With so much at stake, the final might be boring... and end in a penalty shoot-out.
A photograph taken on July 16, 2026 shows a mosaic made by Kosovar artist Alkent Pozhegu with grain and seeds, and depicting Argentina’s forward #10 Lionel Messi (R) and Spain’s forward #19 Lamine Yamal, in the town of Gjakova. Picture: Armend Nimani / AFP
So, the Last Tango in New York – the World Cup final – will have a Latin America flavour, after Europe’s fancied contenders, France and England, were sent packing in the semifinals by Spain and Argentina.
Both the French and the English seem to start well, then get overawed by the sense of occasion before freezing, goal-wise, like the proverbial rabbits in the headlights.
Not that we in this part of the world are really affected, but we would have to wonder whether these two teams have the BMT, or big-match temperament, it takes to bring home the trophies or whether, like the SA cricket teams of old, they may have to deal with the accusation that they are chokers.
Make no mistake, both Spain and Argentina were disciplined and, especially in the case of Argentina, fierce and physical.
Despite a few of the morning-after moans in Paris and London, neither side can really claim that “we wuz robbed, bruv…”
You just weren’t good enough on the night, which is a pity because it would have been good to see those hombres being pushed into a corner.
On the other hand, with so much at stake, the final might be boring… and end in a penalty shoot-out.
