New Jersey, USA – Tobin Heath knows everything about winning and successfully defending the Soccer World Cup.
As a key member of the unparalleled U.S. women’s soccer team in the late 2000s and 2010s, Heath won the 2015 and 2019 FIFA World Cups and Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012.
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But it’s not just the medals and accolades that have elevated her to the status of soccer’s greatest players. Rather, what set Heath apart was her role as a skilled and talented forward who revolutionized the women’s game.
From his incredible runs down the wings past defenders to his incredible assists and finishes inside the penalty area, Heath is regarded as one of the most technically gifted playmakers in the history of football.
It’s no wonder, then, that Heath’s World Cup team analysis as a member of the FIFA Technical Research Group went viral on social media, raising questions about why she wasn’t appearing on popular soccer shows before the tournament.
The 38-year-old retired from playing in 2025 after a career-ending injury forced her to retire. She made 181 international appearances and scored 36 goals, but left an indelible mark on the game.
Having watched the finals as the only female member of the men’s World Cup’s elite analyst panel, Heath’s acumen was evident as the tournament progressed towards the final.
The high number of goals at the World Cup (307 goals in 103 games, an average of almost three goals per game) has some fans questioning whether more goals translate into a better overall spectator experience in the ongoing tournament.
In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera Sports, Heath shared his thoughts on the 2026 FIFA World Cup’s standout goals, players, playing styles, teams and the tournament’s legacy.
Al Jazeera: Did more teams and more matches lead to a record number of goals at the World Cup? Is it right to rank this tournament as the most entertaining edition?
Tobin Heath: Yeah, that’s the biggest factor. To me, this is the evolution of football. This is an evolution of football and the fans are clearly enjoying it.
There are multiple factors (behind the high target average) that we are analyzing. But what matters most is where these teams are winning the ball back, how they are counter-pressing and using wide area attacks. The use of full-backs in attacks is an important theme and is a big plus for soccer.
We always want to see more goals. Therefore, we should look at the increase in team formats and the diversity of the teams we play against. Personally, I love seeing diversity in soccer.
Stylistically, it’s going to be a very interesting match, and I think we’ve seen some of the most interesting matches in the group stages and early in the finals. There, teams that normally play different styles were seen going head-to-head against the football giants.
Al Jazeera: What impression did Cape Verde, Egypt, Democratic Republic of Congo and other African teams leave on you?
Heath: It was great. In terms of results, Cape Verde is the most interesting. Especially if you look at the result against Spain and the thrilling game that followed against Argentina, there are basically two finalists. There’s a direct correlation there, and it’s interesting to see. And just the courage they had to play with so many low blocks is very rare.
Then, in the game against Egypt, there was a great match against Argentina. The outcome could have gone either way for me. It was just a beautiful show of football.
I remember watching African club teams at the Club World Cup last summer and enjoying African soccer. It was also fun to play with African teams at the World Cup. For me as a soccer player, it gives me another problem to solve.
Another team that stands out for me and that I really enjoyed this tournament is Ivory Coast. I loved their football, I loved their style, I loved their individual brilliance.
This is a huge positive for African football and another step in the growth of football on the continent, which has many different styles. And we hope to see more of the same at the Women’s World Cup next summer.
Al Jazeera: You were a big proponent of attractive football during your playing days, and you’ve been a supporter of it since your retirement. How do you evaluate the different styles on display at the World Cup? Do you think it was an interesting World Cup?
Heath: Wow, 100 percent! The level of creativity we saw at this tournament was just inspiring.
I became a big France fan because every time I was on the pitch, I could see something that had never been done before in football. You’ll see innovative football, innovative individual players.
Creativity is at an all-time high. When you see the best players in the world performing at the top level and being the best in every metric. If you look at (Jude) Bellingham, (Kylian) Mbappe, (Lionel) Messi and (Erling) Haaland, they are the best players who played their best football in this competition.
There’s a feeling in America that we love our stars and we love to have them on stage, and our stars did a great job at this World Cup.
Al Jazeera: Which young players have impressed you the most? What do their performances mean for the future of football?
Heath: The best name for me is (Pau) Kvarsi.
To be so young, to play so many minutes, to be so effective in this Spanish defense highlights the incredible way that Spain can really connect ideas and practices of the type of football they want to play across generations.
We hope and pray that we will see a supersonic performance from Lamine Yamal in the finals. He plans to go home soon. I had high expectations throughout the tournament.
We talked about these young players, but we also need to emphasize what Messi is doing and the age at which he is doing it. That is nothing short of abnormal. I laughed and said he should give him the veteran award, but I think he could also win tournament of the tournament.
From young superstars to old superstars, football is protected for generations to come.
Al Jazeera: What do you think about the future of soccer in the United States and what this World Cup has brought to it?
Heath: It’s really interesting because I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Our culture and society are changing rapidly. There’s always plenty to grab Americans’ attention, and the World Cup captivated the crowd.
We had a great event. We’ve shown you amazing stadiums and what different parts of our country look like during the summer, from the Pacific Northwest to the heat of Miami. From stadiums with roofs to stadiums without roofs.
Still, I wonder how it will affect our soccer, especially men’s soccer in our country.
In our country we talk about stars and the importance of stars, but when you think about Malik Tillman, Folarin Balogun and other players who played well in the tournament, there is no such thing as stardom. Considering what Team USA and the World Cup accomplished in terms of popularity and interest in this country, it’s a bit lackluster.
I hope there is a direct correlation with future players, both women and men, who can point to this World Cup as an inspiration. This will be the biggest indicator of whether this tournament was a success or not.
Our country is fascinated by the moment of watching the World Cup, but no one knows if they are fascinated by the World Cup in their hearts. It’s like a flash in a pot.
Al Jazeera: What aspects of football stood out the most to you this World Cup?
Heath: The gap between potentially winning the World Cup and actually winning the World Cup. It’s very spacious after all.
It was a competitive game, with smaller teams facing off against the biggest giants in the world, but still, the closer we got, the more the gap seemed to grow between the top teams who could realistically advance in the tournament and the teams we enjoyed watching in the first place.
I always say, winning is muscle. It is not surprising that two teams with great success in international football will reach the final.
This can be seen in both men’s and women’s soccer. It takes something really special to break into that group.
Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
