By Louis Smith.
The 2026 World Cup has come to an end, with Spain becoming champions. Prior to the start of the tournament, I set out to write my first, first-person piece on my memories and experiences throughout the World Cup. I felt that after the 2026 World Cup, it would be a fantastic opportunity to do a follow-up and bring up some more memories and experiences that I’ve experienced across this summer’s edition.
As I mentioned in the previous piece, the World Cup isn’t just four weeks- sorry, this time, five weeks of football. It’s the memories and stories that are captured that you can talk about for years to come.
My second first-person piece saw me cover my experience and journey through Paraguay, a country I grew to fall in love with, directly linked through football.
Today, Paraguay return to the World Cup after 16 years away.
Here’s my story of how football led me on an unexpected journey to the country, where I’ve met some incredible people and grown to love the place.
Aguyje, Paraguay 🇵🇾
For @WorldFootballi 👇https://t.co/ioyFgqv11b
— Louis Smith (@louissmith22) June 12, 2026
Whilst we have to wait four years for the next Men’s World Cup, I’m pretty sure the memories and stories of this epic tournament will be remembered in conversations for years to come, as we begin to mellow down from football fever.
The Wait Is Finally Over
The build-up before the World Cup, all I could think about in the weeks leading up to it was football, and each week felt slower and slower the closer we got to the tournament, because all I could think about was the football. Two weeks before the tournament, I was walking to five-a-side thinking, I can’t wait for the World Cup to start.
The weather was also very good at the time, which has been quite a rarity in the UK, but all I could think about was the World Cup. I was overthinking it, thinking too much, procrastinating, and feeling excited and anticipating what was to come.
I mean, it was the first time we’d had a summer World Cup since the one in Russia, and that was fantastic too, so that probably brought back an extra bit of nostalgia. It was a World Cup with unpredictability. There were three host countries, Mexico, the US and Canada, and there were 48 teams. It was more games, more football, who doesn’t love watching the unknown countries in the tournament!
Ahead of the start of the match on the Thursday, after working, I was in the local pub having a beer with my mum and dad as we gathered around the table. The TV was on, showing the World Cup opening ceremony and the pre-match build-up, and all the excitement had come to fruition.
On the way home, I managed to pick up some Panini World Cup stickers. Despite being a fully grown adult, I always like to get the stickers as they get me in the mood for the World Cup.
On this particular evening, I opened my packs just before the game, trying to kill time before the tournament started. I managed to get a rare gold extra sticker of Lionel Messi, which I sold for £88 a few weeks later.
The match itself between Mexico and South Africa had plenty of intrigue. Prior to the match starting, I was interested to see the new national anthem format around the semicircle and how that would pan out. To be honest, I think it’s actually been a very good thing that they included it this way. All the squads standing around the centre circle, singing the national anthem, I think it was a really good move.
I feel that added to the atmosphere. Mexico enjoyed a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Raúl Jiménez and Julián Quiñones. It was a game that had a bit of everything, with two red cards for South Africa and one late on for César Montes of Mexico.
Many people were quick to complain about the late kick-off times in Europe, but I embraced it. It was something different. Yeah, I would probably be tired the next day or have to catch up on highlights and recaps while trying to avoid the score, which is what I did for the South Korea game as they beat the Czech Republic 2-1.
I was telling my friend who lives in Korea not to mention the game. Thankfully, he didn’t, and it turned out to be quite an exciting match as Korea enjoyed a 2-1 victory. And just like that, the opening day of the World Cup was done. All the excitement and build-up had finally paid off.
Day two was also full of excitement, spending the day waiting for Canada versus Bosnia. I mentioned in the article before that it seems bizarre that the World Cup brings together random people to watch random fixtures, and this was one of them.
I was sat at the T20 cricket, watching my local club, Illingworth, progress to the next stage with a victory over Sowerby St Peter’s. While doing so, I used my phone as a TV to watch the match as Canada and Bosnia played out a 1-1 draw.
Then came having to stay up late at night to watch Paraguay take on the United States in their first World Cup match since 2010.
