The tournament delivered spectacle and a clear warning: hosting the world's biggest sporting event next summer will take more than world-class stadiums.

Some of Mauricio Pochettino's roster spots were likely earned (Matt Freese) at the 2026 World Cup while others were cemented, tattooed, or written in permanent marker (Malik Tillman).

As Tyler Adams stood tucked away from the adoring group of youth soccer players, family and friends, he couldn’t help but smile.

"It was, in some games, a problem,” said famed former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, who is now FIFA's chief of global soccer development. He added that "we learned a lot" to prepare for next year.

Despite the reluctance of some European teams to participate in the first FIFA Club World Cup, the development of the competition and the arrival of the final phase showed that the

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has urged Fifa to re-think kick-off times to mitigate the 'very dangerous' heat in the United States at the Club World Cup.

Before this decision was made, the United States national team had not qualified for a World Cup since 1950. And despite the success of NASL during the mid-1970s, soccer was not a mainstream sport.

Luna recently became the talk of the American soccer world as he led the United States through the Concacaf Gold Cup. Just four days after the U.S.’s loss in the final, Luna was sitting in Real Salt Lake’s training facility in Herriman, Utah, speaking with media about his Gold Cup campaign and return to Real Salt Lake.