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The 2026 FIFA World Cup is over.
Spain are world champions for a second time, Kylian Mbappé has won another Golden Boot, and Lionel Messi cemented his status as the GOAT, even though Argentina failed to win back-to-back titles.
The first 48-team World Cup has thrown up incredible stories, from Cape Verde’s remarkable run to the round of 32, Erling Haaland’s seven-goal debut tournament and an unforgettable 6-4 victory for England in the third-place game against France.
So with this World Cup now consigned to the history books, who have been the winners and losers in the United States, Mexico and Canada?
Here are some 2026 World Cup grades — from A for outstanding to F for, well, forgettable failure.
Starting with the teams…
Spain
SpainFinal grade: A
The European champions are now the world champions after conceding just one goal in the whole tournament, and Luis de la Fuente’s side extended their unbeaten run to 38 games, so they are the undisputed best team in the world.
Cape Verde
Cape VerdeFinal grade: A
The rank outsiders were the darlings of the tournament and didn’t lose a game over 90 minutes. The Blue Sharks held Spain to a 0-0 draw and took Argentina to extra time in a classic round-of-32 tie.
1:33
Burley: Cape Verde should be proud of going toe-to-toe with Argentina
Argentina
ArgentinaFinal grade: C
Had Lionel Messi been sent off for a bad foul against Algeria in their opening game, Argentina might not have even reached the knockout stages, but Messi dragged them all the way to the final — where they disgraced themselves with cynical fouls and belligerent behavior after losing to Spain.
England
EnglandFinal grade: C
Reaching the semifinals: very good. Panicking and losing the plot after taking the lead against Argentina: very bad. England should have reached the final, but they were outfought and outthought by Argentina.
2:04
Jones: USMNT didn’t live up to hype
United States
United StatesFinal grade: C
A place in the round of 16 was the minimum expectation, but it proved to be a glass ceiling for Mauricio Pochettino’s team, which was well beaten by Belgium in Seattle.
Germany
GermanyFinal grade: F
Julian Nagelsmann lost his job as coach after Germany’s round-of-32 exit against Paraguay. The Germans even lost on penalties for the first time since 1976, so it was an unexpectedly bad tournament for Die Mannschaft.
Brazil
BrazilFinal grade: F
No big team had a worse World Cup than the five-time world champions. Yes, Italy didn’t even qualify and Germany crashed out in the round of 32, but Brazil hired Carlo Ancelotti to turn them into winners, and they ended up with their worst performance in 36 years by going out in the round of 16.
And how about the players and people who made the World Cup?
1:05
Burley: I’m surprised Haaland needed to come off vs. England
Erling Haaland
Final grade: A
What a sensational debut World Cup for the Norway striker. Haaland’s seven goals took Norway to the quarterfinals, but his fun personality also endeared him to the watching public and made him an even bigger global star.
Kylian Mbappé
Final grade: A
The France forward scored 10 goals for Les Bleus and won the Golden Boot for the second successive World Cup to prove that he is the best player in the world right now.
2:00
Is Messi the most important figure in football history?
Lionel Messi
Final grade: B
Messi scored eight goals and had an amazing tournament for Argentina, but he misses out on an A grade because he just couldn’t make it happen against Spain in the final. Even the GOAT can have a bad day.
Lamine Yamal
Final grade: C
Yamal is just 19 years old and has already won the World Cup and European Championship before he is even old enough to pour himself a drink in the United States to celebrate. However, despite his success, the Barcelona forward had a quiet tournament with Spain.
Thomas Tuchel
Final grade: D
You will have seen the memes of Tuchel being unmasked like a Scooby-Doo villain to reveal Gareth Southgate’s face underneath. Having been hired to take England to a new level and do what Southgate couldn’t, Tuchel took the team so far — and then saw it unravel in the same way that Southgate did.
1:22
Burley: We shouldn’t forget immoral decisions made by FIFA
Mauricio Pochettino
Final grade: D
Along the same lines as Tuchel, U.S. Soccer hired a super coach to elevate a talented but underperforming group of players. Pochettino did enough to get a nation believing in the group stage, but as soon as the USMNT faced a competent team in Belgium, it lost.
Christian Pulisic
Final grade: D
It can’t be easy to carry the hopes of a nation as Pulisic does with the USMNT, but the so-called “Captain America” is 27 now and another World Cup has passed him by. He’s a good player, but maybe that’s about it. Good, but not great.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Final grade: D
Just playing at a World Cup as a 41-year-old is a remarkable achievement, but Ronaldo arguably made Portugal worse rather than better and this was ultimately a tournament too far for the Al Nassr forward.
Gianni Infantino
Final grade: F
Enough of the attention-seeking attempts to claim the tournament as your own little playground for celebrities, politicians and fading players. And thanks for the World Cup final halftime show and all those hydration breaks. No … really.
Marcelo Bielsa
Final grade: F
It seems so long ago now, but Uruguay were a shambles under Bielsa and suffered a group stage exit amid all kinds of recriminations within the squad. Bielsa’s reputation took such a battering that this tournament could be the end of him as a top coach.
