The 2026 FIFA World Cup champion will not be decided until Sunday, when Spain faces Argentina in the final at MetLife Stadium. Before that, France will play England or third place on Saturday.
But with the tournament's final weekend approaching, the list of winners is already much longer than the four teams left standing.
Telemundo has challenged assumptions about how Americans watch soccer. Norway turned a quarterfinal defeat into a national holiday. Cape Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper became a global star, and Lamine Yamal's three-year-old brother nearly stole the spotlight from one of the world's best players.
Then there were Argentina's supporters, who transformed U.S. parks and streets into previews of Buenos Aires on match day.
Telemundo Found an Audience Far Beyond Spanish Speakers
Telemundo may be the tournament's biggest commercial winner, and the Spanish language one of the champions.
During the opening weekend, Telemundo and Peacock averaged 7.5 million viewers across the first 12 matches, a 234% increase from the comparable stage of the 2022 World Cup. The Spanish-language coverage captured an average 53% of the total U.S. World Cup audience during that period, according to NBCUniversal. Nielsen data showed that 20% of Telemundo's World Cup audience identified English as their primary language.
By early July, Telemundo and Peacock were averaging 4.6 million viewers per match, while the network's World Cup-related social media content had surpassed 1 billion views.
The U.S. soccer audience seemed to be preparing for a final in which the two teams speak Spanish and share the Hispanic culture.
"I can't tell you how many comments I've seen where people are saying, 'I don't speak a lick of Spanish, but I want to watch it on Telemundo because it just sounds more exciting,'" Miguel Lorenzo, a senior vice president at Telemundo Deportes, told NPR. "Joy and excitement and drama: it's language agnostic, it's universal."
Telemundo also benefited from a production decision that became a talking point among fans. While Fox inserted advertising during some player hydration breaks, Telemundo kept its cameras on the field.
"When you cut to ads, you lose the stress, you lose the joy, the anticipation," comedian Trevor Noah said while praising the Spanish-language coverage. "So shout out again, Telemundo: Really, really amazing coverage."
Zlatan Won Television
Fox found its own breakout star in Zlatan Ibrahimović.
The retired Swedish striker joined the network's World Cup team alongside Thierry Henry, Rebecca Lowe and Alexi Lalas. His confidence, cutting humor and refusal to behave like a conventional studio analyst quickly became part of the show.
Asked during the tournament whether he respected the opinions of all his fellow analysts, Ibrahimović initially answered "yes," before his exchanges with Lalas and others turned into recurring social media clips.
His comments were sometimes analysis and sometimes performance, but that distinction hardly mattered. Fox hired Zlatan and received the full Zlatan experience.
The audience was certainly there. England's quarterfinal victory over Norway reportedly peaked at 21.8 million viewers on Fox, while the four quarterfinals averaged 15.64 million, up roughly 150% from the corresponding round in 2022.
Haaland and Norway Lost a Game, Then Won the Country
Norway's 2-1 extra-time loss to England ended its deepest World Cup run, but the reaction at home looked more like a championship celebration.More than 100,000 supporters filled central Oslo for the team's homecoming, stretching from the Royal Palace along Karl Johans gate as players traveled through the capital in an open-top bus.
"The support we have received in the USA and here at home in Norway has been beyond all expectations," captain Martin Ødegaard told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. "It has been absolutely incredible to see."
Norway's fans also created one of the tournament's most recognizable celebrations, the synchronized "Viking row," in which crowds sat or crouched together and mimicked rowing a ship. The chant appeared in Times Square, on New York subways and at fan gatherings before following the team back to Oslo.
Erling Haaland finished the tournament with seven goals and became a celebrity beyond the field, appearing in viral videos, exploring American cities and embracing his team's playful Viking identity.
Vozinha Made Cape Verde Impossible to Forget
Cape Verde arrived at its first World Cup representing a country of fewer than 600,000 people. It left with one of the tournament's most beloved players.
Goalkeeper Vozinha, whose full name is Josimar José Évora Dias, was 40 when the competition began. He produced seven saves in Cape Verde's scoreless draw with Spain and later frustrated Argentina before the defending champions escaped with a 3-2 extra-time victory.
His performance against Spain turned him into an international sensation. One financial analysis estimated that the tournament had generated social media exposure for Vozinha valued at approximately $1.7 million.
Before facing Argentina, the goalkeeper had spoken about the possibility of playing against Lionel Messi.
"I hope one day to play against Messi, because for me he is an exceptional player," Vozinha said before the tournament.
He got his wish and nearly helped produce one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history.
Keyne Yamal Became Spain's Smallest Superstar
Lamine Yamal helped carry Spain into its first World Cup final since winning the tournament in 2010. Yet at several matches, the cameras found someone even younger.
His three-year-old brother, Keyne, became a viral fixture by cheering, blowing kisses and making faces from the stands. After Spain defeated Belgium, Keyne appeared on the stadium screen sticking out his tongue, making Lamine laugh on the field.
"I was at physio and he called me, using my mum's phone, and told me that he was going to stick his tongue out tomorrow," Yamal later explained.
The Spanish star, who turned 19 during the tournament, has described their bond in almost parental terms.
"My little brother means everything to me," he said. "I'm in love with him; it feels like he's my son."
Argentina's Banderazo Conquered the Host Cities
Argentina's supporters brought one of their most deeply rooted traditions to the United States: the banderazo, a pregame gathering filled with flags, drums, smoke, singing and hours of uninterrupted chanting.
Hundreds gathered at Atlanta's Piedmont Park before Argentina's round-of-16 match against Egypt, playing drums and trumpets while turning the public space into a sea of sky blue and white.
Similar gatherings followed Argentina through the tournament, giving host cities a taste of the fan culture surrounding the defending champions.
The trophy still belongs to no one.
Third-place match in Miami:
France vs. __________
2026 World Cup final in the tri-state New York City area:
Spain vs. __________
By Sunday night, one team will officially have won the World Cup. Telemundo, Zlatan, Norway's supporters, Vozinha, Keyne Yamal and Argentina's traveling army did not need to wait that long.
