December was the month in which the 2026 World Cup defined its groups and Messi shone in the MLS. On December 5, the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was held in Washington, where the twelve groups and the schedule for the 48 qualified national teams were defined. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi was crowned MLS champion with Inter Miami and was elected, for the second consecutive year, as the tournament's most valuable player. The United States, Mexico, and Canada, the hosts, topped groups D, A, and B, respectively. The World Cup with the most teams in history will have Brazil in group C, Uruguay in group H with Spain, Ecuador and Curacao in group E with Germany, Paraguay in group D with the United States, and Panama in group L with England. Argentina, the current world champion, will be in group J with Algeria, Austria, and Jordan, while Colombia will go to group K with Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal. Bolivia and Suriname, like Jamaica and New Caledonia, will play the playoffs on March 26 in Monterrey and Guadalajara; the winners will compete on March 31 against Congo and Iraq for the last two spots in the tournament. The opening match will be on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa at the Azteca Stadium. Lionel Messi was named MLS MVP for the second consecutive year, the first time this has happened in the US league, and it happened on December 6 after Inter Miami's first title by defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Messi reached 48 titles and is the most decorated footballer in history. The final that consecrated the Argentine star and his team also marked the retirement of two of his teammates, the Spaniards Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets. The Spaniards Jordi Alba, 36, and Sergio Busquets, 37, announced their retirement from football after winning the MLS title with Inter Miami. Both, Barcelona academy products, arrived in MLS in 2023 and at Inter Miami won the Conference Cup, the MLS Cup, and the 2024 Supporters Shield by setting the record for most points in a regular season. On December 3, a date ahead of schedule, Flamengo won the Brazilian Championship by defeating Ceará 1-0 at the Maracanã, as it reached the threshold of 79 points in 38 matches and became unreachable for Palmeiras, resigned to second place. With its eighth title in the 'Brasileirão', 'Mengao' achieved a poker of trophies this year, as it also lifted the Copa Libertadores, the Brazilian Super Cup, and the Carioca tournament. For Filipe Luís, the coach of Flamengo, it has been an exceptional start after hanging up his boots at the end of 2024 and at 40 years old, he is the fashionable coach in Brazil and South America. Estudiantes de La Plata was crowned champion of the Clausura in Argentina by winning the penalty shootout 5-4 against Racing in a final that ended 1-1 after 120 minutes and was played at the Madre de Ciudades stadium in Santiago del Estero. In the penalty shootout, Facundo Cambeses and the Uruguayan Fernando Muslera each saved one shot, and in the last one, Franco Pardo hit the post for the coronation of the La Plata team. Estudiantes also secured qualification for the Copa Libertadores, while Racing Club will play the Copa Sudamericana. The twentieth edition of the Bolivarian Games, held in the Peruvian cities of Lima and Ayacucho, left Colombia as champion for the fourth consecutive time. The Colombian delegation, made up of 430 athletes, won 341 medals: 142 gold, 122 silver, and 77 bronze. Second and third place in the classification went to Venezuela, with 311 medals, and Peru, the host, with 262.
