World Cup 2026: Superstar players, politics and hydration breaks among the standout themes of tournament so far
The 2026 World Cup has been packed with incident and drama - on and off the field. Ahead of the quarter-finals, we take a look at some of the key storylines from the tournament in Mexico, USA and Canada so far - from Lionel Messi's heroics to hydration breaks and President Donald Trump
Wednesday 8 July 2026 18:45, UK
A rest day at the World Cup provides the opportunity to take stock of how the biggest-ever edition has gone so far.
Have pre-tournament presumptions about off-field issues been proved correct? Which players and teams have set the storylines on the field? And what will be the legacy of the 2026 competition?
Who has been the big star of the World Cup so far?
The man who supposedly had the fairytale ending to his World Cup career four years ago: Lionel Messi.
Few would have predicted the Argentina legend, at 39 years old, delivering the game-changing, headline-grabbing performances he has so far. The current World Cup's top scorer has further fuelled his claim to be the greatest of all time.
But the A-listers have all shown up at this World Cup. Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Ousmane Dembele and Vinicius Jnr have been among the goals. Jude Bellingham has been a game-changer for England. And even Cristiano Ronaldo came up with a couple of moments to hit back at his critics.
With the leading actors centre stage there has been less room for breakout stars, but Switzerland's 20-year-old Johan Manzambi has made his name - along with Cape Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha. USA's Folarin Balogun made a flying start, too, but his World Cup story took a twist...
Has the 48-team format been justified?
The first-ever 48-team World Cup was preluded with concerns about batterings, mis-matches and predictable results and, unsurprisingly, there were hammerings in the group stage.
Qatar, Curacao, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and Iraq each experienced heavy losses - and Ronaldo was among the players to feast on weaker opposition when Portugal put five past Uzbekistan.
But there were upsets too - and the campaign of Cape Verde is the biggest endorsement of the expanded tournament.
Among the smallest nations ever to qualify for a World Cup, they held European champions Spain to a goalless draw in the group stage and then gave world champions Argentina a huge scare in the last 32.
Elsewhere, Qatar drew with Switzerland, Curacao repelled Ecuador, and DR Congo took a point off Portugal to reach the knockouts for the first time.
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The bloated group stage was a marathon and the equations required for teams to qualify as best third-place sides rankled. But whatever FIFA boss Gianni Infantino's reasons for increasing the size of the tournament - a gift to the world or a grab for more money and votes - it's hard to argue the new and rarely-seen faces at this World Cup added extra colour and intrigue.
Who else has broken new ground?
It's not just the minnows breaking new ground.
Switzerland have reached a first World Cup quarter-final since 1954. South Africa made it out of the group phase for the first time ever. Co-hosts Canada earned their first-ever point and win en route to the last 16. Norway have never made the last eight before.
For fans of many countries, this is a World Cup which has delivered memories to treasure.
Why has there been so much late drama?
There have been more stoppage-time winners than we've ever seen before at a World Cup - 10 of them after Argentina's incredible turnaround win over Egypt.
Hydration breaks and VAR checks have led to inevitable extensions of each match, and that added time has delivered incredible moments.
The Algeria-Austria ding-dong deep into injury time was jaw-dropping. Iran's disallowed winner in the final seconds against Egypt cost them a knockout place. Brazil's Gabriel Martinelli scored the latest winning goal in a World Cup knockout game (since 1966) - a 95:00 heartbreaker for Japan.
This has been a World Cup where you have to keep watching to the final whistle.
Is football now a game of four quarters?
Boos have rung out midway through each half during games at this World Cup. Fans in the stands have made it clear they do not like the hydration breaks. While the three-minute stoppage for players to grab a drink has been necessary in the burning heat many matches have been played in, the blanket rollout - even to matches taking place in air-conditioned stadiums - has drawn criticism.
While some have pointed to their introduction as being advertising opportunities, they have changed the way football is played. Defensive teams have the chance to reset midway through a half. Struggling sides can get redirection from their coaches. England, in particular, have benefited from Thomas Tuchel's frantically issued words of wisdom in these moments.
