Lionel Messi has arrived back in Argentina for some rest after the World Cup final against Spain.

The World Cup hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico wasn't perfect, but has still been widely hailed as a success.

Topps is creating a trading card of what became a famous photo during the World Cup of Argentina's Lionel Messi holding Spain's Lamine Yamal.

The World Cup produced hundreds of spectacular moments and The Associated Press covered all 104 games over 39 days in the United States, Canada and Mexico from every angle.

Spain substitute Ferran Torres scored in the 106th minute to give his team a 1-0 win over defending champion Argentina in the World Cup final.

The World Cup final between Spain and Argentina marks the end of the biggest tournament in history.

Expect goals in the World Cup final, as history suggests.

Spain substitute Ferran Torres scored in the 106th minute to give his team a 1-0 win over defending champion Argentina in the World Cup final.

Kylian Mbappé kept the Golden Boot award and Spain wouldn’t let Lionel Messi get anything else.

Kylian Mbappé moved past Lionel Messi for the career World Cup scoring record with 22 goals, scoring twice for France in a 6-4 loss to England in the third-place match.

Bukayo Saka scored three goals to lead England to a 6-4 win over France for third place in the World Cup, while Kylian Mbappé surpassed Lionel Messi’s career World Cup scoring record and took the lead in the Golden Boot race with a pair of second-half goals.

Lionel Messi rarely loses.

The lineup of sports legends simultaneously on the stage at Fanatics Fest on Friday night was almost absurd.

Argentines and Spaniards are facing a dilemma as their teams meet in the World Cup final.

Adieu Didier.

Almost two decades ago, photographer Joan Monfort didn’t think much of his photo shoot of a teenage Lionel Messi bathing a cute baby boy in a plastic bathtub.

The World Cup final between Argentina and Spain will be refereed Sunday by Slavko Vinčić of Slovenia.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is inspired by Lionel Messi's success and wants to follow his path.

England desperately wanted to protect its lead as time was winding down in the World Cup semifinals.

The World Cup final is set for Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, featuring a clash between Argentina and Spain.

Argentina faces England in a World Cup semifinal match that pits soccer great Lionel Messi against the young superstar Jude Bellingham.

Lionel Messi delivered for his teammates.

Kylian Mbappé had France poised for another run to the World Cup final with a team that seemingly had the offensive firepower to solve Spain’s stout defense.

Defending champion Argentina rallied to beat England 2-1 and reach the World Cup final.

World Cup star Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes has returned to action in the Champions League and captained Shamrock Rovers into the second qualifying round.

How does England coach Thomas Tuchel handle the pressure of a run to the semifinals of the World Cup.

Kylian Mbappé won’t get a third consecutive trip to the World Cup final and remains in the race with Argentina superstar Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot four years after he won it.

It’s England vs.

Mikel Oyarzabal scored from the penalty spot after a heady play by teenager Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro added another goal and Spain advanced to its first World Cup final since winning in 2010 with a 2-0 victory over France.

Jerry Jones is finally set to be in the home of his Dallas Cowboys for the World Cup.

Lionel Messi's World Cup scoring streak ended against Switzerland on Saturday, but he still made an impact with an assist in Argentina's 3-1 victory.

Julián Alvarez has sent Argentina into the World Cup semifinals with a stunning long-range strike in extra time against Switzerland.

Lionel Messi and Argentina are playing for a World Cup semifinal spot in Kansas City, Missouri, and Jason Sudeikis is paying attention.

Jude Bellingham scored in extra time to lift England past Norway 2-1 and into the World Cup semifinals for the first time since 2018.

Kylian Mbappé shook off a missed penalty kick to score his eighth goal of the World Cup, helping France to beat Morocco 2-0 and reach the semifinals for the third time in a row.

The World Cup has narrowed to eight teams, with six from Europe.

Lionel Messi has scored his eighth goal of this year's World Cup against Egypt, extending his streak to nine consecutive games for Argentina.

