World Cup 2026 certainly has many, many details combined to create a panoramic picture. But among the myriad of details, there is one point that seems enough to speak to one of the overarching themes of this tournament. That is the performance of Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, in the 2-1 victory over Japan in the 1/16 round.
Casemiro did not play well. He made an unnecessary foul early, receiving a yellow card, making his game difficult. The midfielder who just joined Inter Miami is partly responsible for Japan's goal. A few minutes later, he missed a simple pass, opening another dangerous counter-attack for the "Green Samurai".
These details are also no different from the previous performances of the 37-year-old midfielder at the tournament taking place in North America. He was completely overwhelmed in Brazil's opening match against Morocco to the point that coach Carlo Ancelotti had to substitute him right after the first half.
There were too many mistakes in the match against Japan, too many things to complain about. Brazilian fans on social networks scratched their heads at his performance.
Then, like nothing, Casemiro scored. All previous mistakes were forgotten. Even ridiculously, he was voted "Player of the Match", while for many people, there are other individuals who are more worthy than the former Man United midfielder.
Well, whether it is worthy or not is not discussed anymore, it's just that this scenario sounds familiar? Think about FIFA and the World Cup. Many things in the process of preparing for this tournament have made everyone uncomfortable. FIFA and President Gianni Infantino are criticized for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes it seems that a boycott is approaching.
The World Cup kicked off and everything else just... faded away. Good matches. People liked to watch and got caught up. FIFA was saved by the quality of the matches. Casemiro was saved by his goal.
In both cases, the old order continued.
