Sports World

After five weeks, a record 104 matches played and 308 goals scored, the 2026 World Cup is officially over. From a purely footballing perspective, FIFA's biggest tournament of all time did not disappoint, with 48 teams doing battle across three host countries and the vast expanse of North America. And when 46 of those nations had been whittled away, only the top two ranked teams on the planet remained: Spain and Argentina.

At the end of a final that was more memorable for Argentina's brutally physical approach than for any goalmouth action or moments of individual magic, it was La Roja who emerged victorious - claiming a second-ever World Cup crown courtesy of Ferran Torres' expert extra-time finish to leave Lionel Messi and Co. disconsolate.

This was a tournament that delivered a Golden Boot race for the ages, as Messi went head to head with France pair Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, Norway hitman Erling Haaland and England pair Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham in a gargantuan tussle for the individual accolade. Ultimately, it was Mbappe who prevailed - and not just in terms of the 2026 edition; the 27-year-old is now the outright all-time top goal-scorer in World Cup history.

You won't be surprised to find the Frenchman in GOAL's team of the tournament, then, but who else joins him in our best XI from the 2026 World Cup?

GK: Vozinha (Cape Verde)

Vozinha, Cape Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper, captured the imagination in North America, emerging as the minnows' most important player on an unlikely run to the knockout rounds. The Blue Sharks might not have won a single match , but the shot-stopper was instrumental in their trio of group-stage draws with Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, ensuring his side collected the minimum amount of points required to earn a blockbuster last-32 tie against the holders Argentina.

Vozinha rose to prominence after racking up seven saves in the remarkable goalless draw with the eventual champions in Cape Verde's opening game, and he would surpass that feat against Argentina in the knockouts by making another eight stops, as his side pushed Messi and Co. all the way before just falling short in extra-time.

Vozinha is now a cult hero, and his name is etched into World Cup folklore. He's even had a new species of sea creature named after him!

RB: Pedro Porro (Spain)

A World Cup has the power to be transformative for a player's career, and Pedro Porro is certainly someone who appears to have benefitted in North America. The Tottenham defender wasn't even Spain's starting right-back going into the tournament, but he didn't look back after replacing Atletico Madrid's Marcos Llorente in La Roja's line-up for the last-32 clash with Austria. Now, he is a world champion.

Porro demonstrated shone in that tie, keeping Austria's left flank quiet and demonstrating his attacking instincts by popping up in the opposition box to head his side into a two-goal lead. Keeping his place against Portugal in the round of 16, Porro was among Spain's standout performers, making more defensive contributions than anyone else on the pitch (nine), and he was impressive again - especially in attack - against Belgium in the last eight.

If that wasn't enough already, he delivered once more in the semi-finals, firing home the second goal like a seasoned striker to put the game beyond France, and his cross led to the goal in the final, too.

CB: Pau Cubarsi (Spain)

Alongside Porro in Spain's rock-solid backline, Pau Cubarsi played with a quality that belied his 19 years of age, remarkably emerging as the tournament's standout centre-half in North America. The teenager is a huge part of the reason why Luis de la Fuente's side conceded just once throughout their triumphant World Cup campaign and deservedly claimed the Young Player Award.

Cubarsi can count Cristiano Ronaldo, Mbappe and Messi among the superstar forwards he kept quiet en route to lifting the trophy, with his performance against the Frenchman in the semi-final particularly impressive as he nullified Les Bleus' main attacking threat. He demonstrated why he is so highly rated by his club side Barcelona with his passing ability and composure on the ball, helping to progress the play up the pitch with confidence and poise.

CB: Lisandro Martinez (Argentina)

It wasn't a vintage World Cup defensively for Argentina as the holders flirted with a premature exit throughout the knockout rounds and only reached the final by the skin of their teeth, but few embody their bite and never-say-die attitude like diminutive Manchester United centre-back Lisandro Martinez.

What he lacks in height the defender more than made up for in ball-playing ability and, of course, mastery of the dark arts. Statistically, he was among the best central defenders at the tournament, and he came up clutch in an attacking sense, too - providing an assist for Messi with a pinpoint ball over the top before crashing home an unstoppable extra-time finish in the helter-skelter last-32 victory over Cape Verde. It was a real shame that his final was curtailed by injury.

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