World Cup's best viral moments: Mexico, Scotland ducks; German cyclist rides far

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          ESPN meets viral duck in Mexico jersey (1:06)

          • Ryan RosenblattJun 19, 2026, 05:19 AM ET

          The 2026 World Cup has brought 48 teams from around the world to the shores of the United States, Mexico and Canada for the biggest sporting event on the globe, with every single one in pursuit of the undisputed title of world champion.

          In addition to being a marvelous competition featuring the best soccer players on the planet, it's also very much an event. The fans and traditions bring the color and culture that help make the World Cup such a phenomenon and, fortunately for us, it's captured all over social media.

          This is the best of the 2026 World Cup from around the internet so far.

          - O'Hanlon: World Cup overreactions after one round of games
          - Hamilton: How Scotland's Tartan Army took over the World Cup
          - World Cup 2026: Fixtures, results and all coverage

          Senesi gets last-minute call-up

          Making your country's World Cup team is the dream of every kid and Marcos Senesi thought that dream had passed when 29-year-old was one of the last players left off Argentina's team for the tournament. But when an injury opened up a roster spot on day 1, his dream came true, and his girlfriend captured the moment when he got the call.

          USMNT couldn't believe the Knicks' NBA Finals comeback either

          Everyone was stunned when the New York Knicks staged an astounding 29-point comeback to win Game 4 of the NBA Finals and that included members of the U.S. men's national team, who watched together the night before kicking off their World Cup.

          And nobody was more hyped than New York native and Knicks fan Tyler Adams.

          Riyad Mahrez can do it all

          Coming to America has given national teams a chance to try their hands at other sports, and Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez seems to be good at all of them.

          Rock Chalk Algeria

          One of the best stories from the early days of the tournament has been the way Lawrence, Kansas, has completely fallen in love with Algeria. The Fennec Foxes' base camp is in the college town home to the University of Kansas, and they've picked up some new fans.

          Best dressed team goes to Congo DR

          Congo DR arrived for their first World Cup in 52 years and they were looking fly.

          Shakira got us going

          Shakira might as well be the official opening act of the World Cup with how often she's been tapped to do the official song and perform it at the opening ceremony. That was the case this year, as the Colombian singer got us started at the Azteca.

          Canadians took to the streets ahead of their opener

          A lot of the focus on the co-hosts has been directed at the U.S. and Mexico, but Canada is hosting too and north of the border, they're the only team that matters. Ahead of their World Cup kickoff against Bosnia, the streets of Toronto were painted red.

          Deadpool was loving Canada's first goal

          Canada native Ryan Reynolds, who you may know as "Deadpool," or from the iconic rom com The Proposal, or as Wrexham co-owner, was in the building to see the country's first-ever men's World Cup goal on home soil.

          Choose Scotland

          Scotland are in their first World Cup since 1998, and adidas tabbed Irvine Welsh, author of "Trainspotting," and singer Lewis Capaldi to entice everyone to Choose Scotland. Set to Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life," their sick hype video makes a compelling case to join the Tartan Army fanbase.

          Celebrities out in full force for USMNT opener

          David Beckham, Tom Cruise and Anya Taylor-Joy were just a few of the many celebrities who packed SoFi Stadium for the USMNT's World Cup kickoff against Paraguay.

          Say hello to Merlin, Mexico's duck

          That's right, Mexico has a duck mascot!

          Rocky Balboa is Ecuadorian now

          Ecuador fans took to the famed Rocky steps ahead of their game in Philadelphia and not only were they singing and dancing en masse, they draped the statue in an Ecuador jersey.

          Unfortunately, they didn't know that road teams have bad luck when they try and conquer Rocky, and Ecuador ended up losing 1-0 to Ivory Coast on Sunday night.

          It was a Haitian street parade

          You think Haitians are excited for their country's first-ever World Cup? They had a whole street parade for it in Boston ahead of kickoff.

          Tom Brady and his daughter have a moment watching Brazil

          It wasn't a shock to see NFL legend Tom Brady and his daughter taking in Brazil's opener. His ex-wife, and daughter's mother, is Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen, so you can guess where their rooting interests were, and we got to see a sweet handshake between the two.

          Scotland fans took over Fenway Park

          The Red Sox vs. Rangers MLB game quickly became an afterthought at Fenway Park because Scotland fans used their off day to pack the historic stadium and turn it into a Tartan Army party. They took over the game and kept it going well after the final out.

          Matt Turner is a pitcher

          The USMNT base camp is in Irvine so it was easy for Matt Turner to take in an Angels game, but first he had to throw out the first pitch and we learned the goalkeeper might have missed his calling as a pitcher.

          Cape Verde's goal celebrates famous result

          Cape Verde were given the unenviable task of playing Spain in their first-ever World Cup game and they turned it into a day to remember as they held the reigning European champions to a 0-0 draw. That sparked celebrations all over the islands, including with a goat.

          U.S./Algeria jersey swap

          You've seen players swap jerseys post-game, but fans swapping pre-game? U.S. and Algeria fans did just that. The Beautiful Game, indeed.

          One German's 16,000-mile bike ride to the World Cup

          A German man decided the best way to get to the World Cup would be ... cycling? And so, 21 months, 27 countries, four continents and more than 16,000 miles later, he made it.

          Belgium picked the wrong place for their team huddle

          Belgium gathered for their team huddle during a hydration break in their opening game vs. Egypt, but they didn't consider the sprinklers and poor Rudi Garcia got soaked.

          The World Cup's best boy

          Meet Bear! The 12-week-old puppy is the newest, softest, sweetest animal from New Zealand to make World Cup predictions ... and poop on the floor.

          Algeria fans light up Kansas City

          Argentina fans were all over Kansas City before their Albiceleste kicked off their World Cup campaign against Algeria, but it was the Fennec Foxes who lit up the midwest sky.

          Norway's vikings row the boat

          Did you hear the loud, coordinated bellows from the crowd at Norway's match? That was their vikings row, row, rowing their boat.

          Congo Dr fans in a sea of Portuguese

          Imagine being a Congo DR fan, just happy to see your team back in the World Cup for the first time in over a half-century, and you have to play Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal. Then add in watching the match in a plaza of Portuguese and, after falling behind 1-0, your boys score an equalizer to shock the thousands around you? You're going to lose your minds in a sea of stunned silence.

          A Scottish duck

          Not to be outdone by Mexico, Scotland's fans got involved too.

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          Scotland's very own duck joins bagpipe march in Boston