The World Cup is over—and I’m glad

The 2026 World Cup ended last night with a 1–0 win for Spain against the champions Argentina. It was certainly one of the finals of all time and probably the most one-sided match I’ve ever seen (and by design). It took 117 minutes for Argentina to get a shot at goal and despite it all, they had a decent chance to bring the match level after Ferran Torres only goal in extra time. It wasn’t a pretty sight and for me at least neither was the tournament as a whole. I enjoyed individual moments: Cabo Verde putting on two of my favourite displays at the tournament (vs. Uruguay and Argentina), seeing so many African nations in the knockout stage including DR Congo, seeing Argentina lose and their players cry, all the hydration break memes, absolute chimneys (IYKYK). But there was so much I didn’t like and most of it was institutional and… American. It definitely felt like an American sports event both on and off the pitch and while I’m not totally ignorant to American sports (feel free to…