The best and worst moments of the World Cup

The Morning Edition · Jul 14, 2026 · 20m · transcript

For nearly a century, the FIFA World Cup has carried fans throughout the world to great heights of unity and joy. This year's tournament, which is coming to a close, revealed some of the best of America. Scottish fans were welcomed by the city of Boston, and supposedly drank the city dry, while Japanese fans in Dallas marvelled in the delights of Texas barbecue.

Then there was the game itself and its stars, such as Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Jude Bellingham.

But a maelstrom of complications threatened the sense of inclusion this year, particularly due to host…