It’s a game of two halves and in the end, Lionel Messi shines. After a stunning performance in Argentina’s come-from-behind win against England, the 39-year old securing the defending World Cup champions their second final in a row, much to the delight of organizers – who last year understood Messi’s star power when they bent the rules to include his Inter Miami side in the Club World Cup.
What legacy for the biggest World Cup ever with its three countries, 64 teams, record ticket pricing? Will it be the on-field drama or the American-style packaging of the spectacle, what with commercial breaks disguised as water breaks, TV cutaways to celebrities during the action and red cards overturned to please the hosts? What optics for the final? Will Donald Trump be flanked by Argentinian far-right ally Javier Milei and Pedro Sanchez, the prime minister of a left-led Spain he’s threatened to cut ties with?
Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Riham Mahir, Andrew Hilliar.