I kept in touch with my Paraguayan friends before the game, as they geared up to take on the United States. The excitement in the country was crazy. However, their performance on the pitch was terrible as they were dominated by the United States, who were simply too aggressive, too attacking, and limited Paraguay’s offence as they enjoyed a 4-1 victory.
The group stage now feels like it was so long ago, but it had plenty of ups and downs, even with 48 teams. I think it worked well. I mean, the head-to-head record coming into play made sense, but it also ruined a bit of the fun. Imagine if goal difference had played a part in the games, would it have been more cagey or more offensive? Who knows?
Sweden surprised many with a 5-1 victory over Tunisia, before then suffering a 5-1 defeat of their own against the Netherlands.
As I was coming home from five-a-side, I found out that Spain were drawing 0-0 with Cape Verde. I got home and watched the second half as goalkeeper Vozinha and the Africans put in a fantastic, resilient defensive display as they avoided defeat against a side as strong as Spain. It was magical. It was the moments that make the World Cup.
There was the magic of Messi as Argentina defeated Algeria in their opening match. Then, of course, it came to England, who I was watching at a pub in my hometown of Halifax, gathering with a few friends as England and Croatia played out an exciting 4-2 match. We thought the first half from England could have been a bit better, but in the second half, they were everything we expected them to be. And beating a side such as Croatia, who had reached the semi-finals in each of the previous two World Cups, was nice to see.
Canada played out an exciting match against Qatar as they enjoyed a 6-0 battering of them. Jesse Marsch was his ever-present self on the touchline, going mental. I remember looking up at the screen and seeing Ismaël Koné’s leg bent and broken. It was the first thing I saw on the screen, which was a real shame for him, especially as he had enjoyed such a good tournament to date, and hopefully, he will bounce back quickly.
Through my trips to South America, I’ve gathered friends in Brazil and saw them enjoy a 3-0 win against Haiti. Haiti had lost to Scotland in their previous match; they were probably the better of the two sides and were unlucky not to at least get something from the game. It was really refreshing to see Haiti and their unique, aggressive style and attacking willingness.
Paraguay bounced back. I remember debating whether to stay up and watch their match against Turkey; I ended up falling asleep. I managed to watch the game back the next day and see how Paraguay defended resiliently and won 1-0. It was a true Paraguayan performance. I spoke to my Paraguayan friends afterwards, and they were very angry with the referee but pleased to win.
France versus Iraq saw the first major delay of the tournament due to a thunderstorm. France eventually managed to get the win after the storms had cleared.
Then England played their second match. I made my way to the same pub as before as England took on Ghana. The excitement was building. Prior to the match, we were sitting outside drinking beers as Portugal enjoyed a 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan. Not that it would have any importance later on, but to see Portugal pull off two fantastic free-kick routines that they could have used in the latter stages was crazy.
I remember everyone at the time saying they were two good free kicks, but Portugal were already winning and could have saved them against another side, catching defenders out who wouldn’t have expected it.
Then came Scotland and their 3-0 loss to Brazil, who were simply too good for them. It would have been nice to see Scotland progress to the latter stages, even as an Englishman. I’ve always kind of kept an eye on the other home nations and hoped that they do well. I know the majority of their fans don’t feel the same way about England, and I get that; it makes sense. I don’t discourage them from doing it, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting Scotland to do well.
Then one of the more exciting teams of the group stage was Ecuador, who had been tipped as a dark horse with the likes of Moisés Caicedo and Piero Hincapié, only seemingly lacking a real centre-forward, with veteran Enner Valencia leading the line. They managed to come back after suffering defeat to the Ivory Coast, where they were probably the better side, and a draw against Curaçao, to beat Germany and progress to the next round with a 2-1 victory.
Then came another highlight involving one of my close South American teams, Paraguay, as they took on Australia, needing a point to progress. They got the point and progressed in what was probably one of the most boring games of the tournament. Paraguay did, however, defend deep and allow Australia to have all of the ball. Paraguay were very happy with their point and to progress to the next round, which actually proved to be a good decision from manager Gustavo Alfaro.
