Argentina and Spain will contest the World Cup final at the New York/New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, capping a tournament that Fifa president Gianni Infantino promised would be the "biggest event in the history of mankind". Infantino likened the 48-team tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada to "104 Super Bowls in one month".
The expansion brought debutants Curacao, Cape Verde, Jordan and Uzbekistan. Few captured the imagination like Cape Verde, a tiny archipelago of 530,000 people. They claimed draws against Spain and Uruguay and Saudi Arabia to finish second in their group, then took Argentina to extra time before losing 3-2 in the knockout rounds. "Without these stories, the group stage would have been pretty dull," the report noted. Cape Verde avoided defeat in 90 minutes against both World Cup finalists.
“Cape Verde's fairytale run and Trump's red card intervention defined the expanded 48-team World Cup.”
But the bigger tournament also brought controversy. Mandatory three-minute hydration breaks, regardless of conditions, allowed broadcasters to cash in with commercials. High ticket prices sparked debate. Political interventions began before the tournament with visa issues and Iran's participation, then US President Donald Trump intervened to get Florian Balogun's red card overturned.
Pierluigi Collina, Fifa's head of referees, waged war on time-wasting and pushed through law changes. However, the group stage saw 72 matches – more than an entire World Cup used to have – to eliminate just 16 teams. Fifa used head-to-head over goal difference as the first tie-breaker, leading to Australia-Paraguay and Austria-Algeria playing out draws that allowed both teams to progress.
The drama only really began in the knockout rounds. Cape Verde's run ended in extra time against Argentina, but their story, led by 40-year-old keeper Vozinha, vindicated Infantino's decision to expand. As the final approaches, the question remains: did the tournament live up to Infantino's bold claim?