Spain lifts the Cup, while ranch and raccoons get their moment

Spain left the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the trophy after a 1-0 win over Argentina, securing the country’s second men’s world title.

The final put Lionel Messi’s Argentina across from a Spain side led by 19-year-old Lamine Yamal, closing five and a half weeks of soccer with one clear champion on the field. Away from the pitch, the tournament produced a very different winners’ list: a Cape Verde goalkeeper, Fox’s ad book, U.S. women’s players, and, yes, ranch dressing.

Cape Verde’s keeper became a breakout name

Josimar José Évora Dias, the Cape Verde goalkeeper better known as Vozinha, became one of the tournament’s surprise stars, according to MarketWatch.

The 40-year-old helped Cape Verde, which was making its World Cup debut, earn a 0-0 draw against Spain. He was named Man of the Match in that game, and Cape Verde also drew with Uruguay before losing narrowly to Argentina.

MarketWatch reported that Vozinha’s Instagram following rose from 50,000 before the tournament to 29.3 million over roughly a month. Experts cited by MarketWatch valued that surge in attention at at least $17.7 million in brand value.

Fox scored with viewers and ad breaks

Fox held the U.S. English-language rights to every match, a package The Athletic reported cost $485 million.

The U.S. men’s Round of 16 loss to Belgium drew 33 million viewers on Fox, making it the most-watched match on a single network in U.S. history, according to The Athletic. The U.S. lost that game 4-1 and has not reached a men’s World Cup quarterfinal since 2002.

Fox also said preliminary Nielsen figures showed England’s quarterfinal against Norway averaged 19.48 million viewers, the largest English-language U.S. TV audience for a World Cup quarterfinal, with a peak near 25 million in extra time.

Hydration breaks gave broadcasters rare in-game commercial slots during soccer matches. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Fox made at least $250 million from ads shown during those breaks. Ratings for the final had not yet been announced.

The U.S. women share in the men’s payday

FIFA is distributing $871 million in prize money to national federations for the 2026 tournament, almost twice the $440 million paid out in 2022, according to MarketWatch.

The U.S. men earned $16 million for reaching the Round of 16. Under a 2022 agreement announced by U.S. Soccer, 80% of World Cup prize money earned by the men’s and women’s national teams is pooled. U.S. Soccer keeps 20%, then splits the rest equally among 52 players, covering the 26 players on each roster.

Raccoons, ranch and roadside food went global

Norway striker Erling Haaland also had a tournament beyond the goals. He scored seven times as Norway reached the quarterfinals, and Social Blade data cited by MarketWatch showed his Instagram following rising from 41 million to 72 million over 30 days.

Haaland went viral after posting a taxidermy raccoon holding a whiskey bottle, reportedly bought for $750 at Wild Bill’s Western Store in Dallas, with the caption: “It followed me home.” Front Office Sports reported that the store sold out of stuffed raccoons after the post.

Traveling fans also turned American staples into online attractions. ESPN reported Scotland fans drank bars dry in Boston. Other viral moments included Norwegian fans “rowing” in Times Square, European travelers trying to take Hidden Valley Ranch through TSA checkpoints, and visitors discovering Buc-ee’s and Waffle House, according to reports cited by MarketWatch.

One more image came full circle in the final: Messi and Yamal had met before. In 2007, when Messi was 20 and playing for Barcelona, he posed in a charity photo shoot with Yamal, then 5 months old, after Yamal’s family won a raffle organized by Diario Sport and UNICEF. Yamal is now a Barcelona player and a World Cup champion.

This story draws on original reporting from MarketWatch.