Then, to wrap up the group stage side of things, it was the first time I didn’t sit down at the pub in my town centre to watch England. I’d been at Trent Bridge to watch the England Test team get dominated by New Zealand. On my way back, through delayed trains, very common in the UK, I watched bits of Panama versus England on the train, bits on the taxi home and bits on the TV.
But in the end, it was nice to see England progress with a relatively comfortable 2-0 victory over Panama.
The World Cup Comes Alive
The knockout stages began with South Africa taking on Canada. I was watching in the house after returning from cricket as Stephen Eustáquio scored a stoppage-time winner for Canada. In what was a deserved result for Canada, it was a shame to see South Africa exit, as extra time would have been nice.
However, the next match brought one of the absolute classics of the tournament as Germany and Paraguay battled it out in match 74. And wow, what a match it was.
My Paraguayan friends were telling me how they were just excited to play a knockout game. They weren’t expecting too much, and that was until a solid defensive display saw Julio Enciso head into the net on the counterattack and stun the Germans early on. Paraguayan excitement built and built and built.
However, Kai Havertz scored 54 minutes into the match to level for Germany. Paraguay’s game plan was pretty much to sit back and defend what they had, which is exactly what they did. They were hoping they could stun the Germans on penalties, and that is exactly what they did in a historic moment.
Mauricio, Gustavo Gómez, Matías Galarza and José Canale all found the net as Paraguay secured a famous victory. For me, it was quite nerve-wracking because I wanted Paraguay to win. It was late at night, and when Paraguay scored, I was going crazy while everyone else was fast asleep in the house. But it seemed I didn’t care. I was running around celebrating.
I then decided to FaceTime my friend Milton and his dad and speak about the match. They were happy for me to call, and they were certainly going to enjoy the rest of their evening as Paraguay had achieved one of their greatest performances on the world stage.
It was nervy. It was one of the most frustrating penalty shootouts to watch as Paraguay wasted three chances to win the match before José Canale eventually stepped up and smashed the ball, sending Manuel Neuer the wrong way and Paraguay into the next round.
My friend in Brazil was always quick to tell me how negative she felt every time Brazil conceded a goal. That was even evident in the friendlies when I would receive a message saying, “What the hell are we doing conceding two goals to Panama?”
However, Brazil, after conceding against Japan, survived an early scare by turning the game around to win 2-1. Another disappointing exit for Japan.
Then I was at the local cricket club to watch England narrowly defeat DR Congo. When DR Congo scored early on, all I could think about was the Iceland game and the shock they caused in 2016. However, England responded with a moment of brilliance from Harry Kane, who scored an absolute stunner to settle the tie.
That wouldn’t be the only game that day. A half-cut me headed to the pub quiz to answer some questions and catch some football. Senegal were 2-0 up against Belgium and looked in cruise control. I said before leaving to my friend that Senegal should remember that Belgium once came back against Japan when they also looked dead and buried.
As I got home and waited for a takeaway, I saw Belgium score two goals and thought, here we go again. I fell asleep and then woke up the next day to see that Belgium had done it once again. I felt sorry for the African side, who had been the better side throughout, but switching off towards the end massively cost them.
I was lying in bed watching Portugal and Croatia battle it out. Croatia played very well but unfortunately couldn’t get over the line. It was another chance to see Snickometer in action at football, as Croatia had a goal ruled out for offside in the dying embers.
Like the majority of people, everyone loves to see an underdog, so when Croatia scored the stoppage-time equaliser, despite it being around 2 or 3 a.m. here, I was jumping up and down.
Another unique thing about this World Cup.
Then we were watching Argentina and Cape Verde battle it out in what was an exciting matchup. Cape Verde actually played very well against Argentina. I was watching with a couple of friends while playing some FIFA. It was the perfect chill evening. It was a late match, and it was a great watch.
We all thought, here we go again, as Lionel Messi gave Argentina the lead inside 29 minutes. However, Deroy Duarte, with an absolute screamer, saw Cape Verde equalise and send the game to extra time.
