Friends in fútbol,

My friend turned to me amid the sea of raucous cheering and said, "Best soccer match ever." I lifted an eyebrow and replied, "Best sporting event ever?"

And to think, Messi and Mbappé play on the same team in club soccer.

Want to keep making Messi (or Mbappé) picks? Join us for Champions League (UCL) SZN. The knockout stage begins in February. You get 3 competitions:

• Bracket: Just like World Cup. 16 teams. One winner.
• Pick'em: Also just like World Cup. Pick the winners before each round begins.
• UCL Final Props: For the Final, we serve up a set of simple yes/no questions about what will (or won't) transpire in the big game.

Join Champions League SZN >>

Now let's wrap World Cup SZN...

CHAMPS:

• Pick'em: @Curlybrazil (25/31 correct), via goal differential tiebreak over @comenayeaha. (See winning picks)
• Bracket: @JoeDurp (68 points), who only missed a single game (Croatia over Brazil in the quarters). (See winning bracket)
• Survivor: @alex_goblue, who was the only person to survive the semis. (See winning picks)

PAYOUTS: The GM will be sending an email to the ~150 people who cashed this week. It'll link to your payout form, which exists on your Vault page on the website.

SURVEY: Thanks to the 172 of you who've filled it out so far. If you haven't, help us determine the future of soccer on The SZN.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SZN: Again, we ALREADY do Champions League SZN. The big stuff starts in February. If you enjoyed World Cup SZN, you'll enjoy UCL SZN. Join UCL SZN here >>

We're gonna be hard-pressed to witness a World Cup with more thrilling games in our lifetime. Had a blast experiencing this with all of you. Thanks for making our first-ever World Cup SZN a hit.

Yours in Golden Boots,
The Commish