The 2026 FIFA World Cup wrapped as a 48-team tournament across 16 cities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, culminating in Spain reaching the MetLife Stadium final to face Argentina and drawing record U.S. TV audiences and an expanded halftime spectacle. News coverage centered on flashpoints: contentious VAR decisions that overturned several goals, a high-profile red-card reversal after outside political intervention, AFC teams’ poor showing and coaching fallout, and post-match unrest in Paris after France’s semifinal loss.