Lisandro Martínez scored shortly after the resumption of the game, and we thought, right, that’s that. Argentina will probably dominate now. That wasn’t the case, as Sidny Lopes Cabral equalised for Cape Verde once again with another absolute screamer.
It looked like the game would go to penalties until Deni Borges scored an own goal for Argentina’s third, making it 3-2 and sending them into the next round of the competition.
It was a great display of determination from Cape Verde in what was a very good performance, showing they weren’t afraid to attack, registering 16 shots and five on target. It was a very exciting affair, and it was unfortunate to see them go out.
In the round of 16, Paraguay took on France, and I actually had my Paraguay shirt on for this one as they took on one of the giants of world football. I watched this at the local cricket club after watching Morocco batter Canada 3-0.
I said I wouldn’t stay for the later kick-off, but there I was at the cricket club telling the barmaid I was only having one more, every time. I eventually gave in to the fact that I would be watching the game there.
Paraguay frustrated France with some interesting tactics, fouling them and winding them up. Nothing overly untoward, despite the BBC making it sound like all the Paraguayans had run onto the pitch with machetes and attacked the French. All they did was try to frustrate them and get under their skin.
Still on the Paraguay game.
Holland v Portugal 20 years ago was much, much worse – real violence and genuine thuggery.
Don’t recall all this fuss— Tim Vickery (@Tim_Vickery) July 5, 2026
Yes, there were a few tackles that probably warranted a yellow card, but that was that. There weren’t any leg breakers. There wasn’t anything close to what Joe Hart and Wayne Rooney seemed to be suggesting.
And of course, what did they want Paraguay to do? A small nation has to play to their strengths, and they almost, almost took the game the distance. It required a French penalty from Kylian Mbappé to see them progress to the next stage.
Paraguay can be proud of their World Cup campaign. For a nation as small as they are, they’re very passionate about football. And having spoken to my friends there, they were all happy with their World Cup display.
England at 2 A.M.
One of the most iconic days of the World Cup was when England played Mexico.
I was playing cricket in Stainland against Stainland, as all the talk ahead of the football was about the altitude and the iconic Azteca.
In England, it was a hot day, and as I was batting, I found myself exhausted and out of breath, feeling like I was batting at high altitude myself, especially in all my cricketing gear. I’m not usually one to score many runs, but that day I’d faced quite a few balls and found myself on 34 on a hot day, tired and desperate for a drink.
Bat and ball 🏏 pic.twitter.com/e1DcQYpL7d
— Louis Smith (@louissmith22) July 23, 2026
As I returned home from the cricket match, I watched Brazil versus Norway, and I watched Norway absolutely dominate Brazil in the second half and progress to the next stage of the tournament through some fantastic work from Erling Haaland. It set things up nicely for the England match.
I was trying not to wind up my Brazilian friend because I knew they would have been disappointed about the defeat, and there was no need to rub it in. Plus, England hadn’t played yet, and I knew Mexico was going to be a tough game.
As all the talk was about the weather and a potential delay, we got the delay that had been highly talked about due to storms in the area, meaning that at 2 a.m. we all had to stay up and watch England.
At the time, to kill time and do my best to stay awake, I was in Discord with friends speaking about the upcoming game and what to expect. But it turned out everyone was awake in my cricket group chat as well.
It was another game I didn’t watch in the pub, of course, it was 2 a.m. Yes, it would have been nice to go, but with work in the morning, it wasn’t quite possible.
What did happen, though, was that I watched the game in the front room with my dad and watched England win an epic affair. Jude Bellingham, out of nowhere, scored two goals to give England a 2-0 lead at the Azteca. Quiñones pulled one back moments later before Jarell Quansah was sent off, sending everyone into a feeling of, oh no, here we go.
It was weird trying to celebrate and keep quiet, but that just wasn’t possible. Kane scored from the penalty spot to make it 3-1 before Jiménez scored a penalty of his own nine minutes later.
I kept looking at the clock thinking, this is going to be the longest half an hour ever. Yes, there were only 20 minutes left, but I knew with added time looming it was going to be longer than that.