Lionel Messi did it yet again at this year’s World Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo heard the cheers while walking off the pitch after his final World Cup match for Portugal.

The NHL’s career leader in goals didn’t formally commit to returning in 2026-27 until last week.

With the integrity of FIFA and the World Cup under attack from European soccer leaders, FIFA President Gianni Infantino acknowledged taking a call from President Donald Trump before U.S. forward Folarin Balogun was cleared to play against Belgium later Monday.

Erling Haaland headed in the go-ahead goal in the 79th minute and scored again before the end of regulation time, carrying Norway into the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time with a 2-1 win over Brazil that showcased the young striker on soccer’s biggest stage.

Kylian Mbappé scored his 19th career World Cup goal, and France survived stifling heat to beat Paraguay 1-0, sending Les Bleus into the quarterfinals for the fourth straight time.

Kylian Mbappé of France has scored his 19th career World Cup goal.

Cape Verde’s World Cup team walked into its Miami hotel after getting eliminated from the tournament, almost in disbelief at the scene in the lobby.

Vozinha's dream was for his mother to see him play at the World Cup, and he achieved that and more.

Lionel Messi and Argentina beat Cape Verde 3-2 on Friday and advanced to the World Cup Round of 16 in a thrilling match in which the tiny island nation challenged the reigning champion until the final minutes of extra time.

A dog walker in Buenos Aires has turned a pack of 13 pups into local celebrities by dressing them in Argentina jerseys.

Lionel Messi has scored again, making Friday’s contest against Cape Verde the record-extending eighth consecutive World Cup match in which Argentina’s captain has delivered at least one goal.

The United States men’s national team is tired of hearing about its traditional shortcomings in World Cup knockout matches.

Kylian Mbappé put France ahead with a brilliant crossover step in the 45th minute and added a second-half goal to break a World Cup knockout round scoring record, and Les Bleus beat Sweden 3-0 to set up a round of 16 match against Paraguay.

France forward Kylian Mbappé scored his 17th and 18th goals at the World Cup, moving one behind Lionel Messi on the tournament’s all-time list and tying him with the Argentina great in the race for the Golden Boot at this year's tournament with six apiece.

The World Cup is in the lose-and-go-home stage of the tournament and the pressure keeps rising with every minute of every match.

Sportsbook operators are seeing record betting on this year's World Cup.

The World Cup knockout stage is set, and some teams might feel like they've drawn the short straw.

Lionel Messi has become the first player to score in seven consecutive World Cup games while extending his all-time scoring record with his 19th goal in Argentina’s group stage finale against Jordan.

Carín León sees the World Cup as something that pulls different cultures together.

Drop thousands of Argentina fans into Texas for the World Cup and the debate is inevitable.

Panini stickers have been an iconic World Cup collectible going all the way back to 1970, when four Italian brothers began to print images of the players for fans.

Lionel Messi will not start when defending World Cup champion Argentina plays its group finale.

The World Cup's Round of 32 is almost set after over two weeks of competition across three countries.

A standout at the World Cup, Deniz Undav is playing for Germany while representing his Yazidi and Kurdish heritage.

The World Cup has reached its midpoint with 54 matches completed and 50 to go before the final in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Vinícius Júnior is proving his critics wrong at the World Cup.

Mateo Chávez and Julián Quiñones scored goals in a six-minute span early in the second half, and Mexico beat the Czech Republic 3-0 to win all three of its World Cup group-stage matches for the first time.

Vinícius Júnior scored two goals, Matheus Cunha also scored and five-time World Cup champion Brazil beat Scotland 3-0, advancing to the knockout stage as the Group C winner.

Argentina's Lionel Messi has been mesmerizing.

Argentina’s passion for Lionel Messi has taken shape during the 2026 World Cup through two striking tributes: a giant statue in Patagonia and a mural created by more than 1,300 fans.

