The American World Cup: Messi lost, but the Muppets sang

For weeks, the conversation surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup final centered on everything except the soccer.

Would President Donald Trump‘s attendance overshadow the match? Would heightened security snarl transportation? Would smoke from Canadian wildfires and oppressive July heat make conditions miserable? And would FIFA’s first-ever World Cup halftime show feel like an unnecessary attempt to turn the sport’s biggest event into the Super Bowl?

In the end, none of it mattered as much as the game itself.

Spain defeated defending champion Argentina 1-0 in extra time Sunday at MetLife Stadium, finally breaking through after more than 100 minutes of relentless pressure to capture its second World Cup title. Spanish soccer star (formerly of Manchester City and La Liga) Ferran Torres’ winner capped a match Spain largely controlled, denying legend Lionel Messi another championship in what could prove to be his final World Cup appearance.

The match rewarded patience rather than spectacle. Spain dictated possession for much of the afternoon while Argentina defended stubbornly, forcing the final into extra time before the breakthrough finally came. Rather than a shootout or penalty kicks, the championship was decided by a single moment of quality in one of the tournament’s tightest contests.

That doesn’t mean everything surrounding the match disappeared.

Trump attended the final and later joined FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the trophy presentation. As usual, the crowd responded with audible boos as during the game when he was on the big screen, but once the medals and trophy presentation began, the focus remained to Spain’s celebration rather than the politics surrounding the event.

And FIFA’s biggest gamble also appeared to pay off.

The tournament’s first halftime show featured an eclectic lineup including Madonna, Justin Bieber, BTS, Shakira, Chris Martin, Burna Boy and, in one of the day’s more unexpected highlights, the Muppets. Rather than overwhelming the final, the brief performance felt like a celebration of the World Cup’s global audience. For years, soccer traditionalists worried a halftime show would unnecessarily “Americanize” the tournament. Instead, FIFA largely kept the focus where it belonged: on the championship match itself.

Even Mother Nature cooperated.

After severe storms and flooding swept through parts of the New York metropolitan area just a day earlier — and after days of concern about smoke drifting south from Canadian wildfires — the skies over North Jersey cleared in time for kickoff. Fans arrived to warm but manageable conditions, allowing the final to unfold without the weather becoming another headline.

In many ways, that became the story of the 2026 World Cup final.

The tournament arrived carrying months of debate over politics, logistics, security and spectacle. Yet by the final whistle, those conversations had faded into the background.

Spain had won a fiercely contested championship. Messi had added another memorable chapter to an extraordinary career, even in defeat. FIFA’s halftime experiment proved less controversial than many feared. And for one afternoon in New Jersey, the world’s biggest sporting event succeeded by reminding everyone why they came in the first place.

They came for the soccer. Or rather, football.