England defended and showed resilience, strength, character and fight to progress to the next round and create a famous victory. It’s probably one of the most iconic wins in England’s history, and it was great to watch.
Some shift from those England players in those conditions down to 10 men 🏴⚽
— James Nalton (@JDNalton) July 6, 2026
The adrenaline after that game made it hard to sleep. Having done this before watching Libertadores games, it brought back memories of me watching Palmeiras and River Plate battle it out a few years ago at similar times and not being able to sleep after the match.
However, it was iconic, and it was something that pretty much everyone in the country was awake for. It was weird, but that’s what makes the World Cup. If the game had been at 2 p.m. in the afternoon, it probably wouldn’t have had the same feeling or the same effect.
Then came another classic fixture. Some friends and I had planned to go for a curry on Tuesday, and en route, I was watching Argentina versus Egypt.
Egypt took a 2-0 lead, and I thought, here we go, there could be a massive shock on the cards.
However, as we approached the curry house, we found out that Cristian Romero and Lionel Messi had equalised for the Argentinians in a matter of minutes. And you just knew what the outcome would be.
As we left the car to walk to the curry house, Enzo Fernández had scored Argentina’s third goal, and they had completed a historic 3-2 victory.
Then came the quarter-finals, where the matches were becoming fewer and fewer.
France beat Morocco 2-0 as I watched after an evening at my local cricket club, where Western Australia were taking on the Yorkshire Over-60s, something that was set up last year and featuring the father of Australian pace bowler Cameron Green. On this occasion, the side from Western Australia won, making it 1-1 over the two years. Surely that means they have to come over next year for the Ashes and settle the score.
As I returned home with the hope of watching Morocco stun France, it didn’t happen as France comfortably won 2-0. Likewise, Spain controlled Belgium in a 2-1 victory and showed they looked like real winners.
It’s worth noting that at the start of the tournament, for World Football Index, I predicted that Spain would win the tournament. And as the knockout stages progressed, they looked more and more like champions.
I watched the majority of the Spain match whilst watching another T20 cricket match at Booth Cricket Club. Not only did I get to see Spain’s victory over Belgium, but Illingworth also managed a victory over Booth in an exciting T20 Semi-final.
It was quite cool to be fair, as Booth had a nice wall that I could lean my phone against, place it on the path and watch the football as well as the cricket.
Then the day after, it was England’s turn again as they took on Norway.
My friends wanted to go to the bar where we’d watched the games against Ghana and Croatia. Some of them had practically spent their entire tournament in that bar. I decided to go, not really wanting to, if I’m honest, because I knew how busy the town would be. Whilst that’s good in hindsight, it takes the fun out of the day when you have to queue for 26 minutes to get a pint.
What made things worse was that the bar had to close at half-time due to some people not being able to handle their beer and causing a scene. However, me and my friends opted to stay and watch the match.
It was the weirdest experience, sitting in a pub, not being able to drink a beer, but all somehow in unison watching England as they narrowly defeated Norway 2-1.
Norway were probably the better side on the night, but some magic from Bellingham, both to equalise and then score the winner in extra time, was enough to get the Three Lions over the line, setting up a classic affair with Argentina, who had beaten Switzerland following extra time in what was a thrilling encounter. Switzerland would have probably fancied their chances had they kept all 11 men on the pitch following Breel Embolo’s red card.
Then the semi-finals came as France and Spain battled it out. Spain enjoyed a 2-0 victory and once again were looking more and more like champions. I mean, if you’re going to get to a final, you have to look like champions, but Spain just looked like they hadn’t broken a sweat. France were simply stunned.
Then came the big match, England versus Argentina.
I have friends in Argentina, having visited Buenos Aires. The place and people have always been fantastic.
I’m in a football group chat which includes some Argentinians, and they’re some of the friendliest people you’ll meet, but on the football pitch, it seemed to be a different story.
Argentina’s plan to wind England up worked. They frustrated them, they made it hard for England to play, and Argentina know that they can play football too. After doing the dark arts side of the game, they then started to play football towards the end of the first half.