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in six different World Cup tournaments by getting two goals in Portugal’s 5-0 win over Uzbekistan.

FIFA will consider keeping hydration breaks for future World Cups despite backlash to the extra stoppages in play at this year’s tournament.

Erling Haaland scored twice to raise his World Cup goals total to four, and Norway advanced to the round of 32 with a 3-2 win over Senegal.

Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé delivered dazzling performances on a showcase day for the World Cup’s top scorers.

Kylian Mbappé scored twice to move into a tie for second in career World Cup goals with 16, and France played through the tournament’s first rain delay to beat Iraq 3-0 on Monday and advance to the knockout stage.

Kylian Mbappé of France has scored two goals to reach 16 for his World Cup career.

It’s been goals galore so far at the World Cup.

Here’s something that very few could have reasonably expected coming into this World Cup: Cape Verde controls its own destiny with one match left in group play.

Lionel Messi set a World Cup record with his 17th and 18th goals, and defending champion Argentina advanced to the knockout stage with a 2-0 victory over Austria.

Lionel Messi now has the World Cup scoring record with 18 goals in his career after scoring twice in a 2-0 victory over Austria.

Algeria is feeling right at home in Lawrence, Kansas, during the World Cup.

Welcome to the World Cup, Lamine Yamal.

Lionel Messi’s move to America will look like a masterstroke if he leads Argentina to back-to-back World Cup titles.

The kits at the World Cup are mishmash of verve and color featuring elements of the competing nations' culture and history.

Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal teammates were surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw by Congo in their opening match of the World Cup.

At age 38 and playing in his sixth World Cup, Lionel Messi has his first hat trick in soccer’s biggest tournament and Argentina’s defense of the trophy is off to a flying start.

Lionel Messi registered his first World Cup hat trick and moved into a tie for first on the tournament's career scoring list in a brilliant performance against Algeria on Tuesday night.

Some Argentina fans shelled out tens of thousands of dollars to follow the World Cup defending champions around the U.S. One group made a 20-hour drive to Tuesday’s opening match in Kansas City against Algeria, living on sandwiches, to save money.

Lionel Messi delivered his first World Cup hat trick and matched Miroslav Klose's career scoring record before thousands of Argentina fans packed into Arrowhead Stadium for a match against Algeria on Tuesday night.

Cristiano Ronaldo looks to make history by becoming the first player to score a goal in six World Cups when Portugal meets Congo on Wednesday.

Kylian Mbappé scored twice to move past Pelé with 14 World Cup goals, Bradley Barcola added another and France rebounded from a surprisingly poor first half to beat Senegal 3-1.

France striker Kylian Mbappé has scored the 13 and 14th World Cup goals of his career, tied for the fourth most in tournament history.

Alongside their flags, jerseys and songs, fans coming the World Cup matches will bring along their yerba mate.

Lionel Messi and Argentina are ready to defend their World Cup title.

Abdulelah Al-Amri scored on a rebound in the 41st minute for Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay’s Maxi Araújo responded with an equalizer in the 80th as the teams played to a 1-1 draw in their World Cup opener.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are among the soccer royalty gracing the World Cup in north America but there's real-life aristocracy in Sweden’s squad.

It would have been unthinkable at the start of the 2022 World Cup to suggest Cristiano Ronaldo was anything other than the undisputed leader of the Portugal team.

As World Cup teams establish training bases across the United States, communities far from the tournament’s host cities are embracing the international spotlight.

Lionel Messi is ready for his sixth World Cup.

Argentina is drawing a crowd wherever it goes as it prepares for the World Cup.

FIFA’s on-field officials for the World Cup will insist on keeping matches moving by taking rule changes designed to limit time-wasting seriously, the sport’s governing body said Sunday with the start of the 48-team tournament now less than two weeks away.

Argentina has arrived in Kansas City, Missouri, to prepare for its World Cup title defense.