NOTE: Although this entry is from after 2022, I have backdated all entries from after that year to the corresponding date in 2022.
July 19, 2026: The World Cup Final is held, in my home State, just 36 miles from me, in our country, just outside the greatest city in the world. It should have been a great moment.
It wasn't. It wasn't a very good game, either.
Defending Champions Argentina, with Lionel Messi, were looking to make more history. They had cruised through the Group Stage against Algeria, Austria and Jordan. They survived threats from countries they should have beaten easily, with Cape Verde taking them to extra time before falling, 3-2; Egypt holding them to a 3-2 win; and Switzerland taking them to extra time before falling, 3-1 in the Quarterfinal. Their rivalry with England rekindled, Argentina beat them in the Semifinal, 2-1.
Spain had dominated international soccer for a while, winning 3 straight tournaments: Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup, and Euro 2012. But, like Argentina, they had won dirty, with constant dives and horror tackles. Then they had fallen apart, not coming close in 2 World Cups and 2 Euros.
But the same Cape Verde that nearly beat Argentina also held Spain to a 0-0 opening game, before Spain beat Saudi Arabia. 4-0; and Uruguay, 1-0. Then, they got serious, beating Austria, Portugal, Belgium, and pre-tournament favorites France, to reach the Final against Argentina, their former colony.
After the 2026 World Cup, ESPN's Bill Connelly and James Tyler ranked every World Cup. The 2026 edition came in 6th:
For a while there, it looked as if we were witnessing the greatest World Cup of them all. The stars were shining like almost never before... Plus, with countries like Cape Verde and Congo DR, we saw underdogs pulling off massive results... The first-ever round of 32 featured a number of instant classics -- Argentina over Cape Verde in extra time, England coming back against Congo DR, Portugal outlasting Croatia, Morocco beating Netherlands in penalties, Paraguay upsetting Germany in penalties, Belgium coming back against Senegal -- and the round of 16 was epic, too. All we needed was a fabulous ending, and this tournament was going to just about break the 50-point scale.
Only that ending didn't happen... The final itself saw a reckless display of cynicism from Argentina and almost drama-free dominance from Spain, even if the 1-0 scoreline made it seem both dramatic and tight.
They were right. Wearing their usual sky blue and white "Albiceleste" stripes, Argentina kicked off the match at 3:06 PM Eastern Time, with a temperature of 80 degrees, in front of a crowd of 80,663. Spain wore red shirts with navy blue trim.
Five minutes into the game, Lamine Yamal, Spain's rising-star 19-year-old right wing from Barcelona FC had a shot saved by Argentina's goalkeeper, Emiliano Martínez of West London team Chelsea F.C. In the 12th, midfielder Fabián Ruiz of Paris Saint-Germain had a shot saved by Martínez.
After that, Argentina began fouling with impunity. They ended up getting 6 yellow cards from Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić, and deserved more.
In the 67th minute, forward Ferran Torres of PSG had a header saved by Martínez. Just 7 minutes later, Martínez saved a shot by Barcelona midfielder Pedri. Spain, at the least, were trying to win the game, unlike Argentina, who were cynically fouling away, trying to play nothing but defense, "parking the bus," and just stall until they could win on penalties.
And, as regular time reached its conclusion, 0-0, social media deepened the idea that was already in place before the game: The world had decided that everybody but Argentines, and people who bought into the Messi myth, were rooting for Spain.
It was on to extra time. In the 96th minute, Athletic Bilbao forward Nico Williams scored, but the goal was correctly disallowed for a Spanish foul. Finally, in the 106th minute, Williams fired a header that was redirected by the left foot of Torres, and Martínez couldn't stop it.
Finally, Argentina realized they had to attack, but got caught on a counterattack in the 113th minute. Torres appeared to have scored again, but it was correctly ruled out for being offside. In the 115th, Messi shot over the crossbar. In the 117th, Messi hit Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino in the face with a shot. In stoppage time of extra time, Argentina got 2 corner kicks, but Spain kept the ball away, and had won their 2nd World Cup. Their defense, led by Athletic Bilbao goalie Unai Simón, had a clean sheet, their 7th of the tournament's 8 games, playing 480 minutes plus stoppage time, and allowing just 1 goal.
In his 6th World Cup, a record he shared with Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal, had reached his 4th Final, but had lost for the 3rd time.
As head of state for the host nation, Donald Trump, the most hated man in America, and especially in both the New York Tri-State Area and in the State of New Jersey, got booed as he presented the trophy to Spain's Captain, Barcelona midfielder Rodrigo Hernández Cascante, a.k.a. Rodri.
The matchup wasn't especially satisfying, but at least the team that "tried to play football" won. It was, as many on social media said, "a win for football."
*
July 19, 2026 was a Sunday. These Major League Baseball games were played:
* In a game that might have felt like a World Cup of baseball, the New York Yankees lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-2 at Yankee Stadium. Yoshinobu Yamamoto went the distance for the win, while Yankee ace Cam Schlittler had his worst start of the season, allowing 3 runs in 4 1/3rd innings, while Jake Bird allowed 5 in the 8th.
* The New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-1 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Nolan McLean outpitched Alan Rangel. Francisco Lindor hit a home run for the Mets. Alec Bohm hit a home run for the only Phils run.
* The Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 6-1 at Fenway Park in Boston.
* The Atlanta Braves beat the Texas Rangers, 8-5 at Truist Park in the Atlanta suburb of Cumberland, Georgia.
* The Chicago White Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-0 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Sean Burke allowed 2 hits over 6 2/3rds innings, and 2 relievers finished a 4-hit shutout.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cleveland Guardians, 7-1 at Progressive Field in Cleveland. Pittsburgh vs. Cleveland still isn't the rivalry in baseball that it is in the NFL.
* The Chicago Cubs beat the Minnesota Twins, 10-1 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Miami Marlins, 3-1 at American Family Field in Milwaukee.
* The Kansas City Royals beat the San Diego Padres, 19-2 at Petco Park in San Diego.
* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Houston Astros, 5-2 at Daikin Park in Houston.
* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Colorado Rockies, 9-6 at Coors Field in Denver.
* The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 8-7 at Chase Field in Phoenix. Max Kepler doubled Jorge Barrosa home in the bottom of the 10th inning.
* The Los Angeles Angels beat the Detroit Tigers, 3-2 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.
* The Washington Nationals beat the Sacramento Athletics, 5-2 at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, California.
* The Seattle Mariners beat the San Francisco Giants, 6-3 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
