Ranking the 2026 World Cup’s best viral moments, from Merlin the Duck to the Viking Row

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has produced a cavalcade of dramatic moments over the past five weeks, from great goals scored to thrilling comebacks being staged, devastating defeats dealt and a plethora of underdog stories unfolding.

With the tournament now behind us, let’s look back at the little moments that helped make the 2026 edition a hoot from start to finish.

We’re not talking about on-field incidents, but rather some of the best viral vignettes that didn’t directly involve a ball being kicked.

– The world’s more remote World Cup final watch parties
– Real Madrid ‘win’ World Cup with more goals scored than any other club
– Infantino’s epic World Cup tour: FIFA boss clocked up over 65,000 miles

20. Here come the Payne

The World Cup’s first big viral moment happened before a ball was even kicked as New Zealand defender Tim Payne became known around the world.

Argentine content creator Valen Scarsini, who goes by the handle of “elscarso,” posted a video in which he identified Payne as the “least known” player at the tournament based on Instagram following and encouraged his followers to unite and bump up his social media presence. He chose Wellington Phoenix fullback Payne, who at the time had fewer than 5,000 followers.

That number swelled to 5 million before the tournament had even begun, many of them in South America, which might have played a part in earning Payne a move to Paraguayan club Olimpia.

19. Winston cleaning up with Japan fans

It’s been a staple for a number of years, but Japan fans in attendance at the World Cup once again proved themselves to be the perfect guests by cleaning up after themselves and leaving every stadium they visited tidier than they found it.

The exemplary habits demonstrated by the Samurai Blue supporters soon began to spread, with NFL star Jameis Winston even pitching in and helping to collect trash after Japan’s group stage match against Netherlands.

Japan’s fans weren’t the only courteous people at the tournament either. The Iran and Jordan teams tidied their own dressing rooms and even left thank-you notes and gifts behind for stadium staff.

18. Cherki shirking

Rayan Cherki 🇫🇷😭🍿 pic.twitter.com/cpPX7YYcCY

— Actu Foot (@ActuFoot_) July 18, 2026

With all the pressure off both sides, the “Bronze Final” (formerly known as the third-place playoff) between England and France in Miami proved to be a hugely entertaining exhibition game that delivered no fewer than 10 goals.

Les Bleus opted against defending in the opening 45 minutes and as such went in 4-0 down at the break, leading coach Didier Deschamps to make a swathe of emergency changes in an effort to salvage some semblance of dignity in what was his farewell game.

After failing to impress, Rayan Cherki was one of four French players hooked at halftime, though the decision didn’t appear to phase the Manchester City midfielder much. Indeed, while his teammates were busy attempting to claw their way back into the tie, Cherki was spotted casually reclining in front of the dugout as if he’d just pulled up a beanbag.

17. Neymar abducted by aliens???

🛸¿𝐎𝐕𝐍𝐈𝐒 𝐄𝐍 𝐄𝐋 𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋❓: 𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐎́𝐍 𝐘 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐀 𝐏𝐎𝐑 𝐋𝐀 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐂𝐈𝐎́𝐍 𝐃𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐀 𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄 𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐀

La vidente brasileña Vó Bahiana se hizo viral en los últimos días cuando publicó un video en sus redes sociales y… pic.twitter.com/yOO00KJjDa

— Conclusión (@ConclusionRos) June 24, 2026

One of the few major disappointments of the 2026 World Cup was that we didn’t get the phantasmagoric extraterrestrial abductions that were promised during the group stage game between Brazil and Scotland.

The bold claim was made prematch by Brazilian psychic Vó Bahiana who said she had a vision of the match being interrupted by a large UFO hovering over Miami Stadium and beaming up several players, including Neymar and Vinícius Júnior, as well as hundreds of fans.

The game passed without any otherworldly interference, which led to the psychic being gently ribbed by the Miami Stadium social media team and Miami International Airport, which went as far as issuing an advance warning of an official airspace restriction above the arena before kickoff to help stave off any Martian invasion.

Señora!!!! https://t.co/7t0zdhdPyu pic.twitter.com/owAh1QlXs7

— Quilmes Cerveza (@Quilmes_Cerveza) June 22, 2026

Lionel Messi’s phenomenal performance at the 2026 World Cup at the grand old age of 39 will undoubtedly go down as the stuff of legend, but even the GOAT must concede that his wasn’t the most impressive shift put in by an Argentine veteran at the tournament.

That accolade must surely belong to 100-year-old Messi mega fan Pauline Kana, or “Granny Smith” as she is known on social media, who turned up in person to cheer on her beloved baller despite being older than the World Cup itself.

15. Uruguay fans’ poorly timed proposal

🚨 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛: The moment when an Uruguayan fan proposed marriage to her boyfriend and Cape Verde equalized at that time exactly. pic.twitter.com/KOlfTJscoI

— WC 2026 (@Viralitity) June 22, 2026

Several marriage proposals took place during the World Cup, but none were more unfortunately timed than that of the Uruguayan couple who happened to attempt to seal the nuptial deal at the exact moment their national team conceded a second goal against Cape Verde.

The happy couple were in the act of the question being popped and the ring being produced when they were rudely interrupted by Hélio Varela and his monumental equalizer for the Blue Sharks.

14. Canada fan drops her phone

In what may have been the most relatable moment of the whole World Cup, one Canada fan dropped her phone while attempting to join in as a big wave made its way through the crowd during the round-of-32 win over South Africa.

Thankfully, the World Cup cameras were on hand to capture the nerve-shredding incident in full, HD slow motion for the full cinematic experience.

13. Beckham’s big wine glass

David Beckham was seemingly omnipresent at the 2026 World Cup, especially for U.S. viewers, who had to put up with the former England midfielder cropping up in every other television commercial during the tournament.

The 51-year-old also attended a number of matches throughout, including Scotland’s third and final group stage game against Brazil in Miami, where he inadvertently provided a new entry to the grand encyclopedia of World Cup memes.

While the Scots were busy fretting about their imminent World Cup elimination, the cameras suddenly cut to the stands where Becks was spotted casually sipping from the most comically oversized glass of red wine you’ve ever seen.

It’s perhaps worth noting that Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder wasn’t quite as sophisticated when he appeared on the big screen during the United States’ game against Belgium and promptly downed an entire can of beer in one fell swoop.

There were questions asked when Thomas Tuchel deigned to include Jordan Henderson in his England World Cup squad but few can argue with the impact the 36-year-old Brentford midfielder had on the tournament — specifically the impact he made just beside the advertising boards at the Azteca Stadium.

“Hendo” didn’t play a single minute of football for the Three Lions but did somehow manage to pick up a booking and a rather serious injury during an eventful round-of-16 game against Mexico. He was an unused sub but was still shown a yellow card for dissent before a calamitous vault over the advertising boards after the final whistle resulted in a broken arm and a trip to hospital to undergo emergency surgery.

Still, that didn’t stop his club sending an unintentionally hilarious message of support to their player on social media after England’s semifinal exit, when they posted: “You gave it your all, Jordan!“

11. Congo DR‘s human statue

One of the most instantly recognizable fans in world football managed to make an appearance at the 2026 finals as Congo DR superfan Michel Kuka Mboladinga, also known as Lumumba Vea, debuted his incredible human statue act on soccer’s grandest stage.

Mboladinga, who stages a motionless tribute to Congo DR’s first democratically elected prime minister throughout the national team’s matches, was prevented from attending games in the United States but did manage to attend the group game against Colombia in Mexico.

He even spawned copycats during the tournament with one fellow Congo DR fan stepping in to cover him during the Leopards’ final group fixture against Uzbekistan before a Moroccan clone cropped up in the round of 32.

10. Memo y Morita

HAY QUE CUIDAR AL NIÑO 🫐

🙏 Gracias Don Memo, por hacer que Morita duerma a sus horas y haga su tarea.

Lo necesitamos al 100% para enfrentar a Inglaterra. 😎

📹 miseleccionmx pic.twitter.com/wekvomMDn9

— ESPN.com.mx (@ESPNmx) July 4, 2026

One of the most heartwarming memes to emerge during the World Cup was the friendship that formed between Gilberto Mora, the youngest player at the tournament, and Guillhermo “Memo” Ochoa, one of the oldest.

Despite the generation gap between them, Memo took Mora under his wing as the Mexico teammates buddied up during El Tri’s campaign, even staging a few amusing sketches on social media that generally involved Memo checking that his young cohort was doing his homework and getting to bed on time.

In an amazing twist, Mora graduated from high school three days after playing for Mexico against England. You can probably guess who was on hand to congratulate him.

9. Mini Yamal

While Lamine Yamal was busy turning heads for Spain on the pitch, it was his younger brother, Keyne, who stole the show while cheering his elder sibling on from the stands.

From yelling “Vamos” and sticking his tongue out while on the big screen to getting involved with Spain’s celebrations after the final, 3-year-old Keyne became a little Spanish superstar in his own right.

One of the best post-match interviews you will EVER see! Rest up, Harry 🙂 pic.twitter.com/twk8bhP2YK

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 6, 2026

Harry Kane had a bit of a wobble in the immediate aftermath of England’s round-of-16 victory over Mexico when an overzealous rendition of “Wonderwall” caused the striker to lose his voice.

The Three Lions captain attempted to conduct an interview with BBC Sport but could only squeak and croak his way through the postmatch questioning, unwittingly producing one of the most hilarious moments of the World Cup.

Even Oasis front man Liam Gallagher was moved to comment, taking to social media to commend Kane for his gutsy performance and noting that it is “hard work” to sing “Wonderwall” in a deafening stadium atmosphere.

7. ‘Overturn this’

Overturn this. 🧏‍♂️ #USABEL pic.twitter.com/KcBAJp3Z7d

— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) July 7, 2026

If there was an award for the pithiest social media post of the World Cup, then Belgium would definitely take the honors after aiming a razor-sharp barb at the United States in the wake of the stormy round-of-16 clash between the two sides.

The game was laced with extra spice before kickoff when the USMNT was aided by FIFA’s surprise decision to suspend the one-match ban handed to star striker Folarin Balogun in the previous round, thus allowing him to feature against the Red Devils.

Balogun started against Belgium but was fairly ineffective as the U.S. was trounced 4-1 in Seattle. Just to rub a handful of coarse sea salt into the wound, the official Belgian FA social media account published an absolutely vicious victory post.

6. Rooney’s blunt verdict on halftime show

The first-ever World Cup final halftime show flagrantly infringed FIFA’s own laws of the game by extending well beyond the regulation 15 minutes allowed for halftime, with the 11-minute extravaganza squeezing in performances by Madonna, Justin Bieber, BTS, Shakira, Coldplay and even The Muppets.

The show very much started as it meant to go on as Madonna emerged from beneath the stadium in the company of Brazil legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, who could not have looked more uncomfortable as they drove the Queen of Pop and a troop of dancers out onto the pitch aboard a beach buggy.

BTS worked their way through “Dynamite” before Bieber killed the waning atmosphere stone dead with a maudlin acoustic rendition of “Everything Hallelujah.” Shakira then attempted the musical equivalent of CPR with an energetic blast of her 2026 World Cup anthem “Dai Dai” before Coldplay stunk the joint back out with one of their asinine global harmony-themed dirges.

Watching on from his perch at the New York/New Jersey Stadium, BBC pundit Wayne Rooney offered a brilliantly blunt assessment of FIFA’s big halftime bonanza, summing up the migraine-inducing show in just one word.

You know what, Wazza? We’re inclined to agree.

5. Norway‘s incredible Viking Row

play

The best viral Viking rows that have taken over the World Cup

Hard as it is to comprehend, there are still some people out there who don’t have any stake in professional football whatsoever, let alone the World Cup. None. Zero. Zilch.

However, we’d have a shiny dime on even the most disinterested human being on the planet having fleetingly seen the Viking Row in action this summer after Norway fans introduced the entire world to a new, immersive chant.

They performed it in stadiums. They performed it in fan parks. They performed it on train station escalators. They even performed it in the middle of Times Square, disrupting a yoga session while doing so. We even saw the Norwegian players take to celebrating wins by plonking themselves down on the pitch and rowing along with the crowd while ominously pounding on their Viking drum.

It arguably began to get a little tiresome by the end, but it will remain an abiding image of this World Cup.

4. The Tartan Army invading Boston

play

Scotland fans march to Fenway Park with bagpipes in Boston

The Norway fans weren’t the only traveling supporters who went on the charm offensive at the World Cup. Scotland fans left a fine impression on the entire city of Boston and its residents after descending upon them for their opening game against Haiti.

The roving supporters were immediately taken in by Bostonians, who extended a warm welcome to their guests. Parties were organized, bagpipes were tolerated and the ancient Gaelic tradition of placing traffic cones on the heads of statues was formally respected for the few days the members of the Tartan Army were in town.

The Scotland fans did their bit for the local economy, too, by quadrupling the takings of every bar, pub and club in the Boston metropolitan area while drinking the city dry — quite literally.

After entering the World Cup as a relatively unknown journeyman, Vozinha almost instantly became one of the most followed athletes in the world after his phenomenal “one-man wall” act in Cape Verde’s remarkable opening stalemate with Spain.

The 40-year-old goalkeeper made a string of seven heroic saves to thwart the European champions and swiftly saw his Instagram popularity skyrocket from a pre-tournament count of 50,000 followers to the massive 29.4 million followers he boasted at the end of the tournament.

Vozinha was a key part of Cape Verde’s incredible run at the World Cup during which they held Spain and Uruguay to draws before taking defending champions Argentina all the way through to the final few minutes of extra time in the knockout rounds.

The only player to outperform Vozinha in terms of his pre- and post-tournament social media popularity is Erling Haaland, who gained well over 30 million followers on Instagram during his debut World Cup.

It goes without saying that the big Norway striker was already a major star before the finals, but he truly maxed out his popularity over the summer with a near constant stream of lighthearted World Cup output.

Haaland left the United States with a solid haul of souvenirs, from the seven goals he scored for his country to cowboy attire to the curious stuffed raccoon he was seen clutching while departing the team plane.

1. Merlin the Duck

play

ESPN meets viral duck in Mexico jersey

The biggest breakout viral star of the whole 2026 World Cup came in the somewhat unlikely form of a small, white, feathered fellow from Mexico City by the name of Merlin.

The World Cup duck shot to fame when he was spotted waddling around the streets outside the Azteca Stadium in a full El Tri replica kit, complete with matching football boots custom made to fit his webbed feet.

Things snowballed and Merlin was adopted as the unofficial mascot of the tournament, appearing in interviews, spawning merchandise, taking penalties attending games and even bagging a personal meet-and-greet with Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum.

There’s probably a joke about “fowl play” in there somewhere, but frankly we’re far too highbrow to make it.