World Cup 2026: Final Results & Recap
Season Anomaly Rating — FIFA World Cup
based on analysed matches — 105 cases on file| # | Team | Cases | Avg Crime | Robbed | Stole | Δ xG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bosnia-H. | 2 | 77% | — | 1 | -0.76 |
| 2 | Qatar | 3 | 72% | 1 | — | -6.89 |
| 3 | Türkiye | 3 | 71% | 2 | — | +3.23 |
| 4 | Tunisia | 3 | 69% | — | — | -4.36 |
| 5 | Sweden | 4 | 66% | — | — | -3.64 |
| 6 | Curaçao | 3 | 65% | — | — | -6.96 |
| 7 | Cape Verde Islands | 2 | 62% | — | — | -3.34 |
| 8 | USA | 5 | 61% | — | — | -0.40 |
| 9 | Uzbekistan | 3 | 60% | — | — | -4.90 |
| 10 | Canada | 5 | 58% | 2 | — | +6.47 |
| 11 | Paraguay | 5 | 55% | — | 1 | -5.33 |
| 12 | Australia | 5 | 53% | — | 1 | -1.26 |
| 13 | Norway | 6 | 53% | 1 | 1 | +1.72 |
| 14 | Saudi Arabia | 3 | 52% | — | — | -4.28 |
| 15 | Haiti | 3 | 51% | — | — | -4.61 |
| 16 | Korea Republic | 1 | 50% | — | — | -0.10 |
| 17 | Brazil | 5 | 50% | 1 | — | +7.36 |
| 18 | Ghana | 4 | 50% | 1 | — | -2.26 |
| 19 | Ecuador | 4 | 49% | — | — | +2.16 |
| 20 | Mexico | 5 | 47% | 1 | 1 | +2.94 |
| 21 | Belgium | 6 | 47% | — | 1 | +2.83 |
| 22 | Iraq | 3 | 46% | — | — | -6.68 |
| 23 | Senegal | 4 | 46% | 1 | — | +2.92 |
| 24 | Morocco | 6 | 45% | — | 1 | +1.87 |
| 25 | Japan | 4 | 45% | — | — | +1.00 |
| 26 | Uruguay | 3 | 44% | — | — | +1.84 |
| 27 | France | 8 | 44% | 1 | 1 | +8.51 |
| 28 | Germany | 4 | 44% | — | — | +4.93 |
| 29 | Netherlands | 4 | 44% | — | — | +1.85 |
| 30 | Switzerland | 6 | 43% | — | 1 | +4.09 |
| 31 | Algeria | 4 | 43% | — | — | -1.56 |
| 32 | New Zealand | 3 | 42% | — | — | -4.25 |
| 33 | Scotland | 3 | 41% | — | — | -3.77 |
| 34 | Spain | 8 | 41% | — | — | +13.19 |
| 35 | South Korea | 3 | 40% | 1 | — | +1.59 |
| 36 | Jordan | 3 | 40% | — | — | -3.20 |
| 37 | Iran | 3 | 39% | — | — | +0.11 |
| 38 | Cape Verde | 2 | 38% | — | — | -0.65 |
| 39 | South Africa | 5 | 37% | — | — | -1.86 |
| 40 | Portugal | 5 | 37% | — | — | +0.86 |
| 41 | Colombia | 5 | 36% | — | — | +4.11 |
| 42 | England | 8 | 36% | — | 2 | +4.25 |
| 43 | Ivory Coast | 4 | 36% | — | — | -0.01 |
| 44 | Argentina | 8 | 36% | — | — | +9.06 |
| 45 | Croatia | 4 | 35% | — | 1 | -2.51 |
| 46 | Egypt | 5 | 34% | — | — | -2.10 |
| 47 | Austria | 3 | 34% | — | — | -3.81 |
| 48 | Bosnia & Herzegovina | 2 | 34% | — | — | -2.10 |
| 49 | Czechia | 3 | 29% | — | — | -3.15 |
| 50 | Panama | 3 | 28% | — | — | -2.60 |
| 51 | Congo DR | 4 | 26% | — | — | +0.45 |
The FIFA World Cup xG table: the biggest over- and underperformers of the season by expected goals.
