Bigger, older, hotter: The trends that defined World Cup 2026

The biggest World Cup in history produced numbers to match. Forty-eight teams, 104 games and three host countries delivered a record 308 goals before Spain were crowned champions.

But the first expanded tournament was not just bigger. It was older, more geographically demanding and more uneven. The average gap between opponents in the FIFA rankings reached a tournament high, teams crossed mammoth distances between base camps and venues, and heat, humidity and altitude influenced how much sides could run.