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U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to make an appearance at the World Cup—though he will be present for the ceremonial duty of presenting (and presumably holding onto) the trophy at the final.
Admittedly, other matters have been competing for his attention, whether global tensions or a UFC event in his own backyard, but the World Cup has carried on without Trump in surprisingly seamless fashion. Even the first weather-related suspension couldn't put a damper on a tournament where the biggest names on the field have well and truly delivered.
In the President's absence, the global spotlight has been claimed by soccer legends, actual royalty, and a duck well on its way to an even more elevated status.
Merlin the Duck
How you feel about the story of Merlin the duck's visit to meet Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum largely depends on your level of cynicism. For many, this green-fabric-wearing unofficial mascot for the co-host nation has become a viral phenomenon, winning over millions with his miniature jersey and charming drawstring shoes, making the presidential audience entirely fitting.
"Today we welcomed the family whose pet is Merlin the duck, because he has become a symbol of this World Cup, a symbol of what Mexican families represent, of who we are as a people, and that is above everything else—it is what the world is seeing from Mexico right now," Sheinbaum proudly stated.
Those with a more skeptical worldview might view this as a PR move for a President who has made the contentious decision to skip every World Cup match.
Eloy Finds Room for Royal Celebrations
Royal Celebration with the King and Queen 💙@koninklijkhuis pic.twitter.com/PLLrVoek80
Fewer than six months ago, Eloy Room was training solo just to stay fit while searching for a professional club. On Saturday, Curaçao's 37-year-old goalkeeper marked a record-equalling goalkeeping display by dancing through the locker room alongside the King and Queen of the Netherlands (which still technically includes Curaçao within its Kingdom).
"I think in 40 years, I'll still remember this," Room understandably reflected.
Leo Ostigard Phones in Birthing Day
Daddy cool🥹 Gratulerer til Leo og Aurora som nybakte foreldre❤️ pic.twitter.com/Ir5BMQjO3z
Jérémy Doku's public choice to leave Belgium's camp to be present at the birth of his first child attracted a surprising amount of criticism. The speedy winger followed through on his commitment to witness Praise enter the world, but not every expectant father has made the same call this summer.
Norway center back Leo Østigård opted for a remote approach, watching his partner Aurora Eidmann go through labor via FaceTime. "I'm completely worn out myself," he told the national team's in-house media. Hopefully Eidmann wasn't tuned in for that particular comment.
Mauricio Pochettino's Imagined Spies
Pablo Iglesias Maurer of The Guardian spotted Mauricio Pochettino standing apart from his U.S. players at the team's training facility, ignoring Christian Pulisic's return to training in favor of sweeping his phone camera across the surrounding landscape. Rather than capturing a shaky panoramic shot of Irvine, Calif., the Argentine coach had fully embraced the paranoia that defined the club season.
"I wanted to check, because you know, we're in an era of, how do you say: spy," he explained.
As a devoted follower of English soccer, Pochettino was surely well aware of the Spygate scandal that overshadowed the promotion race to the Premier League. Southampton were so desperate for an edge against Oxford United that they dispatched an intern armed with an iPhone to their training ground. With the stakes of World Cup football even higher, who knows what might have been lurking in the bushes around Pochettino?
On the England Roster With No Cleats
When Trevoh Chalobah returned from a shopping trip in Times Square to his hotel room, he found a message waiting from England manager Thomas Tuchel. "I knew immediately," he recalled.
The Chelsea center back had been on the verge of making the World Cup squad before just missing the final 26-man cut. But when Tino Livramento was ruled out of the tournament with injury, Chalobah got his opportunity. The catch: the 26-year-old was on holiday and had brought no cleats with him to the U.S. A frantic scramble resolved the situation, and within days Chalobah was on the bench for England's match against Ghana. Hopefully he didn't spend too long thinking about how much more entertaining Times Square might have been.
Messi Mania Spreads From Dallas to Dhaka
Crazy 🇦🇷 Argentina fans watch party at Feni, Bangladesh 🇧🇩 pic.twitter.com/HqjMm7Lx3W
"Dhaka will burn if Maradona is not allowed to play," hundreds of supporters in Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital, chanted when the iconic playmaker was suspended from the 1994 World Cup for doping. Thirty-two years on, another left-footed Argentine No. 10 weaving his magic across the U.S. has captured the hearts of South Asia.
As was the case at the 2022 World Cup, Lionel Messi has single-handedly ignited passionate support from millions in Bangladesh, whose cities effectively transform into pockets of Argentina whenever the tournament's all-time leading scorer takes the field, with massive watch parties forming throughout the country.
"What the national team shirt transmits is incredible," Lionel Scaloni has said of the phenomenon. "It makes us proud that the people in Bangladesh are supporting Argentina the way they do."
Spelling Is Hard
"Football is a game of mistakes," Pep Guardiola once remarked. That holds true both on and off the pitch, as New Zealand unfortunately discovered.
The pennant the All Whites presented to Egypt ahead of their group stage encounter in Vancouver was mistakenly addressed to "Eygpt." The federation didn't catch the error until well after the match, only later deleting the social media post featuring a photo of the misspelled pennant.
Jordan's Spectacular World Cup Watchalong
وسط اجواء وطنية احتفالية وحماسية .. الجماهير الأردنية تتوافد الى المدرج الروماني وسط العاصمة عمان لحضور لقاء النشامى مع شقيقه الجزائري ضمن مباريات كأس العالم 2026.#بترا #الأردن #معك_يالنشمي pic.twitter.com/rWH3rB7uqK
On the eve of Jordan's first-ever World Cup appearance, Prime Minister Jafar Hassan issued an official government directive pushing back the start of the working day from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., giving fans the chance to watch the action before heading to work.
Public sector workers didn't simply use the opportunity for a longer sleep. Thousands flocked to Amman's Roman Theatre to watch Jordan's opening match against Algeria at 6 a.m. local time. There wasn't a yawn to be found in a crowd that erupted when Nizar Al Rashdan scored the opening goal. Ultimately, much like the supporters, the players faded in the second half, though few were too disheartened by a narrow 2–1 loss.
Tartan Army Already Missed in Boston
⚾️ The Tartan Army at the baseball last night
Wait for it …….😂😂😂😂#TartanArmy #Scotland pic.twitter.com/uxZfkJxU1o
SI answers is our AI answer engine trained on human-created content.
Scotland's supporters made the journey from Boston to prepare for Steve Clarke's side's clash with Brazil in Miami this week. Many Floridians warmly embraced the Tartan Army, who turned up to a Miami Marlins vs. Texas Rangers game on Tuesday as a pre-match warm-up. One local baseball fan arrived holding a sign that read: "Looking for a Scot." She didn't have to wait long.
Back in Boston, however, the love for Scotland's fans hasn't faded. The Boston Globe is reaching out to readers who made a "love connection" with a tipsy soccer supporter in a kilt. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is so eager to sustain the bond between Massachusetts and Scotland that he has floated the idea of bringing the NFL across the Atlantic.