39 хоног үргэлжилсэн хөлбөмбөгийн баярын дараа дэлхийн шилдэг тоглогчид клубүүдийнхээ хуваарьт эргэн орлоо.
2026 оны дэлхийн аварга шалгаруулах тэмцээн 308 гоол, 104 тоглолтын дараа өндөрлөж, Испани шигшээ баг түрүүлснээр хаалтаа хийлээ. Лионель Месси Аргентиныг хоёр дахь удаагаа дараалан финалд хүргэж, 15 тоглолтод 15 гоол оруулсан амжилтаа үргэлжлүүлсэн ч шигшээ багийнхаа хамт Испанид дийлдсэн юм. Тэрээр удахгүй Интер Майамид эргэн ирж, Чикаго Файрын эсрэг тоглоно.
Килиан Мбаппе 10 гоолтойгоор тэмцээнийг өндөрлүүлж, бүх цаг үеийн мэргэн буучдын жагсаалтыг тэргүүлснээр Реал Мадрид дахь карьераа үргэлжлүүлнэ. Харин Норвегийн Эрлинг Холанд 7 гоол оруулж, шигшээ багаа шөвгийн наймд хүргэсний дараа Манчестер Ситид шинэ дасгалжуулагч Энцо Марескагийн удирдлага дор тоглохоор бэлтгэлдээ гарч байна.
Залуу од Ламин Ямаль Испанийн бүрэлдэхүүнд дэлхийн аварга болсон бол Кристиано Роналду зургаа дахь дэлхийн аваргынхаа туршид гоол оруулсан анхны тоглогч болон түүхэнд үлдэв. АНУ-ын шигшээ багийн Фоларин Балогун 3 гоолтойгоор гялалзаж, Монакод эргэн ирсэн бол Жүүд Беллингхэм Английн төлөө 7 гоол оруулж, Реал Мадридад Жозе Моуриньогийн удирдлага дор шинэ улирлыг эхлүүлэхээр боллоо.
Харри Кэйн 6 гоолтойгоор Английг хагас шигшээд хүргэж, Бавари Мюнхенд Винсент Компанитай хамт Аваргуудын лигийг зорино. Мөн Усман Дембеле 6 гоол, Майкл Олисе 7 гоолоор дамжуулалт хийж дээд амжилт тогтоосноор тус тусын клуб болох Пари Сен-Жермен болон Бавари Мюнхендээ эргэн нэгдлээ.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
After 39 days, 104 games, 16 host cities, 48 competing nations, 208 hydration breaks and 308 goals, the 2026 World Cup is over.
It has been a great tournament and, in contrast to some previous editions, most of the famous global stars showed up with big performances and lots of goals.
But if you’re new to the sport, loved the World Cup and want to continue to watch some of the famous faces as they return to their day jobs in club football, what do you need to know? And how can you follow them on The Athletic?
Lionel Messi
Age: 39
National team: Argentina
Club team: Inter Miami
What did he do at the World Cup? Reached a second successive final with Argentina, almost single-handedly firing them there with eight goals (taking his tally to 15 goals from 15 matches in the past two tournaments). But even his genius couldn’t break down the tournament’s best team, Spain, in the final.
Lionel Messi and Argentina could not repeat their triumph from 2022 (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
What will he be doing next season? Well, when he’s had some time off, Messi will be back in Major League Soccer action in the United States, with Inter Miami’s 2026 season actually resuming on Wednesday when they play Chicago Fire.
Messi joined Miami in 2023, and his time in the U.S. has been successful, with Miami winning the MLS Cup in 2025 for the first time. They will hope to regain their crown this season — they are second in the Eastern Conference and looking good for the play-offs.
How can I follow him on The Athletic? Read all about Inter Miami here and Messi here.
Kylian Mbappe
Age: 27
National team: France
Club team: Real Madrid
What did he do at the World Cup? In terms of goalscoring, Mbappe had the best tournament of any footballer since Gerd Muller for West Germany in 1970, equalling Muller’s tally of 10 goals (just three short of Just Fontaine’s all-time single World Cup record of 13 in 1958). France were knocked out in the semis but Mbappe had a stellar few weeks, becoming the competition’s all-time leading scorer and cementing his status as one of the game’s greats.
What will he be doing next season? Continuing his path to probable legend status at Real Madrid (albeit not everyone has been happy with him), the biggest club in the world. Madrid had a poor 2024-25, failing to win the Spanish title or the Champions League, but Mbappe still scored 42 goals in 44 appearances. With Messi nearing the end of his career, Mbappe is ready to take his crown as football’s current GOAT.
How can I follow him on The Athletic? Read all about Real Madrid here and Mbappe here.
Erling Haaland
Age: 25
National team: Norway
Club team: Manchester City
What did he do at the World Cup? Norway enjoyed their best World Cup ever, reaching the quarter-finals and beating Brazil along the way, and Haaland was at the centre of their success. He scored 16 goals in eight qualifying games to fire them to their first World Cup since 1998, then another seven in five games at the tournament to finish joint-third in the race for the Golden Boot.
What will he be doing next season? The enigmatic, unique Haaland returns to Manchester City in the Premier League under a new manager in a new era, with Enzo Maresca taking over from Pep Guardiola, who managed the team for 10 years and won six Premier League titles. Haaland will be in his fifth season as a City player and has already scored 162 goals in all competitions.
