World Cup 2026: Upsets galore amidst vibrant African teams

Gautam Ganguly

(gautamganguly2012@gmail.com)

Causing yet another upset to a flurry of setbacks and shocking results that have been the hallmarks of the ongoing FIFA World Cup, Ecuador, rated as minnows, put up a scintillating display of classic football to beat the vaunted Germans by a margin of 2-1 goals to qualify for the knockout stage. A euphoric president of Ecuador had immediately declared a national holiday after this monumental victory.    Continuing with the trend of upsets, Norway eliminated five-time champion Brazil much to the chagrin of millions of football connoisseurs across the world. In another spirit-uplifting performance, Paraguay, ranked 34 by FIFA rating, had defeated four-time World Cup champion Germany to throw out the European powerhouse from the World Cup. Germany’s persistent defeat in this World Cup is a surprising setback to its millions of admirers. Given the numerous upsets and unpredictable results leading up to the quarter-final, one could parody Shakespeare and say, ‘Upset!! Thy name is World Cup 2026!’

Intriguingly, the most significant upset so far has been caused by Trump, the president of America, who is unanimously regarded as the most powerful human being on earth! To recapitulate the incident: Folarin Balogun, a USA player and the highest goal scorer of the USA, was red-carded and sent off during the round 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, the USA won that match to qualify for the next round of 16.

FIFA regulations envisage that a red-carded player is suspended from playing the next match.

The USA’s next match was against Belgium. Trump had made a personal request to Vincenzo Infantino, the FIFA president, to withdraw the suspension. The sycophantic FIFA withdrew the suspension and allowed Folarin Balogun to play against Belgium, much to the astonishment and fury of the entire sports-loving world. The request by Trump, however, did not yield any fruitful results for the USA, as Belgium trounced the USA by a margin of 4-1 goals. Such blatant interference with an on-field decision and such spineless surrender by FIFA, an autonomous sports organisation, has never happened in World Cup history.

The ongoing 23rd edition of the soccer World Cup has witnessed a remarkable resurgence of the so-called lowly ranked countries. This is particularly true for countries on the African continent. The first stunning result was witnessed when tournament debutants Cape Verde, an archipelago with a meagre five-lakh population, held Spain to a historic draw in the group stage.   Thereafter, Cape Verde had nearly shocked Argentina in the round 32 knockout stage when they scored two goals and drew the game in the scheduled 90 minutes, raising hope of a setback for Argentina. Messi Magic secured the hard-fought victory against the tiny country in extra time. DR Congo have been outstanding and sent shivers down to England when they scored first and kept the lead until the 85th minute. Ultimately, they lost to England gracefully in the final moments. Côte d’Ivoire, the new name for Ivory Coast, is another African country that has performed creditably, having beaten Ecuador and Curaçao in the group stage to qualify for the knockout stage.  A superlative African performance was seen when Egypt took a two-goal lead against Argentina in the round 16 match, only to lose in the dying minutes of the game. It was a nail-biting match. This match created huge controversy over the role of the referee and even over the mindless application of VAR.  And then, with the loss of Morocco to France in the quarter-final, glorious African teams have finally exited the World Cup 2026 with heads held high.

Digressing from upsets, this World Cup will go down in history for annihilating century-old male domination. Six female match officials were selected, marking the highest number ever appointed to a men’s World Cup tournament. Trailblazing referee Tori Penso (USA) made headlines by becoming the first American woman to officiate a men’s World Cup match. During the group-stage clash between Czechia and South Africa, she led the first-ever all-American, all-female refereeing crew alongside assistant referees Brooke Mayo and Kathryn. 

The present quadrennial sports extravaganza is rated as the most expensive World Cup ever and has seen high-and-mighty teams being annihilated by so-called underrated squads, much to the chagrin of supporters of high-voltage teams. The present glittering World Cup is reportedly spending a staggering $14.2 billion for the teams as well as the soccer ‘pundits’.   Importantly, the present World Cup has given soccer enthusiasts around the world the opportunity to satisfy their appetite for quality, competitive, and suspense-filled matches that obliterate the differences in rankings among the participating teams.  ‘Sports is a mighty leveller’ – the immortal saying stands vindicated in this World Cup. The first quarter-final has just ended. With lots of significant matches, the week ahead promises numerous significant matches, raising the likelihood of major upsets. During the week, the possibility of huge upsets is expected in the fitness of things.

The answer to the common question of which team will ultimately prevail remains uncertain and lies in the unpredictable future.