2026 World Cup Follows Qatar's Memorably Hosted 2022 Event

The 2026 World Cup in North America follows on from the 2022 edition in Qatar. The tiny Middle Eastern nation with little football heritage was a surprising choice to host such a massive event, but FIFA was keen to promote the tournament as an opportunity to deepen football's engagement with the Arab world. We cannot just transplant part of the world to another planet, we are all living here, but we need to know each other, we need to meet each other, we need to understand each other, even if we don't agree sometimes or often with what is happening in some parts of the world. But this World Cup is a unique opportunity for Qatar, for the Arab world, but for the entire world. By the time the tournament got underway in the Northern Hemisphere winter to avoid the Qatari summer heat, fans from around the world were treated to state-of-the-art facilities and football to remember. It's been 10 years in the making and this is the biggest event in the Middle East and the biggest event that has ever happened in the Middle East. It brings the world together, it brings the Arab world together, it's a moment of pride in the history of this part of the world. The group stage delivered plenty of eye-catching results, including Saudi Arabia defeating Argentina and Cameroon downing Brazil. But the big losers were Belgium and Germany, with both pre-tournament favourites failing to reach the knockout phase. Here, Morocco became the story of the World Cup, beating Spain on penalties, then Portugal to become the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final, whereupon defending champions France restored order. To go back-to-back, the French would have to reign on Lionel Messi's parade after Argentina overcame their opening match upset, squeeze past the Netherlands in a quarter-final penalty shootout, before finding form in a semi-final cruise against Croatia. The final may well be the greatest in World Cup history. Argentina stalwarts Messi and Angel Di Maria scored in the first half, only for Kylian Mbappe to send the match to extra time with a late brace. Messi restored his side's advantage, but Mbappe still had time to become only the second man to score a World Cup final hat-trick and send the fate of the World Cup trophy to a penalty shootout. This was Emiliano Martinez's opportunity to shine. The Argentina goalkeeper, a penalty specialist, saved Kingsley Coman's effort, then bewitched Aurelian Truemeni into firing wide. After years of build-up, the landmark 2022 World Cup had its defining moment. Lionel Messi, the greatest player in football's history, finally lifted the most precious trophy in the sport above his head at the fifth time of asking. It was a World Cup triumph for Messi, but also for Africa, thanks to Morocco, and also to Asia, with Qatar revelling in a job well done. A big shukran to Qatar for having been a fantastic, incredible host. Congratulations. Thank you. And mabrouk, as well, to Qatar, because what you have done, what they have done to welcome the world in this country, this beautiful country, has been unbelievable, and everyone felt home.