How can I follow him on The Athletic? Read all about Manchester City here and Haaland here.
Top 3 off-pitch World Cup stories
Lamine Yamal
Age: 19
National team: Spain
Club team: Barcelona
What did he do at the World Cup? He won it! Yamal may not have had the most spectacular tournament individually, registering only one goal and one assist, but his performances improved as the competition went on, and he embodied Spain’s team ethic.
What will he be doing next season? Yamal has had one of the most incredible careers a teenager has ever experienced in the history of football, becoming an established world star and winning three La Liga titles with Barcelona and Euro 2024 with Spain. He’s also Barcelona’s best and most important player. One thing he hasn’t won is the Champions League, and that will be Yamal and Barcelona’s primary target for 2026-27, while they will jostle with hated rivals Real Madrid in Spain.
How can I follow him on The Athletic? Read all about Barcelona here and Yamal here.
Spain fans celebrate
Laia Cervelló Herrero
Cristiano Ronaldo
Age: 41
National team: Portugal
Club team: Al Nassr
What did he do at the World Cup? Ronaldo appeared at his sixth World Cup (a joint record with Messi) and became the first player to score at six World Cups when he netted twice in Portugal’s 5-0 win over Uzbekistan. He was also on target in their round-of-32 victory over Croatia. Portugal then lost at the round-of-16 stage against Spain.
Cristiano Ronaldo is due to return to domestic action in Saudi Arabia (Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images)
What will he be doing next season? The oldest player on our list has been at the forefront of the Saudi Arabian football revolution, with billions spent on enticing players to the Middle East. His team, Al Nassr, won the league last season, Ronaldo’s first major title since moving in 2023.
How can I follow him on The Athletic? Read all about Ronaldo here.
Folarin Balogun
Age: 25
National team: United States
Club team: Monaco
What did he do at the World Cup? The Brooklyn-born former Arsenal youngster rose to U.S. stardom with three goals in four games at the World Cup, outshining Christian Pulisic. His influence on the team was so great that when he was sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina, President Donald Trump personally (and successfully) intervened in an attempt to clear him of suspension for their round-of-16 game versus Belgium.
Folarin Balogun was one of the breakout stars of the World Cup (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
What will he be doing next season? Balogun returns to France and Monaco, where he has been since 2023. He scored at a rate of almost one goal in every two games last season (13 in 30 Ligue 1 appearances).
After four seasons in France, 25-year-old Balogun may look to use his newfound profile to advance his career. Monaco finished seventh in the table last year and will play in the Conference League next season, Europe’s least prestigious competition.
How can I follow him on The Athletic? Read all about Monaco here and Balogun here
Jude Bellingham
Age: 23
National team: England
Club team: Real Madrid
What did he do at the World Cup? Bellingham enjoyed his best international tournament, scoring seven goals as the figurehead of England’s run to the semi-finals and netting an incredible individual goal against France in the third-place play-off.
Jude Bellingham scored more goals (seven) at a single World Cup than any English player has done previously (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
What will he be doing next season? The Englishman has spent six seasons outside of England now (three at Borussia Dortmund in Germany and three at Real Madrid in Spain) and returns to Madrid with the aim of helping return the club to former glories after a barren couple of seasons with no trophies.
The fiery, legendary figure of Jose Mourinho has just taken over as Madrid manager.
How can I follow him on The Athletic? Read all about Real Madrid here and Bellingham here.
Harry Kane
Age: 32
National team: England
Club team: Bayern Munich
What did he do at the World Cup? Kane scored six goals in seven appearances as England reached the semi-finals and finished third, their best World Cup finish since they won the tournament in 1966.
What will he be doing next season? Kane moved from boyhood club Tottenham Hotspur to Bayern Munich in 2023 and has become one of the most successful strikers in the history of the club. He won the European Golden Shoe (for the continent’s top scorer) last season and, under enterprising manager Vincent Kompany, winning the Champions League will be the club’s clear aim for 2026-27.
How can I follow him on The Athletic? Read all about Bayern Munich here and Kane here.
Ousmane Dembele
Age: 29
National team: France
Club team: Paris Saint-Germain
What did he do at the World Cup? Dembele played second fiddle to Mbappe and yet still scored six goals, placing him joint-fifth on the Golden Boot list with a total that would have won him the award in six of the past eight tournaments.
What will he be doing next season? Last year’s Ballon d’Or winner plays in France for Paris Saint-Germain, who have been the best team in Europe for the past two years, becoming the first club since Real Madrid in 2018 (and only the second team this century) to retain the Champions League. Winning the French title should be a formality once again, meaning becoming a triple Champions League winner is the big target for PSG and their manager Luis Enrique.
How can I follow him on The Athletic? Read all about PSG here and Dembele here.
Michael Olise
Age: 24
National team: France
Club team: Bayern Munich
What did he do at the World Cup? Olise had an outstanding tournament, setting a World Cup record for the most assists at one tournament, creating seven goals. That meant he surpassed Pele’s record of six assists in 1970.
What will he be doing next season? The London-born forward formed one-third of the most prolific attack in European football last season alongside Kane and Colombian Luis Diaz, helping fire Bayern to the German title. They fell short in the Champions League, though, so that will be their main aim next season.
How can I follow him on The Athletic? Read all about Bayern Munich here and Olise here.