"These breaks are so important to give players a break during tournament play, while also allowing all coaches a dedicated moment in every match - not just depending on the weather conditions - to engage directly with their players," said Infantino after England's win over DR Congo. It appeared to be the first time the FIFA boss had deviated from clearly labelling the intention of the breaks to be for physical reasons.
Are hydration breaks here to stay? If so, football matches being split into quarters could be the lasting legacy of this World Cup.
How much of a problem has the weather been?
As mentioned above, it has been a hot, hot summer in North America. So far, though, the show has largely been able to go on.
For instance, France and Paraguay baked in 39C in Philadelphia on July 4 - but kept playing, despite the city's Independence Day parade being shelved.
There have been three weather-impacted matches, with Mexico's games against Ecuador and England pushed back an hour, and France-Iraq delayed for two hours at half-time, because of storms.
There could be more disruption to come, with a thunderstorm forecast around the time of the England vs Norway game in Miami, but three games out of 96 is a relatively low ratio, given six out of 63 were impacted at last summer's Club World Cup.
Has this been a political World Cup?
When Infantino controversially handed USA President Donald Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in December, the closeness of their relationship could not have been more clear. That connection emerged again when Trump revealed he had personally called Infantino to get Balogun's suspension reviewed ahead of USA's last-16 tie with Belgium
"It stinks," said Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville on ITV about the decision by FIFA's disciplinary committee to allow Balogun to play. But it's not been the only case of political interference at this tournament.
Iran captain Mehdi Taremi described his team as "oppressed" by the logistical restrictions which had forced them to move their training base from USA to Mexico, saw staff denied visas to enter the US, and limited the time they were able to spend in US host cities before and after their matches.
The US conflict with Iran was always going to make their participation difficult, but there has also been the high-profile non-admittance of Somali referee Omar Artan and seven-hour detention of Iraq striker Aymen Hussein at a Chicago airport.
Fans from Iran, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Ghana, Uzbekistan, Ecuador, Morocco and Jordan have all found it either impossible or very difficult to secure visas to attend a tournament which has been impacted by international affairs.
What innovations have been a success?
While games have been extended by the mandatory hydration breaks, they have been sped up in other areas.
It's been notable there have been fewer instances of physios coming on to the pitch, with a new rule meaning any treated player has to spend a minute on the sidelines.
Subs have also scampered off to avoid incurring yellow cards for taking longer than 10 seconds to exit the pitch, while goal-kicks and throw-ins have been overturned when players fall foul of a five-second countdown.
Before games, the huge flags of each nation have made for an impressive spectacle. The entire squads marching out on to the pitch in full kit to sing the national anthems is another break from tradition - but seems to have gone down well. Similarly, in-stadium announcements when yellow or red cards have been issued seems a sensible way to keep everyone informed.
The new offside technology, which involved every player at the tournament being body scanned, has largely been a success - except for when it didn't work as Switzerland won a penalty to equalise against Qatar.
The audio alert sent to assistant referees when a player is more than 10cm offside so they don't need to delay raising their flags has been a step forward.
There was also the decisive use of the motion-sensing microchip inside adidas' Trionda ball which revealed the faintest of touches from Igor Matanovic which meant Josko Gvardiol was offside when he thought he'd tapped in a last-gasp equaliser for Croatia against Portugal in the last 32.
Of course, there have been refereeing and VAR decisions which have been criticised. Egypt have lodged a complaint to FIFA about the "unfair" refereeing of their game with Argentina, while France appealed a Michael Olise yellow card and England weighed up a similar protest to Jarell Quansah's red. But there have also been examples where technology has sped up and brought increased accuracy to officiating.
And, most importantly, have the fans - at home and at the World Cup - had a good time?
Ticketing was a huge issue in the run-up to this World Cup and has continued to draw negative headlines, with huge prices put on seats in the stands. It will be an issue forever associated with this World Cup.
However, despite the frustrations of many supporters about the cost of attending this tournament, stadiums have, largely, been well filled throughout.
And have those fans watching from afar or in attendance had a good time? Well check out these videos and tell us what you think...