"Robbed" — lost while winning the xG. "Stole" — won while losing the xG. greyed out — teams with a single case: not enough data to rank.
Most Anomalous Matches — FIFA World Cup
Bravsen Intelligence automatically monitors FIFA World Cup matches and publishes investigations for every statistical anomaly. An investigation opens when a match's Crime Index exceeds 60% — indicating a significant divergence between team xG figures and the actual score. Total for World Cup published 105 investigations.
France vs England 4:6 — The Six Goals That Reframed Everything
For forty-five minutes, between Rice’s early strike and Mbappe’s reply at 48, England held a lead that made the eventual 4:6 scoreline feel straightforward. That is the casual reading: England scored six, England were better. The numbers complicate it.
USA vs Paraguay 4:1: Four Goals, One Clear Advantage
For 73 minutes, the contest lives in a familiar state: USA are three ahead, Paraguay have created little, and the only question is whether their response can alter the result. Mauricio’s finish changes the score, not the direction.
Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina 4:1 — Three Goals in the 90th Minute Blew the Match Open
Mexico vs South Korea 1:0 — Romo's 50th-Minute Goal Won It Against the xG
Uzbekistan vs Colombia 1:3 — Goals from Muñoz and Díaz in Different Halves Sealed the Win
Czechia vs South Africa 1:1 — An Early Sadílek Goal and a Late Mokoena Penalty Split the Points
Austria vs Jordan 3:1 — An Own Goal and an Arnautović Penalty Sealed It Late
FIFA World Cup 2026: Format, Host Cities, Teams
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the biggest tournament in the history of the game: the 23rd edition is the first hosted by three countries — the USA, Canada and Mexico — and the first with 48 teams instead of the traditional 32. It runs from June 11 to July 19, 2026: the opener was staged at the legendary Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, and the final will be played at MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey.
The new format reshaped both the group stage and the bracket: 12 groups of 4, with the top two from each group plus the 8 best third-placed teams advancing — 32 sides in the knockouts and a Round of 32 that is new to World Cups. Sixteen cities host the matches: eleven in the USA (from Atlanta and Dallas to Los Angeles and Seattle), Toronto and Vancouver in Canada, and Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico.
Among the 48 participants are four World Cup debutants: Uzbekistan, Jordan, Cape Verde and Curaçao. Argentina defends the title it won in 2022.
Host Cities and Stadiums
FIFA approved all 16 tournament stadiums on June 16, 2022, selecting from 22 candidate venues. Eleven US cities host matches: New York/New Jersey (MetLife Stadium, the final), Dallas (AT&T Stadium), Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium), Houston (NRG Stadium), Los Angeles (SoFi Stadium), Miami (Hard Rock Stadium), Kansas City (Arrowhead Stadium), Seattle (Lumen Field), Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field), San Francisco (Levi's Stadium) and Boston (Gillette Stadium). Mexico hosts three venues: Mexico City (Estadio Azteca, the only stadium in history hosting a World Cup for a third time, after 1970 and 1986), Guadalajara (Estadio Akron) and Monterrey (Estadio BBVA). Canada hosts two: Vancouver (BC Place) and Toronto (BMO Field, the tournament's smallest venue).
World Cup 2026 Results: Spain Are Champions
In the semi-finals, Spain beat France 2-0 (a penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal, then Pedro Porro), while Argentina fought back to beat England 2-1 in stoppage time - both goals, from Enzo Fernandez in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martinez in injury time, came off Lionel Messi assists. England took third place in a wild 6-4 win over France.
The final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey was settled in extra time: the only goal came in the 106th minute from substitute Ferran Torres, set up by fellow substitute Nico Williams. Argentina played the extra period down to ten men after Enzo Fernandez's second yellow card in the 90+3rd minute. Spain won their second World Cup title, their first since 2010, matching France and Uruguay on two titles each.
