The 23rd FIFA World Cup just wrapped up a few days ago, delivering a summer none of us will forget. According to the latest rankings by Bill Connelly and James Tyler, this tournament, spanning from Boston to Miami to Mexico City to Vancouver, is officially the sixth-best World Cup ever. Talk about a wild ride!
2026: A Rollicking Summer For The Books
This latest World Cup was truly memorable. We saw early upsets that had everyone scrambling, superstar performances that lit up the stadiums, and, as always, fan brilliance that brought incredible energy. Sure, it had its inevitable controversies, but what major tournament doesn’t? While it didn’t hit the star power highs of 1970, or redefine the game like 1974, or even give us the start-to-finish thrill of 1982, let’s be real, it was still pretty damn good. Coming in at sixth-best means it stood out in a massive way.
How Do You Even Score History Like That?
So, how do you even begin to rank something as epic as a World Cup? The folks behind these rankings used a 50-point scale across seven categories. They even admitted the whole process was “strange, subjective and emotions-based,” and that it “reward tournaments for being controversial.” You gotta love that honesty, right? Up to 10 points were available for “Great players” and “Upsets,” which makes total sense. Then, “Great final,” “Controversies,” “Location/fans,” and “Goal quantity/general excitement level” could each net up to 5 points. Plus, a whole 10 bonus points were up for grabs for “particularly fun memories” and that elusive “X factor.” Honestly, it makes only so much sense, just like the World Cup itself!
The Bottom Line On World Cup History
It’s fascinating to see where this tournament landed, especially when you look at the whole history. For example, the 1934 World Cup in Italy, where Italy beat Czechoslovakia 2-1 in extra time in the final, and Oldrich Nejedly scored 5 goals, is way down there with a score of just 17/50. To jump from that to our 2026 tournament, which landed in the top tier, shows just how much this summer delivered. Do you think the 23rd World Cup really deserved that sixth spot? This is gonna spark some serious debate for sure!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by ESPN.
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