This was the World Cup of firsts. The first tournament to feature 48 teams saw 1,248 players descend upon Canada, Mexico and the United States this summer. The expanded field means there will be a total of 104 matches played at the conclusion of the tournament, resulting in 9,360 minutes of soccer played in regulation time.
The matchup between Argentina and Spain is also unlike one we've ever seen before, as this will be the first-ever World Cup final between the reigning European champions and the reigning Copa América champions, as well as the first final between the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the FIFA world rankings.Ahead of this historic matchup, here are the 26 best statistically driven headlines from the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far.
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There were 11 players in this World Cup whose fathers have played in one as well. Entering the tournament, Canada had lost all six matches in its previous two World Cup appearances (1986, 2022) and were outscored 12 to two. That all changed in 2026: Since their first title in 1954, this is the first time there have been three straight World Cup finals without Germany as a participant.
Entering 2026, Germany had never gone three straight World Cup appearances without making the final of the tournament. Below are the 16 consecutive World Cups in which Germany appeared at least once in every three editions. With the loss against England in the Round of 16, several notable streaks were broken for Mexico: Folarin Balogun and the U.S. set all sorts of records this World Cup: Cristiano Ronaldo finished his World Cup career with:
