Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on Sunday afternoon. Despite Lionel Messi and Argentina’s penchant for late-game heroics throughout the tournament, Spain’s dominance, coupled with a late send-off for Enzo Fernández after being assessed his second yellow card, proved too much to overcome.
The ESPN FC studio crew took exception to the brand of football that Argentina played on Sunday, calling the performance “a complete and utter disgrace.” As disgusted as some were with what they saw on the pitch Sunday, UFC President and CEO Dana White had similar feelings for the production of the World Cup final.
“You know what’s crazy? I actually teed up the guys who are doing the production, the guys responsible for the production of the World Cup, for you guys to hit a grand slam home run,” White said in a video uploaded to social media, alluding to the bashing he gave UFC’s own production crew for misidentifying celebrities during UFC 329.
🚨 Dana White GOES OFF on the production team for the FIFA World Cup:
“The worst production team in the HISTORY OF SPORTS to ever show celebrities. You guys f**ked up that flyover too. You guys ABSOLUTELY F**KING SUCK.” pic.twitter.com/dRZG3saEEF
— ACD MMA (@acdmma_) July 19, 2026
“Even though everybody in my team was arguing with me saying that you are the worst, I said no, we are the worst. They didn’t f*ck it up as bad as we did. And what do you guys do? You triple down today, and you just go, f*ck you, Dana White. You’re not beating us. We’re the worst production team in the history of sports to ever show celebrities. I bow down. Congratulations to the producers of the World Cup. You guys win. You guys f*cked up that flyover too. I’m not going to nitpick. I’m just giving you credit where credit is due. You guys absolutely f*cking suck. We are the second worst.”
White is right in that Sunday’s production certainly had its gaffes. It was previously reported that FIFA mandated a “dignitary shot” in each half of the tournament’s matches, showcasing “the highest-ranking officials present at a game, as well as those described by FIFA in its accreditation system as “VVIPs” (Very, Very Important People).” Unfortunately, broadcasters globally stumbled through some of those shots on Sunday.
In the U.S., Fox’s play-by-play announcer for the final, John Strong, mistook actor Matt Damon for Brad Pitt. In the UK, the broadcast team mistakenly referred to rapper A$AP Rocky as “AKA Rocky.” White wasn’t the only one upset with the final’s production. Former England soccer star Wayne Rooney blasted the 11-minute halftime show featuring global celebrities such as Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira, and BTS.
Luckily for Host Broadcast Services, the company that produces the “world feed” that every broadcaster across the globe uses for World Cup matches, and its partner broadcasters, they have until 2030 to iron out the wrinkles.