England took the lead in the second half through Anthony Gordon, and the cricket club I was in was crazy. This time I decided to watch the match at the cricket club again, knowing that the town would be busy, I’d be able to get a pint easily without having to queue for 26 minutes.
And when Gordon scored, hope was there that England could reach their first final since 1966.
However, England decided to sit back and invite pressure, which was frustrating for everyone to see. Everyone around was thinking, surely they have to change something, bring on some pace.
When Pickford had to make three saves in five minutes, alarm bells should have been ringing.
However, as much as there was fear, there was a belief that England could overcome Argentina and hold on for a victory like they did against Mexico and Norway in the games prior.
Argentina were just different. They moved the ball more quickly, they had Messi, they could exploit spaces, and they just looked like they were eventually going to score.
And they did.
As soon as they equalised, everyone knew what was coming. Enzo Fernández levelled things before Lautaro Martínez scored and broke English hearts.
Despite this, it was still a successful campaign for England, who once again made it to the semi-finals. Argentina simply deserved their win.
Yes, some of their antics aren’t the best, and seeing Cristian Romero celebrate in front of people made me think that, yes, you can be bad winners, but you can be bad losers too, and that was proven in the final.
More Than Football
I’ve seen many English people complain about Argentina ever since the match happened. I get it. There’s beef on the football pitch, and history off the field.
But for people who have never been there, they won’t understand the hospitality and friendliness that Argentine people actually show when you’re in the country.
For example, when I was visiting Argentina, I was always sceptical about how to feel, especially with the history between the two countries. However, this was far from the truth. I was greeted with open arms.
The taxi drivers, the bar staff, and even the airport security guard seemed a bit upset that I was only spending a day in his country. I did tell him I’d already visited Argentina before for a longer period of time, but it was still very rare for an airport security guard of all people to be so friendly and welcoming.
The taxi drivers and the people were always looking out for me, always telling me the best parts about Argentina and the best places to go. And, of course, football was a major topic.
I remember my taxi driver speaking about Nueva Chicago, a side who play in the second tier of Argentinian football. He even invited me to go and watch a game. However, I didn’t have the chance because they weren’t playing whilst I was there.
So if you think that because of the World Cup, you shouldn’t visit Argentina, don’t be so foolish. Go and visit. The place is fantastic, and the people are too.
Just because their football team had an aggressive game against England, don’t let that paint your perception of the country. And don’t forget, England and its people aren’t all saints either.
The three lions then played France in a wild affair, which finished 6-4 to England. Watching that game was one of the most frustrating experiences. England were 4-0 up and cruising at half-time, and everyone was saying, why now? Why now do we want to play football?
If someone would of told you England would be 3-0 up against France before tournament, you’d be buzzing, but instead we’re all fuming
— Louis Smith (@louissmith22) July 18, 2026
It has to be one of the strangest victories I’ve ever watched. You’re in complete control, but it’s pretty much meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Nevertheless, England achieved their best finish at a World Cup since winning the tournament in 1966.
Then came the final.
After once again playing cricket, on my return home, I was looking forward to the final, but I knew what to expect. An Argentinian side who were going to be resilient, strong and aggressive. A Spanish side who were going to try and break them down.
It was never going to be a pretty affair, and it was always going to take something special to settle it.
That moment came from Ferran Torres in extra time after Spain had dominated much of the match. They deserved their victory.
Argentina will probably feel, much like England did, that they could have tried to go for it more, especially when it was 11 versus 11. When they did attack after conceding in extra time, they looked like they could create something, especially when Giuliano Simeone smashed an effort over the bar.
Then, at the end of the match, there were unpleasant scenes as some Argentinian players lashed out at Spanish players.
As Spain lifted the trophy for the second time, it brought an end to a summer of excitement and a summer like no other. There were more teams at this World Cup. There were three countries hosting it. And it was an enjoyable experience, one that, as football transitions from international back to club football, we will look back on and think was another success and another exciting World Cup tournament.
Now we have to wait four years for the next one. But before then, there’s a Women’s World Cup in Brazil. And if there’s anywhere that can host a World Cup with excitement, style and vibrant joy, it’s Brazil.
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