The Funniest and Weirdest Moments of the 2026 World Cup (So Far)
Not every World Cup story is about goals and group tables. Between kickoff on June 11 and today, the 2026 tournament has already produced its share of chaos, comedy, and moments nobody could have scripted — a red card explanation nobody understood, an accidental duck mascot, and a backup defender who became one of the most-followed players in the tournament for reasons that had nothing to do with football. Here are five of the wildest.
The Red Card Nobody Understood
On June 11 — opening day — referee Wilton Sampaio sent off South Africa's Themba Zwane in the 84th minute of the tournament's very first match, Mexico vs South Africa at Estadio Azteca. After a VAR review, Sampaio grabbed the stadium microphone to explain his decision in English — and South African players Zwane and Khulisu Mudau stared back completely bewildered, unable to follow a word.
Screenshots of their baffled expressions spread across social media within minutes, instantly crowned "the first meme of the World Cup" before a single group had even finished its opening round. It wasn't even Sampaio's first viral moment — he also went viral during France vs England at Qatar 2022, that time involving Jude Bellingham.
Merlín the Duck, Mexico's Accidental Mascot
FIFA spent years and untold amounts of money designing official World Cup mascots. None of them went viral quite like Merlín — a two-year-old duck dressed in Mexican green who somehow became the unofficial face of the host nation's campaign.
Videos of Merlín "supporting" El Tri spread far beyond Mexico, turning a random household pet into one of the tournament's most recognisable characters. Sometimes the best marketing is just a duck in a jersey.
The Backup Defender Who Broke Instagram
New Zealand's Tim Payne arrived at the World Cup with reportedly fewer than 5,000 Instagram followers — close to the least of any player in the tournament. An Argentine influencer noticed and challenged their followers to "make Tim Payne famous," purely as a joke.
It worked almost too well. Payne's follower count rocketed toward six million before New Zealand had even kicked a ball, turning an unassuming defender most casual fans had never heard of into one of the most-followed players at the entire World Cup — for reasons that had nothing to do with football.
The Fans Who Travelled Further Than the Teams
Some supporters didn't just buy a ticket — they built an odyssey around it. A German fan known simply as "Freddy" spent the tournament criss-crossing the United States between matches, documenting every stop — from a viral love affair with Waffle House to small-town Americana — and picking up hundreds of thousands of followers along the way without kicking a single ball himself.
Another German supporter went further, literally: a 16,000-mile bicycle journey across 27 countries and four continents, spread over 21 months, just to be in the stands for 2026.
And the Rest of the Chaos
New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston grabbed a rubbish bag and helped clean the stands after Japan's dramatic 2-2 draw with the Netherlands in Dallas. Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia got soaked when his team's mid-match hydration huddle collided with a stray sprinkler during their game against Egypt.
DR Congo's so-called "statue fan" went viral for standing completely motionless through their matches, and Cape Verde's historic 0-0 draw with reigning European champions Spain sparked island-wide celebrations — including footage of a goat joining in. None of it shows up on a stat sheet, but it's exactly what makes a 48-team, three-country World Cup unlike anything the sport has seen before.