After about 6 weeks of triumphs, heartbreaks, excitement, suspense, heat, rain, and rowing celebrations, the World Cup ended with Spain's deserved victory over Argentina, crowning them with the most prominent tournament in the world of football for the second time in its history.

The expanded edition of the tournament saw the participation of 48 teams for the first time and was held in three countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This meant more matches and goals, and more records broken, as Argentina's Lionel Messi and France's Kylian Mbappe vied for the title of all-time World Cup top scorer, while Mbappe eventually won the top scorer award for the 2026 edition.

Photographers took about 74,000 photos inside and outside the stadium and of fans around the world (Reuters)

Reuters had photographers in all 16 cities that hosted World Cup matches, as well as at team training camps, fan festivals across the host countries, and all 104 matches held over the 39 days of the tournament.

They took about 74,000 photos inside and outside the stadium and of fans around the world.

Qatari fan inside the stadium before the match (Reuters)

The tournament was not without fairy-tale runs, as Cape Verde won the hearts of fans after the team, making its first appearance in the tournament and coming from those small islands off the coast of Africa, managed to draw with Spain and Uruguay, and forced extra time against Argentina.

Norway enjoyed its 'Viking rowing' celebrations and reached the quarter-finals for the first time in its history.

Throughout the tournament, fans witnessed skill, luck, camaraderie, excitement, and plenty of tears (Reuters)

As expected, the tournament was not without controversy: political displays by Iranian and American fans and Argentine players, the sending off controversy, visa denials, and high ticket prices.

The hydration breaks, welcomed by some, especially given the high temperatures and humidity of the North American summer, while others considered them an unwelcome interference.

US fans react while watching the match on a giant screen at the National Park (Reuters)

Not everyone was able to travel to attend the tournament. But those who had the opportunity found a warm welcome in what was called in the United States 'The Great American Sleepover' as locals embraced visiting fans, and celebrating fans filled the host cities with orange, red, and green colors accompanied by the sounds of drums, chants, and even Scottish bagpipes.

Throughout the tournament, fans witnessed skill, luck, camaraderie, excitement, and many tears.

\"); googletag.cmd.push(function() { onDvtagReady(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-3341368-4'); }); }); }]