The Football World Cup – which now FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, plans to sell partially to private investors– it is an event that, despite being accompanied by millions of figures and statistics, always reserves space for unpredictability and epicness. Paraguay and Morocco were two examples. After eliminating Germany and the Netherlands in the round of 16, respectively, the two Global South selections defied the forecasts that limited their options to reach the end of the tournament.

The intention of FIFA president Gianni Infantino to partially sell the World Cup and the Club World Cup has shaken the football world and caused an avalanche of criticism led by UEFA, the body that regulates European football. If this Tuesday the British newspaper The Times reported that Infantino plans to sell stakes to transform the World Cup and the Club World Cup into a kind of public limited company and thus allow the entry of private investors, this Wednesday he has taken a further step by sending a letter to the 211 federations that make up FIFA explaining how their budgets would be increased.

The 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, which was decided by a 1-0 Spanish victory, left several controversies beyond the result. From refereeing decisions to post-match incidents, including the unexpected prominence of Donald Trump, these are some of the scenes that have generated the most controversy.

A thirteen-year-old adolescent has died in Ciudad Rodrigo, in Castilla y León, and three other people have been seriously injured while participating in the celebration of the Spanish national team's victory in the Football World Cup. They were inside a fountain with other young people when part of the structure gave way due to the crowd and a stone fell on the minor.

A new era has begun in world football. Spain sewed the second star as world champion onto their jersey after defeating an Argentina in extra time, who had run out of miracles in the semifinals. The final of a strange and exciting World Cup was always played according to what Spain wanted, turning everything around the ball, attacking with ambition. Glory is theirs after a final in which Messi, very disconnected from the game, ceded the crown to Lamine Yamal. An era ends and a new one begins, personified in the young man from Rocafonda. One man alone cannot win World Cups, but a team can. And Luis de la Fuente's team, a coach until recently unknown, is a block that defends a style. An idea in which the collective rules, even though a lack of accuracy prolonged the agony until extra time. A final decided thanks to an unexpected hero, the Valencian Ferran Torres, who caught a ball inside the area. If in 2010 Spain won their first World Cup with a goal from Iniesta in the 116th minute, on this occasion the goal arrived in the 106th thanks, once again, to a Barça player.

Every World Cup leaves a handful of images destined to become icons. The hand of God by Maradona, Pelé lifting the World Cup or Lionel Messi celebrating his first world title wearing a bisht, the black and gold robe they placed on him before lifting the trophy in Qatar 2022. But if there is one photograph that has marked the prelude and a large part of the narrative of the 2026 World Cup, it is a very different one: a twenty-year-old Messi bathing a baby who, almost two decades later, has become his rival in a World Cup final. That baby was Lamine Yamal.

"It's the most coveted jersey of the World Cup, without a doubt," states Karolina, an employee at the Adidas Store on Passeig de Gràcia. As we discuss the phenomenon behind this World Cup's most viral jersey, five people approach the shelf where the last few sizes of the Spanish national team's second kit are hanging, almost at the same time. Only a few large and extra-large sizes remain. "At first, only tourists were buying it, but as the tournament has progressed, many national buyers have also come. People associate it with a winning team," she explains. She adds that almost everyone is looking for the same jersey numbers: "Lamine Yamal, Pedri, and Cucurella."

If Barcelona did not install a giant screen, the surrounding municipalities did. Badalona, for example. While the mayor, Xavier García Albiol, followed the World Cup from New York, Plaça President Tarradellas became the meeting point for thousands of fans ready to push the Spanish team towards a new final.

Today, dear readers, we will review the figure of the syllogism, proposed by Aristotle. Let's take as an example the statement by the no less well-known M. Rajoy, which acts as the major premise when he writes that the French team is playing in the World Cup without French players. If having players of immigrant origin or diverse ethnicities means that a team is not made up of citizens of that country, and (minor premise) the Spanish team has players of immigrant origin, such as Lamine Yamal or Nico Williams, the conclusion can only be that Spain is also playing in the World Cup without Spaniards.

