Summer 2026 was a special time. First was the NBA playoffs that started on April 14 and concluded on June 13, with the Knicks winning after 53 years without a championship—their first since 1970 and second in 1973. It was a long wait for the past 53 years, but in 2026, all their hard work and determination paid off, and they have now won their third championship. There were so many celebrations and fun events, including at the NBA store where they were selling a $50 Knicks shirt, while others were selling Knicks merchandise on the streets. There was even a parade on June 18th with lots of New Yorkers and Knicks fans watching as the champions headed to City Hall, where Mayor Mamdani rewarded them with keys to the city. And on July 18th, during WWE’s Saturday Night's Main Event, two Knicks players, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson, were in the ring. What’s even more special is that Jalen was announced as the new King of New York, and to honor him, WWE Champion Roman Reigns gave him a custom belt to show his respect.
The second was the 23rd FIFA World Cup tournament. It was special because in 1994, America hosted the 15th World Cup for the first time, and now 32 years later, America co-hosted along with Mexico and Canada. This is the first time three nations co-hosted the World Cup, similar to how Japan and South Korea co-hosted in 2002. It was great for me because the World Cup returned to the USA for the second time, and it was the first time Canada got to co-host. What was even more special is that there were three opening ceremonies across the countries: one at Mexico City Stadium on June 11, the Canadian version at BMO Field in Toronto on the afternoon of June 12, and finally the USA ceremony at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles that evening.
There were so many different performances during the opening ceremonies, including singers like Shakira, Belinda, Katy Perry, Andrea Bocelli, Alessia Cara, Jessie Reyez, Elyanna, and Los Ángeles Azules. The World Cup had 48 teams from different countries divided into 12 groups of four. As for the games, they were stupendous, including amazing matches like Brazil vs. Japan and Mexico vs. Ecuador. Each game was held in host stadiums across 16 cities: 11 stadiums in the United States, 3 in Mexico, and 2 in Canada.
As for the final on July 19th, it was held at MetLife Stadium. There were celebrities at the games as well, such as Tom Cruise, Will Arnett, Owen Wilson, and Sofía Vergara. There was also a Fan Village event at Rockefeller Center with displays, including two big screens to watch the games and a small soccer field, running from July 6th to July 19th.
Before the final game, there was another opening celebration featuring Post Malone, Swae Lee, and Jennifer Hudson. The game itself was great, and for the first time, there was a halftime show featuring extra performances by Madonna, Justin Bieber, BTS, and Shakira performing again—along with special guests Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and The Electric Mayhem from The Muppets, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and The Count from Sesame Street, and of course, a group of kids and the PS 22 Chorus of Staten Island.
The two teams competing in the final game were Argentina and Spain. Neither team scored in the first or second half, extending the game for an extra 30 minutes until Spain scored in the final minute to win 1-0. The game lasted three hours! At the closing ceremony, Spain won the trophy for the second time, with their first win being in 2010.
I was a little upset for the teams that didn’t make it to the finals. The teams I wanted to win were Japan, Mexico, Canada, USA, or Brazil, but it didn’t matter—they did their best and played great games for the fans. Plus, I really enjoyed watching them. I just hope the next World Cup will be even better when it is hosted by Spain, Morocco, and Portugal. Hopefully, the teams I like will get another chance, but they are going to need a lot of practice! As for the Knicks, if they want to win again, they better start practicing, too.
I’m glad the games were so good. I hope in the future there will be a lot more spectacular games in the summer, and I’ll get to watch even more of them!