Nigeria, July 2 -- The 2026 FIFA World Cup has entered the knockout stages, yet it has been remarkable not only for being the biggest in football history so far, but also for its unusual moments. It has delivered remarkable fan antics, underdog stories, emotional scenes and controversial decisions.

On a personal note, because I'm visiting the US and Canada, two of the three North American hosts, I'm enjoying what I have often taken for granted, watching global games on live TV in my part of the world.

Replays are not my thing. I'm not sure I would have been able to follow the games so closely if I were watching them from home in Nigeria, where a five or six-hour time difference with the US, Canada or Mexico might have meant watching rep...