🇦🇷 Lionel Messi · Retired
2026 World Cup: Champions, Records & Final Standings
Spain are 2026 World Champions — 1-0 vs Argentina at MetLife. Full 48-team final table, Golden Boot and every result.
Top story now Messi's Argentina career is over — a handwritten letter, no farewell match.
Final Standings
All 48 Teams → Final Standings
WTK Watch ·
Nations League squads land this week; Ballon d'Or list drops Tuesday; Klopp era begins
1
Post-WC squad season opens across Europe. European federations are finalising their rosters for the September international window ahead of a September 17 call-up deadline, marking the first round of national-team selections since the World Cup final. Coaches across the continent face a shared dilemma: how heavily to rotate squads still carrying post-tournament fatigue. Spain boss Luis de la Fuente is expected to name an experienced group, while Jürgen Klopp — appointed Germany manager on July 24 — will issue his first official squad call for competitive play this week ahead of Germany's Nations League opener on September 24. (UEFA.com / various national federations, September 2026)
2
Ballon d'Or 30-man shortlist confirmed for Tuesday. France Football will publish the men's and women's 30-nominee shortlists for the 2026 Ballon d'Or on Tuesday, September 8 — the defining awards story of the post-World Cup week. Rodri (Spain, Golden Ball), Lamine Yamal (Spain, first teenager to win both Euros and World Cup), and Kylian Mbappé (France, tournament top scorer) head the field. Ceremony is set for October 26 in London — the award's 70th anniversary and first London hosting — with Sir Stanley Matthews, the inaugural 1956 winner, cited as the inspiration for the venue. (beIN Sports / UEFA.com / Goal.com, September 1–7, 2026)
3
Klopp's Germany debut: 17 days away. The UEFA Nations League league phase opens September 24, with Group A2 fixtures putting Germany against the Netherlands in Jürgen Klopp's first competitive outing — a high-profile homecoming given his deep ties to German football. Xavi Hernández simultaneously begins life as Netherlands manager, making the clash a double debut for new-era coaches. Elsewhere in League A, England host World Cup champions Spain at Wembley on September 26 in the most anticipated fixture of Matchday 1 — a rematch of their semi-final meeting at the tournament that ended with Ferran Torres' extra-time winner. (UEFA.com / England Football, 2026)
Key Storylines
Final Top 5 · How They Finished
World Cup Explained
What's Next