Top feel-good moments to remember now that the 2026 World Cup is over

The good, the atrocious and the disfigured – the 2026 World Cup had it all.

FIFA’s planetary showpiece was held nether a unreality of controversies that cropped up passim the tournament: visa issues, outrageous summons prices, contested calls from referees, telephone calls from United States President Donald Trump.

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Then determination were the somewhat little problematic hiccups successful the signifier of mandatory hydration breaks, inclement upwind delaying matches and insufferable fans.

At the extremity of it all, the wholesome moments of the six-week tourney successful Canada, Mexico and the US are the ones we privation to remember.

Al Jazeera has rounded them up:

Vozinha reunited with his mother

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha started the World Cup arsenic a seasoned breakout prima and ended it arsenic a household sanction (and Instagram celebrity) aft his on-pitch heroics – which his parent got to witnesser successful idiosyncratic aft being flown to the US.

The 40-year-old footballer stole the amusement arsenic helium leaped, dived and executed a drawstring of saves to support the eventual satellite champions, Spain, from scoring successful the radical stage, thing his parent had predicted earlier the Cape Verdeans made their World Cup debut.

Vozinha, whose existent sanction is Josimar Dias, rued his mother’s lack astatine the tourney aft she was incapable to question owed to the outgo of a enslaved outgo for a visa to participate the US.

The communicative went viral and tugged each the close heartstrings arsenic US officials yet waived her question fees and made arrangements for her to see Cape Verde’s adjacent game successful Miami, Florida.

Lamine Yamal’s small member arsenic the existent prima of the show

It’s Keyne’s satellite (cup) and we’re conscionable surviving successful it.

The three-year-old member to teen sensation Lamine Yamal became the existent prima of the amusement with his unmatched celebrations for Spain that appeared connected the large screen.

The 19-year-old whitethorn person added a World Cup trophy to his database of accolades, but his emotion for Keyne indicates what the existent prize is to him.

Every lucifer saw Keyne moving into the arms of his large member earlier exploring the transportation and unknowingly (or knowingly) becoming the World Cup’s astir lovable sensation.

Keyne, the small member of Lamine Yamal, is seen connected the surface during the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinal against Belgium [David Ramos/Getty Images/AFP]

Cheering up a young instrumentality who cried astatine Uzbekistan’s loss

No 1 seemed much upset astatine Uzbekistan’s 3-1 nonaccomplishment to Colombia than a young instrumentality who sobbed into a replica trophy aft the South American broadside scored.

Colombian fans astir him instantly began chanting, “Uzbekistan! Uzbekistan!” to cheer him up successful a infinitesimal that went viral overnight and caught the team’s attention.

They invited the boy, identified arsenic Isfandiyor Begmatov, to a squad grooming league wherever helium met the players and went location with a signed jersey, a wolf plushie and a full batch much emotion for the Uzbekistan nationalist team.

From favored duck to World Cup icon and gift

Unfazed, unticketed and present a worldwide sensation, Merlin the favored duck roseate to overnight fame aft being spotted waddling astir successful a Mexico jersey.

The feathered person became the World Cup’s unofficial mascot aboriginal successful the tourney and adjacent met President Claudia Sheinbaum, who promised Merlin’s household they volition person assistance aft proprietor Karla Gomez said she wants to trademark Merlin to assistance with their piling expenses.

Merlin plushies recovered their mode into the stadium, and 1 Mexico fan, contempt the heartbreaking 3-2 nonaccomplishment to England successful the circular of 16, talented the stuffed artifact to a young English instrumentality successful a infinitesimal that encompassed what shot fandom should look like.

Mexico instrumentality successful Christmas sweater gets squad jersey

When Santi’s schoolhouse asked its students to correspond El Tri for Mexico’s World Cup opener, helium improvised with a green, red, and achromatic Christmas sweater to beryllium his emotion for the big nation.

Little did helium cognize that his dedication would go a viral infinitesimal that yet led to him getting a jersey customised with Santi, his namesake and Mexico guardant Santiago Gimenez, who sent a peculiar connection to the young fan.

Bellingham gets his ain Hey Jude concert

Jude Bellingham was the antheral of the hr and, unofficially, antheral of the tourney for England fans who honoured him with the Beatles’ opus Hey Jude aft each match.

The 23-year-old became England’s apical scorer astatine the tourney aft netting his seventh extremity against France to pb his broadside to 3rd place. He besides finished arsenic the 3rd highest scorer aft Golden Boot victor Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.

Curacao’s manager affectional earlier World Cup debut

The land nation’s manager, Dick Advocaat, was seen wiping distant tears earlier his side’s World Cup debut against Germany arsenic their nationalist anthem rang out.

The 7-1 thrashing that followed was, paradoxically, origin for celebration. Curacao became the smallest ever nation to suffice for a World Cup, and Livano Comenencia gave the tiny Caribbean federation its archetypal ever goal.

Advocaat, 78, became the oldest World Cup manager successful history, and helium of each radical saw Curacao’s emergence to the planetary signifier since being appointed successful January 2024.

“At my age, with my personality, the emotion easy comes to the surface. Seeing however acold we’ve come, that’s thing fantastic to experience,” helium said.

Curacao manager Dick Advocaat applauds fans aft the lucifer against Germany. [Phil Noble/Reuters]