Duck, Decrees and Drama: How the World Cup has transcended sports to become celebration of life

A happy-go-lucky two-year-old duck, an unexpected gift of holidays for the people of two South American countries, and a tearful remembrance of a young, talented Portuguese player are some of the classic vignettes offered so far by the FIFA World Cup 2026, which has transcended sports to become a celebration of life.

The World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, has witnessed a torrent of emotions both on and off the football field, handing fans plenty of unforgettable moments.

The passion for the beautiful game has been matched only by a spirit of mutual respect and solidarity displayed by the followers of football in the streets and on the stands.

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A perfect host

In Mexico City, one of the famous venues of the event, which kicked off on June 11, a duck wearing the bright green jersey of the Mexican national team waded through the busy streets, bringing together different nationalities who descended on the city for the World Cup matches from around the globe.

Merlin, a pet duck, may not have been given entry into the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, which hosted many memorable matches, including an edge-of-the-seat Round of 16 match between England and Mexico, due to FIFA's regulations disallowing animal entry; it still endeared tens of thousands of fans and became an online sensation worldwide by playing a perfect host.

A duck named Merlin, dressed in a Mexico national soccer team jersey, stands at a cafe next to his caretaker Cristian Gomez in Mexico City, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Named after the wizard from the legend of King Arthur, the pet of Karla Ivette Gómez, a street vendor selling beverages in Mexico City, even received an invitation to meet with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. Riding on its swift popularity, Merlin also became the unofficial mascot of the Mexico team, outmatching the official mascot, Zayu the Jaguar.

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Animals have been a vital element of different editions of the World Cup as national mascots, friendly fellows like Merlin or simply someone who could predict match outcomes, like Paul the Octopus, who surprised fans with accurate results of the 2010 South Africa World Cup, including the final won, for the first time, by Spain.

Deluge of Decrees

Two South American countries gifted their citizens time and happiness by declaring national holidays to celebrate success at the World Cup. The national holidays for Ecuador and Paraguay came in the form of decrees signed by their respective heads of state.

Ecuador's president Daniel Noboa signed a decree on June 26, and Paraguay's president Santiago Peña signed his own four days later, declaring national holidays. Interestingly, the same country was at the receiving end of both nations' successes -- Germany.

Ecuador, a lowly-ranked nation that has lost more matches than it won in five appearances at the World Cup, stunned the football world by defeating four-time world champions Germany 2-1 in a group match, presenting Ecuadorians a national holiday.

Paraguay, whose dull, defensive style put off many fans at the 2010 South Africa World Cup, where it reached the quarter-finals, pulled off a massive upset this time by defeating Germany in the knock-out round of 32 in a penalty shootout.

Paraguay defender Gustavo Gomez (15) reacts against France during a Round of 16 match in the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Philadelphia Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images/Reuters

Paraguay, which hadn't qualified for the World Cup after 2010, earned a national holiday for sending Germany out of the World Cup, but still didn't win many fans with what pundits called their "ugly football" in the round of 16 match against France, which the South American country lost 0-1.

Earlier this year, the Democratic Republic of Congo, a minnow in global football, declared a national holiday for its people after qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, their first time in half a century.

Remembering Diogo Jota

Led by Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal carried the jersey of Diogo Jota, who was killed along with his brother in a tragic highway crash in July last year, at all matches of the team during the World Cup.

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and teammates pose with a shirt in memory of former player Diogo Jota ahead of the one year anniversary of his death, as Portugal qualify for the Round of 16 stage of the World Cup REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

The No. 21 jersey Jota wore for the national team was a unifying presence for the team and its fans and followers of football around the world. Jota, who played for Liverpool, was also given a symbolic roster spot of 27 at the World Cup, a number beyond the maximum 26 players allowed for each country.

The Netherlands team came together for their player Cody Gakpo, who and his partner Noa van der Bij lost their unborn child during pregnancy last month. Gakpo, who plays for Liverpool, broke down after scoring a goal against Morocco in a round of 32 match, in another heartbreaking moment at the World Cup.

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The World Cup also witnessed an emotional send-off for veteran Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, the North American country's custodian at the goal for six World Cup editions.

Ochoa, 40, considered one of the greatest goalkeepers in world football, spent most of the time on the bench during the current World Cup before coming on as a substitute at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City for Mexico's last group match against the Czech Republic, in what was his last World Cup match.

Ochoa made history at the 2026 World Cup for playing in the most World Cup editions -- six -- a feat he shared with football greats Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.