Around the Ball and the Entire Planet, or a Manifesto for a New Multipolar Football on the 2026 World Cup Fields
The football festival is in full swing. The 2026 World Cup has reached the Round of 16. But I'm beginning to think that the era of "football overlords" has come to an end. What does this mean?
For decades, world football existed within the framework of an unspoken but rigid colonial paradigm. At the apex of this pyramid sat the recognized metropolises—elite European teams and Latin American giants—who held an absolute monopoly on football knowledge, tactical trends, and world and continental cups.
The rest of the world (Africa, Asia, small Caribbean or Pacific states, etc.) was perceived as nothing more than a footballing fringe. At best, they served as suppliers of inexpensive human resources for wealthy European clubs, and at worst, they arrived at the World Cup as exotic guests graciously allowed to learn from the real masters.
However, the 2026 World Cup in North America irrevocably destroyed this outdated hierarchy. The expansion of the tournament to 48 teams, which skeptics had already labeled a dilution of quality and a triumph of commercialism, in fact turned out to be a tectonic shift.
It turned out that a soccer ball is perfectly round, and a green turf has the amazing ability to level the playing field, regardless of historical merit, budget, or geopolitical clout.
This tournament officially marked the end of the old football world order, when there are no longer "masters" and "servants" on the field, and former arrogance is shattered by the discipline and organization of those who, just yesterday, were disregarded.
The Geographical Reshaping of the Football World
The scale of this historic turning point becomes clear when we look at the earliest starting point – the global qualifying campaign, which began three years before the final whistle.
Initially, 206 national teams from all corners of the planet entered the competition for the right to touch the gold trophy. In fact, these included virtually every civilized country on Earth, excluding Russia, which was suspended for political reasons; Eritrea, which withdrew due to internal problems; and the host countries (the United States, Canada, and Mexico), which, according to the rules, automatically qualify for the World Cup.
The sieve of this epic marathon proved brutal, with only about 22 percent of the contenders making it through, managing to make it through to the finals. The competition reached its peak, and it was this total elimination that paved the way for the sensations to come.
When the knockout stages began, the football world was shaken by the scale of the geographic reshuffle. The first round of the knockout stages, the Round of 32, a new stage for World Cups, became a graveyard of European ambitions. The share of European teams among the 32 best teams on the planet fell to an unprecedented 37 percent.
The collapse of the acknowledged titans of football was a real shock. Four-time world champions Germany, led by 38-year-old Julian Nagelsmann, managed to lose a penalty shootout to Paraguay (!), converting only one of their four attempts, a first in their history.
Following Germany, three-time World Cup finalists the Netherlands packed their bags, having succumbed to Morocco in a similar penalty shootout.
Incidentally, the abnormal abundance of penalty shootouts at this championship, which determined the winner, has in itself become a sign of equality – the teams have become so close in skill that the determination of the strongest increasingly requires physical and psychological exhaustion.
This is a sign that the science of football tactics has ceased to be the secret knowledge of Europeans – it has become a global treasure.
A Great Sporting Revenge of Yesterday's Outskirts
Football has never developed in a vacuum; it is inseparable from history, and the North American World Cup vividly demonstrated how historical justice exacts its own kind of revenge on the football field.
The group stage and first round knockout matches turned into a veritable parade of mental decolonization. The main symbol of this process was the modest, hitherto virtually unknown Cape Verde national team. This island nation, with a population of just over half a million, which only cast off Portuguese colonial shackles in 1975, has made the entire football world talk.
The islanders first took points from reigning European champions Spain, ending the match in a goalless draw, and then in the last sixteen, they unleashed absolute hell on Lionel Messi and the reigning world champions, Argentina. The Cape Verdeans dragged the South American stars into a tough overtime, scoring twice, and only lost at the very end of stoppage time. So much so that the world champions rejoiced over their victory over the islanders like little children who have received an unexpected gift.
Meanwhile, the Cape Verdean footballers set an all-time record, committing just one foul in 120 minutes of play, including stoppage time. Their 40-year-old goalkeeper, Vozinha, who plays in Portugal's second division, made seven saves in the most difficult scoring situations, embodying an indomitable spirit.
