By the time you read this, the Spanish national team players are likely back with their families around Europe and the rest of the world. Or perhaps they’re still celebrating together.
Striker Ferran Torres came off the bench and scored the lone goal deep into extra time, and Spain claimed the World Cup trophy, 1-0 against Argentina, on July 19 at MetLife Stadium – aka New York New Jersey Stadium.
If you’re suddenly a soccer fan thanks to the World Cup coming to New Jersey, welcome!
If you’ve been following the Beautiful Game for years, welcome the newcomers with kindness and understanding. Introduce them to Major League Soccer – 45 veterans of the 2026 World Cup are here, including Argentine legend Lionel Messi at Inter Miami – the many World Cup alumni (and future stars) in the National Women’s Soccer League, or whatever team is near your home base.
But there’s way more to the 2026 FIFA World Cup than what happened on the field. Here are a few things you may have missed while watching the past six weeks of soccer.
The real hero isn’t always on the winning team
FIFA awarded its big prizes – the Golden Ball, Young Player and Golden Glove – to Spanish midfielder Rodri, defender Pau Cubarsi and goalkeeper Unai Simón on Sunday afternoon. But goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez kept Argentina in the final, setting an all-time record with 11 saves.
And what about Vozinha, Cape Verde’s 40-year-old legend, who also held Spain scoreless back in the group stage? Or Curaçao goalkeeper Eloy Room, who broke the World Cup record with 15 saves in a scoreless, 90-minute draw against Ecuador in the group stage?
➤ Striker Yoane Wissa scored DR Congo’s first-ever World Cup goal five minutes into first-half stoppage time in a 1-1 group-stage match against Portugal on June 17. … Midfielder Kevin Pina got Cape Verde on the scoreboard for the first time on a 35-yard free kick in a 2-2 draw with Uruguay that sealed the World Cup newcomer’s trip to the knockout round. … Midfielder Stephen Eustáquio scored into the bottom corner in stoppage time, giving co-host Canada its first World Cup knockout-stage win, 1-0 over South Africa on June 28.
➤ Already a professional with Tijuana in LigaMX, 17-year-old midfielder Gilberto Mora graduated from high school three days after Mexico lost to England on July 5. He’s the youngest to represent Mexico at a World Cup.
Some of these fans can really sing! And dance! And … row?!?
National soccer federations picked much of the music played during matches, including for warmups, after goals and as post-match victory songs.
Oasis’ “Wonderwall” was England’s unofficial anthem this summer, but the “Three Lions (Football’s Coming Home)” – England’s official song from the 1998 World Cup – and Fat Les’ “Vindaloo,” which rhymes with “score more than you,” also popped up. English fans also serenaded 23-year-old midfielder Jude Bellingham with The Beatles’ classic that bears his name.
➤ Norway’s fans brought the Viking Row to New Jersey twice. Thanks to a special pre-match event for the Oljeberget, or supporters’ club in English, they rowed through the parking lot from the Meadowlands Racetrack to the stadium.
➤ Though Japan didn’t play at MetLife Stadium, the fans went viral for cleaning up after themselves at each of the team’s matches. Scotland’s Tartan Army also didn’t make it here after drinking Boston dry during the group stage.
“Matches are played on the pitch with heart,” Spanish midfielder and team captain Rodri said through a translator on July 17 in New York City. “We felt the support from the fans in the stadium. You’re saying at the final there will be more fans supporting Argentina. We have confidence in our fan support, and we will try to make them happy.”
The World Cup means just as much to the players
During games, players on the pitch gestured toward their fans to encourage more cheers. And afterward, the winners often sang – or, in the case of Norway, rowed – in front of their supporters section. The idea of the World Cup as a once-in-a-lifetime experience was just as true for the players as for those who paid big bucks for tickets to watch them.
“When we won [the 2022 World Cup], we experienced Argentina like I’d never seen before,” Martinez said Friday. “The fans are crazy, not like other countries. It makes me proud for my family, proud for my country. … Sometimes, I even feel like crying.
“I’m just so grateful to life, to my family,” he said. “These moments of joy, how can I explain this? We have to know how to enjoy this moment. Sometimes, as a professional footballer, we’re not aware what’s going on. My message to my teammates is to always remember this moment.”
New Jersey kids will have a World Cup legacy
Three years ago, the NYNJ Host Committee committed to building 26 mini-pitches in the two states. The first opened on March 30 with much fanfare at P.S. 17 in Jersey City, part of a construction project that will turn a sloped asphalt parking lot into a multi-use play space. There are now 17 mini-pitches under construction or completed, including at Memorial Park in Lodi and at Asbury Park High School.
New Jersey Youth Soccer CEO Evan Dabby, who grew up in Tenafly and now lives in Freehold, is projecting player registration to rise to 130,000 this fall, up 20,000. Clubs are already building infrastructure, particularly getting more coaches certified.
“The World Cup generates excitement. A local World Cup generates even more excitement. It hooks kids,” Randolph Soccer Club President Tammy McConnell said. “I want people to watch soccer and love soccer and play soccer at whatever level makes sense for them. It’s a lifestyle you can continue to be involved with. It can be a lifelong thing. That’s really amazing.”
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: World Cup leaves New Jersey with moments and memories beyond the final
