Boston, a jihar Massachusetts, ta rubuta sunanta a tarihin FIFA World Cup 2026 ta hanyar karbar bakuncin wasanni bakwai masu ban sha'awa a Boston Stadium, inda ta ƙare da nasara mai ƙarfi ta 2-0 na France akan Morocco a wasan ƙwata-fainal a ranar 9 ga Yuli. Filin wasa ya yi aiki da kashi 99.6 cikin dari na ƙarfinsa na gasar a duk wasanni bakwai, wanda ke nuna yadda zafin ƙwallon ƙafa ya kama wannan birnin na arewa maso gabas na Amurka.

Tartan Army ta ci zukatan mutane

Gasar ta fara a Boston a ranar 13 ga Yuni tare da wasan Ƙungiya C tsakanin Haiti da Scotland — ƙasashe biyu waɗanda jira dinsu da aka haɗa domin dawowar zuwa FIFA World Cup ta kai shekaru 80. Haiti ta kasance babu shekaru 52, Scotland shekaru 28. A gaban taron masu kallo da ya cika filin, Scotland ta yi nasara da burin da John McGinn ya ci a rabi na farko, amma wasan Haiti mai ƙarfi ya tabbatar da cewa fadada zuwa ƙungiyoyi 48 na aiki daidai yadda aka ƙera shi.

Magoya bayan Scotland — Tartan Army mai tarihi — sun mai da Boston ɓangare na Glasgow. Karɓar mulkinsu mai cike da hayaniya ya miƙa daga Boston Stadium zuwa filin wasan baseball na Fenway Park da kuma Boston Harbour, inda suka samu yabo daga mazauna gari da duniya baki ɗaya. Sha'awar ta kasance mai yaɗuwa da yawa har Magajiyar Gari ta Boston Michelle Wu ta sanya hannunta a Wasiƙar Niyya a ranar 24 ga Yuni don hada sunan Boston da Glasgow a hukumance a matsayin biranen tagwaye.

Haaland, Hakimi, da guntun tarihi

Wasan Ƙungiya I tsakanin Iraq da Norway a ranar 16 ga Yuni ya ba da labarun biyu daban-daban. Ayhem Hussein ya ci kawai burin na biyu a tarihin Iraq a FIFA World Cup, ya ƙaddamar da bukukuwa a mazauna kallo da kuma a duk fadin ƙasarsa. Norway, duk da haka, sun kasance marasa tausayi — Erling Haaland ya ci sau biyu yayin da Scandinavians suka yi nasara da 4-1 a FIFA World Cup nasu na farko tun France 1998.

Kwanaki uku bayan haka, Morocco ta doke Scotland da 1-0 a sakamakon da ya ɗauki lokacin tarihi nata. Achraf Hakimi ya kafa sabon rikodin mafi yawan bayyanar da ɗan wasan Afirka ya yi a FIFA World Cup, ya kai 12 — rikodin da ya wuce tun daga lokacin. Sa'an nan a ranar 23 ga Yuni, Ghana ta yi jikewa da Ingila da 0-0, sakamakon da Black Stars suka cancanta sosai kuma ya aiko raƙuman sha'awa a duk faɗin nahiyar.

Dembélé ya yayyage Norway

Wasan France na biyu a Ƙungiya I a ranar 26 ga Yuni ya samar da ɗaya daga cikin nuni na ɗaiɗaikun ayyuka mafi muhimmanci a gasar. Ousmane Dembélé, mai rikon kambun Best FIFA Men's Player, ya ci sau uku a cikin mintuna 32 kawai — hat-trick ta biyu da ta faru da wuri a tarihin FIFA World Cup. Hat-trick dinsa ya turawa France zuwa nasara ta 4-1 akan Norway, ya tabbatar da matsayi na farko a Ƙungiya I, kuma shi ne hat-trick na uku na gasan baki ɗaya.

Bukin zuciyar Germany a bugun fanariti

Wasan zagaye na 16 a Boston a ranar 29 ga Yuni ya kawo mafi girman mamaki a gasar har zuwa wannan lokacin. Paraguay, bayan burin Julio Enciso a karshen rabi na farko, ta tsaya a daidaitawar da Kai Havertz na Germany ya ci sa'an nan ta riƙe hankali a zagaye shida masu ratsa zuciya na bugun fanariti don kawar da tsohuwar zakaran duniya sau huɗu. Shi ne karo na farko a tarihinsu mai ɗaukaka na FIFA World Cup cewa Germany an fitar da su ta hanyar bugun fanariti.

France ta kawo ƙarshen mafarkin Morocco

Wasan ƙwata-fainal a ranar 9 ga Yuli ya sake haɗakar da wasan kusa-da-fainal na Qatar 2022 tsakanin France da Morocco. Kamar yadda yake a Doha, Les Bleus sun yi nasara — burin Kylian Mbappé da Ousmane Dembélé sun rufe nasara ta 2-0 wanda ya kawo ƙarshen tafiyar Morocco mai jaruntaka kuma ya sanya France a zagaye na ƙarshe huɗu.

A duk wasanni bakwai, Boston Stadium ya samu matsakaicin masu kallo 63,898 a kowace wasa. FIFA Fan Festival ta Boston a City Hall Plaza ta gudana tsawon makonni biyu sama da haka kuma ta jawo bakiyoyi fiye da 175,000. Tarihin ƙwallon ƙafa na birni ya koma shekarar 1994, lokacin da filin wasa na baya Foxborough Stadium ya karbi bakuncin wasanni shida — ciki har da nasara ta 2-1 ta Italy akan Spain a wasan ƙwata-fainal, wanda Roberto Baggio ya rufe da burin da ya ci a minti na 88.