Similar stories unfolded in other matches yesterday, where the footballing fringes of the past dictated terms to their former capitals on equal terms. The Democratic Republic of the Congo team led for an hour against England, the founders of modern football, forcing their coach, Thomas Tuchel, to make adjustments on the fly. In this match, the British side were saved from certain defeat only by the individual brilliance of Harry Kane, and only in the dying minutes.
There wasn't even a hint of political slogan in these confrontations, but they clearly conveyed the confidence of yesterday's underdogs, and most importantly, their inner freedom. Footballers from developing countries took to the field without the slightest hint of an inferiority complex.
It turned out that on-field discipline, dedication, sporting patriotism, and a willingness to fight to the last on the field, defending the colors of their national flags, mean far more than the multi-million-dollar price tags on specialized analytical portals.
The Law of Historical Boomerang and the Formula of Identity
One of the key factors that shattered the previous balance of power and erased the class gap was the unique phenomenon of reverse football migration. For many years, the European club and state system operated like a vacuum cleaner, sucking up young talent from Africa and Latin America to win new awards.
Today, this process has reversed, demonstrating the law of historical boomerang. FIFA's legal relaxation of its rules for transferring sporting nationality has coincided with a profound mental shift in the players themselves.
Hundreds of top-class footballers born in Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, or Lisbon, who received elite educations at the best European academies and swept the youth teams of France, the Netherlands, or Belgium, are making a conscious decision to play for their ancestral countries. Thanks to this, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Senegal and even Cape Verde received a colossal boost.
Today, these guys are returning to their roots, driven by their hearts. They brought strict European systemic approach, tactical training, and composure to the African teams, while carefully preserving their natural passion, grace, and unique athleticism.
The round ball has restored balance, and now it doesn't matter where in the world you learned to kick a ball; what matters is whose colors you're ready to defend at the biggest tournament of your life.
Asian Pragmatism Versus European Snobbery
The confident progress of Japan and South Korea to the last-16 has finally settled the long-running debate about the competitiveness of Asian football. Previous condescending talk about the exoticism or futility of Asian teams has given way to profound respect and even fear of their power.
The dramatic draw between Japan and the Netherlands, where the Asian team twice came back from behind and snatched the victory with an 88th-minute goal, demonstrated that the "Blue Samurai" are capable of imposing their tempo and will on absolutely any top team. It is a triumph of mathematically precise planning.
While European officials debated formats, the Japan Football Association was systematically implementing its long-term development strategy, designed for the next half-century. Today, their players no longer look up to Europeans, as they themselves are key figures in clubs in the German Bundesliga and the English Premier League.
The South Korean team, for its part, countered European snobbery with extreme intensity and impeccable fitness. In the stifling North American heat, when referees had to impose mandatory hydration breaks (or water breaks, as fans call them) twice during the match, the Koreans managed to maintain a high-pressure tempo throughout the entire ninety minutes of play, rapidly shifting from defense to attack and vice versa. This created the impression that there were more Koreans on the field than their European counterparts.
The pampered European football elite, accustomed to more measured positional pressure, proved simply unprepared for such physical exertion and intense combat. This is a clear victory for the system, strict game discipline, and colossal dedication to boldly take on former authorities and big names.
A 90-Minute Summary of the New Multipolar World
The 2026 World Cup will go down in the annals of sporting history as a crucial turning point, the beginning of an era when football became truly global, open, and democratic.
The outcome of a match is no longer predetermined in offices or on the pages of pre-match reports. Great brands, past titles, astronomical transfer fees, and a trail of arrogant pride are completely erased the moment the referee blows the starting whistle.
What's happening on football pitches clearly demonstrates that our world has changed, it has become multipolar, and the round ball has captured this historic shift far more quickly and clearly than the weight of international political institutions.
Indeed, the football festival is in full swing. The 2026 World Cup has reached the Round of 16. But facing the final playoff round, everyone is equal, and every team (even the one considered an underdog by bookmakers) still has 90 minutes to rewrite football history—its own and even the world's.
Bekdurdy AMANSARYEV
