The 2026 FIFA World Cup has entered the knockout stages, yet it has been remarkable not only for being the biggest in football history so far, but also for its unusual moments. It has delivered remarkable fan antics, underdog stories, emotional scenes and controversial decisions.
On a personal note, because I’m visiting the US and Canada, two of the three North American hosts, I’m enjoying what I have often taken for granted: watching global games on live TV in my part of the world.
Replays are not my thing. I’m not sure I would have been able to follow the games so closely if I were watching them from home in Nigeria, where a five- or six-hour time difference with the US, Canada or Mexico might have meant watching replays, missing several games played at “odd hours,” or watching them with red, sleepy eyes.
Bafana beefing
Some unusual moments have caught my attention so far in the World Cup. The performance of South Africa’s team, Bafana Bafana, was not only a source of pride to the country and its players, I thought it would bring joy to many Africans that the team, one of the continent’s 10 representatives, reached the knockout stage by pulling off a stunning last-minute 1-0 win over South Korea in a last group-stage contest that could have been drawn — or worse.