World Cup 2026 Match Reviews: Stats, xG, Anomaly Index
Bravsen Intelligence reviews every match of the tournament by full protocol, in English and Russian. Each review carries both teams' xG, shot geography, goalkeeping numbers, discipline, goal minutes, group context and head-to-head history. Matches where the score drifts from the substance receive an elevated anomaly index and a dedicated investigation — from reversals won against the run of play to routs the model rules entirely deserved.
World Cup 2026 Teams: All 48 Squad Pages
Full List of Teams
Every nation has its own page with all reviewed matches, stats and an xG profile:
- Argentina · Brazil · France · England · Spain · Portugal · Germany · Netherlands · Belgium
- USA · Mexico · Canada · Panama · Haiti · Curaçao
- Croatia · Switzerland · Austria · Czechia · Scotland · Norway · Sweden · Türkiye · Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Morocco · Senegal · Egypt · Algeria · Tunisia · Ghana · Ivory Coast · South Africa · Cape Verde · Congo DR
- Japan · South Korea · Iran · Iraq · Saudi Arabia · Qatar · Jordan · Uzbekistan
- Uruguay · Colombia · Ecuador · Paraguay · Australia · New Zealand
Tournament Debutants
Four nations play their first-ever World Cup finals: Uzbekistan, Jordan, Cape Verde and Curacao.
Key Players: The Tournament's 9 Favorites
Spain (champions) — Ferran Torres scored the winning goal in the 106th minute of the final; teenager Lamin Yamal scored a stunning goal in the semi-final win over France that sent Spain through; Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro also scored in that semi-final.
Argentina (runners-up) — Lionel Messi took his career World Cup goal contributions to 33 (21 goals, 12 assists) and played his farewell match for the national team in the final; both goals in the semi-final win over England, scored by Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez, came off Messi assists.
France (4th place) — lost 0-2 to Spain in the semi-final and 4-6 to England in the third-place match despite a Kylian Mbappe brace; the tournament was Didier Deschamps' last as coach.
England (3rd place) — Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick in the high-scoring third-place win over France; England lost the semi-final to Argentina 1-2 in stoppage time.
Brazil — eliminated in the round of 16 by Norway (1-2, an Erling Haaland brace) — their earliest exit since 1990; Vinicius Junior was the team's main attacking threat.
Portugal — beat Croatia 2-1 in the round of 32 but lost to Spain 0-1 in the round of 16 (Mikel Merino, 90+1'); the tournament was captain Cristiano Ronaldo's last World Cup.
Germany — eliminated in the round of 32 by Paraguay on penalties (1-1 after extra time, a Kai Havertz goal, lost 3-4 on penalties).
Netherlands — eliminated in the round of 32 by Morocco on penalties (1-1, a Cody Gakpo goal, lost 2-3 on penalties).
Belgium — thrashed the USA 4-1 in the round of 16 (a Charles De Ketelaere brace), then were stopped in the quarter-final by eventual champions Spain.
World Cup History: Every Champion
Across the 22 previous editions, eight nations have lifted the trophy: Brazil with 5 titles (hence the nickname "Pentacampeões"), Germany and Italy with 4 each, Argentina with 3, France and Uruguay with 2, England and Spain with 1. The first World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930 — the hosts became the inaugural champions, beating Argentina 4:2 in the final.
World Cup 2026 FAQ
How many teams play at the 2026 World Cup?
48 — the first expanded edition. From 1998 through 2022 the finals featured 32 teams.
Where is the 2026 World Cup held?
In three countries — the USA, Canada and Mexico. It is the first World Cup with three host nations; all three received automatic berths.
How does the 12-group format work?
The top two of each group advance, joined by the 8 best third-placed teams. From there it is a classic knockout bracket starting at the Round of 32.
Who are the debutants at the 2026 World Cup?
Four nations play their first finals: Uzbekistan, Jordan, Cape Verde and Curaçao.
What is the anomaly index in Bravsen reviews?
A measure of how far the final score diverges from the quality of chances per the xG model. A low index means the result is due process; a high one means the scoreboard shows something the play did not justify. Every match of the tournament gets its own index and a detailed review.