The World Cup starts with a group of favorite teams that, by probability and statistics, have more options to reach the decisive phases. But the unpredictability of the top football competition usually gives rise to stories of resilience that end up captivating the public. Although Curaçao and the Democratic Republic of Congo have already been eliminated in the round of 32 and Cape Verde faces an almost impossible duel against the reigning champion, Leo Messi's Argentina, there is still one last chance for epic to prevail over predictions. A last David against Goliath.

The 1978 World Cup was held in Argentina during a military dictatorship. Some survivors recounted hearing goals being cheered through the televisions of their torturers or even shouts coming from the Monumental stadium, a few streets away from the epicenter of repression of Jorge Rafael Videla's regime.

Although this is the World Cup with the most participating teams in history, the kits continue to be concentrated in the hands of a few brands. In fact, despite this edition featuring the greatest diversity of manufacturers to date, with 13 brands represented, Adidas, Nike, and Puma maintain an overwhelming dominance: they dress 37 out of the 48 qualified teams, meaning three out of every four teams aspiring to the golden trophy.

Mariano Rajoy knows what is expected of him and does not hesitate to give it to his followers. "In football, what really matters is scoring more goals than the opponent. If you don't, you lose. Or, at best, you draw." Yes, the former Spanish president returns to sports commentary for the World Cup and, again, in the digital media El Debate, which four years ago — also for the World Cup and, later, for the European Championship — already opened its doors for him to publish his analyses of the Spanish national team's matches. Rajoy does so without pay and, in fact, without writing: he sends audio notes when the matches end so that the media's editors can transcribe them. He did so this Monday after the draw of La Roja against Cape Verde.

The duel between the national teams of Mexico and South Africa this Thursday (9 p.m., RTVE) at the Azteca stadium in Mexico City will kick off the World Cup. Millions of fans around the planet will follow the premier competition of national team football, which will extend until July 19 in the format with the most teams (48) in history. It will also be the World Cup played in the most stadiums: sixteen, the majority in the United States, although there will also be three venues in Mexico and two in Canada.

FIFA will have to clarify its ticket sales practices for this year's World Cup in the face of accusations of artificially inflating prices and deceiving fans at the time of purchase. The state attorneys general of New York and New Jersey have opened an investigation into the eight World Cup matches that will be played at MetLife Stadium, including the tournament final. Currently, on the Seatpick.com portal, tickets to watch some of the matches at the New Jersey stadium are being sold for an average price of $2,790.

Football has been another piece in the grand chess game of geopolitics in Iran for years. This Wednesday, the Iranian Minister of Sport confirmed the withdrawal of the Iranian national team from the upcoming World Cup, which begins in less than 100 days in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. This announcement comes 24 hours after FIFA President Gianni Infantino spoke with US President Donald Trump to guarantee the Iranian team's participation despite the war. "President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States," Infantino said. But the Iranians, through their Minister of Sport, have made it public that they will be the first team to qualify for a World Cup to withdraw due to a political boycott. The Iranian team was scheduled to play New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles, and Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.

With 100 days to go before the opening match between Mexico and South Africa of this summer's World Cup, nervousness is growing within the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). Donald Trump, who was supposed to be the guarantor of the trophy's success, is now jeopardizing the tournament's smooth running. Ironically, on the day of the World Cup group stage draw, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, The FIFA annual peace prize was invented to offer it to a Trump who was still angry about not having won the Nobel Peace Prize. That day, Infantino praised Trump for "working for stability and world peace." Since then, Trump has ordered military actions and bombings in Venezuela, Iran, and Nigeria. And he has hinted at possible additional operations in Greenland, Mexico, Colombia, or Cuba. Trump even invited Infantino to his Peace Board last February. But instead of peace, there is more war. And the president who most enjoys appearing in photos at major sporting events, as he did at the last Club World Cup, is now jeopardizing the biggest football event of the year.

After winning La Liga with Barça and the European Championship with Spain, Lamine Yamal still has three major challenges firmly in his sights: winning a Ballon d'Or, the Champions League, and a World Cup. For the latter, he already knows the path he must follow this summer with the Spanish national team, where they will face Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, and Cape Verde in the group stage.