best Moment

Liam McBride: Nothing comes close to Argentina’s late victory against England. From the first minute, it was clear what type of match this would be: a grudge match. Tackles flew in plenty from both sides and by half-time, very little football had been played. Early on in the second half, as was the case in many of their matches, Argentina fell behind. Anthony Gordon finished from close range to give England a lead. It seemed as though the Lions would make their first final for 60 years.

Instead, they retreated, allowing the Argentinians to dominate. Chance after chance came; the woodwork was struck three times. Yet, the mentality monsters continued to fight, and forced an equaliser with a wonderful Enzo Fernandez strike five minutes from time. The momentum was with them, the blue and white crowd almost sucking the goal into the net. Seven minutes later, Messi found the ball on the right-hand side and played a perfect cross to Lautaro Martinez. The Inter Milan striker made no mistake, heading in to the roof of the net.

Scenes of ecstasy mixed with desolation. It was a reminder of the simultaneous beauty and cruelty of the sport we love. Messi’s dream of a second World Cup remained alive. Ferran Torres, of course, would have other ideas.

Felix Shoolbread: Sidney Lopes Cabral’s breath-taking goal for Cape Verde against holders Argentina will most certainly go down in World Cup history. To step up in that moment, while your team is trailing 2-1 to the champions in extra time was simply stunning. It gave hope to a country so small, of whom many had written off before a ball was even kicked.

Erin Love : My favourite from the World Cup was probably Madonna driving Ronaldo and Ronaldinho in the final because it was such a fever dream. Nothing to do with the sport but bonkers.

Neil Singer: Anything to do with Scotland’s time at the tournament is up there, though a special shoutout to the national anthem before Haiti; that was truly mega, and also John McGinn’s goal, of course. Outside of Scotland, it’s got to be Enzo getting sent off in the final, in what was a true display of karma. I was so pleased to see him pick up his second yellow that I must have screamed “Unlucky Enzo!” 10 times at my television. 

Favourite Underdog Story

Liam McBride: I think the obvious one is Cape Verde, so I will go with something a little different. Despite only reaching the last 16, I think Canada proved a really inspiring story. Under Jesse Marsch’s guidance, they were far from perfect, but they showed a real personality to their play, with quick attacking football present. This, mixed with the infectious atmosphere that they brought to the home games, made them a very entertaining watch for the neutral.

Before 2026, the Canadians had never won a game at the World Cup. Many from around the world discarded their chances at making a name for themselves despite making the semi-finals at the 2024 Copa America.

Undeterred by previous campaigns, they progressed through their group, securing 4 points, the highlight being a 6-0 win over Qatar. They were held to a draw against Bosnia and lost to Switzerland; however, they were incredibly unlucky to do so. Their build-up play was neat; however, they lacked that quality at times in the final third. A win over South Africa followed a 3-0 defeat to Morocco. It wasn’t a headline tournament by any means, but they redefined a generation of Canadian expectations.

Felix Shoolbread: For me, and I’m sure the majority of football fans, the nation of Cape Verde is a clear winner. As a nation with a population of around 530,000, they are one of the smallest nations to ever qualify. From their draw against eventual champions Spain to their narrow 3-2 loss in extra time to the holders Argentina, they captured the hearts of fans all around the world. Honourable mention to Norway, who progressed much further than most believed they would.

Blunder

Liam McBride: I would say Brazil have to fit that category. With Carlo Ancelotti appointed as manager, exiting at the round of 16 was a major disappointment. It marks their earliest exit since Italy in 1990.

In truth, they never really looked like contenders. Moments of brilliance from Vinicius Junior were all they seemed to rely on.

Morocco were the better team in the 1-1 draw, while Scotland (as much as it pains me to say) and Haiti were two of the worst teams at the tournament. A narrow win over Japan only papered over the cracks as the next round saw a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Norway. Perhaps the irony of football is that the Norwegian game was one that they deserved to win. Nevertheless, their drought for the biggest honour in football goes on.

Felix Shoolbread: It pains me to say it, but you just cannot look past Scott McKenna’s mistake in Scotland’s penultimate match against Brazil. Scotland’s biggest game in their history, a potential heroic underdog story for the ages, and you do that… A horror mistake that gifted Vinicius Jr. the first of two goals that ultimately knocked Scotland out of the competition.

Player of The Tournament

Liam McBride: It just has to be Lionel Messi. The little magician single-handedly took his team to the final and you saw how ordinary a side they looked when Spain were able to stop the service to him.

He scored eight goals, but as always it was his overall play. Everything came through him, whether it was central, on the left or right. The semi-final summed it up. As England sat back, Messi decided to run the game. Constant one-twos with teammates, he drifted into space.

Even at his age, he remains the best player on the planet. If we never see him again, we can be appreciative to have witnessed such greatness.

Felix Shoolbread: This could have easily gone to either player, but for me Kylian Mbappe beats Lionel Messi to it. In their run to the semi-finals, Mbappe was incredible, notching 10 goals throughout the tournament. In his first game of the tournament, he was relatively quiet against Senegal until he broke the deadlock in the 66th minute, going on to score a brace that sealed victory for France. His form would only get better, scoring in five of the following seven games, including three more braces. His link-up play with Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise was sensational, providing fans with one of the World Cup’s all-time entertaining frontlines.

One Thing to Change

Liam McBride: FIFA President Gianni Infantino. While the football was an incredible spectacle, the 56-year-old seemed to do all in his power to detract from the product at hand. First there was the draw, during which he randomly offered Donald Trump the “FIFA Peace Prize.”

Moreover, four years after a tournament which was moved to November in order to facilitate dangerous Qatari summer heat, he introduced three-minute water breaks to both halves of football. In reality, they were advertisement breaks, which essentially turned the beautiful game into a 4-quartered American interpretation.

Not to mention the 30-minute half-time show, which did little to improve an already worn pitch, or his lack of backbone in dealing with the treatment of the Iranian national team. And how could we forget Somali referee Omar Artan being denied entry to the States? Or Florian Balogun’s red card being overturned after Trump’s complaints? The list goes on.

While the football was incredible, everything behind the scenes seemed absolutely chaotic.

In trying to please everybody, Infantino had learned the age-old paradox: he had failed to please anybody.

Felix Shoolbread: Hydration breaks. The four-quarter format utilised throughout this campaign was extremely unpopular and for good reason. I can understand the use of them when it is a game played in Miami, for example, where the temperature was hitting as high as 33 degrees Celsius for certain matches. With games played in Dallas, however, a retractable roof stadium with controlled temperatures, it is extremely unnecessary. These players are some of the fittest people in the world; they can play in 20-degree heat for 45 minutes without stopping. The Americanisation of the beautiful game was tough to watch. It was clear it was unwanted as fans relentlessly booed these “hydration breaks” (clearly used to show ads for American viewers), as well as aspects such as the final’s halftime show, which England legend Wayne Rooney described as ‘crap’.

Neil Singer: A special and exclusive message of change has to go to the Argentina and Paraguay players who need to learn the concept of sportsmanship after their disgraceful displays. Particularly the actions of Argentina in the final, where players seemed to think they had stepped into a round of WWE, and the Paraguay team that faced France, who turned themselves into the most dislikeable underdogs ever seen at a World Cup, continually provoking and fouling Mbappe’s side.