After Spain defeated favorites France and defeated current champion Argentina in the final to win the World Cup, a man stood between La Roja and the golden trophy.
US President Donald Trump remained glued to his spot on stage as captain Rodri held the coveted award, his teammates awaited him and the world watched the iconic moment of lifting the trophy.
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It fell to FIFA president and ally Gianni Infantino to bring in President Trump and give the world champions that moment.
The president, who ordered a halt to U.S. trade with Spain because of insufficient military spending and opposition to the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, eventually stepped aside and a Spanish captain hoisted the trophy as golden confetti filled the air.
It was an awkward ending to a special tournament that had everything going for it.
So what was this World Cup actually about?
Divisive but diverse tournament
For some fans, it was a display of American hospitality, from Kansas City hosting Algeria to Boston, where Scottish fans flocked in glee.
For others, it was about the Trump administration’s disrespectful behavior, including visa denials, mistreatment of the Iranian team, and the scandal of denying Somali referee Omar Altan entry.
Egyptians may only view the tournament through the lens of the controversial officiating that led to their elimination in a thrilling round of 16 match against Argentina.
The Argentine will see this as proof of the “never give up” attitude that led to a stunning comeback on the way to the final.
Jordanians, Iraqis, and Haitians were grateful just to participate.
It was also a tournament of dark horses and Cinderella stories, including Cape Verde’s heroic performance and Norway’s advance to the quarter-finals.
At the same time, it was also a tournament in which the top four teams in the FIFA rankings advanced to the semifinals.
The World Cup also saw fans of losing teams singing, chanting and dancing to celebrate the match, demonstrating soccer’s ability to unite and bring pure joy.
But the competition was also used to deepen divisions and project political vengeance. Some Iran fans were subjected to abuse and Islamophobic chants from opposition activists.
The US host country placed arbitrary travel restrictions on the Iranian team.
When Iran failed to advance, Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullin said he was so happy that he “might have sung a song or two and maybe even done a happy dance.”
The World Cup, like FIFA, was supposed to be apolitical. But one Palestinian-American fan in New York told Al Jazeera that the convention had turned into a “political summit” with President Trump at the center.
The president admitted that he called FIFA executives to lift the suspension of American striker Florian Balogun, but Team America suffered a 4-1 loss in its next game against Belgium.
It was a World Cup where many fans held up the Palestinian flag and some held up the Israeli flag.
FIFA American Spin
We watched a teenager like Lamine Yamal announce himself on the biggest stage, while we watched veterans like Lionel Messi defy the test of time and play like he was in his mid-20s.
We witnessed the rise of unsung heroes in this scene, with players such as Spain’s Marc Cucurella and Pedro Polo playing crucial roles in close matches, while some of the biggest stars, particularly from Germany and Portugal, failed to make an impact.
This tournament brought the world game to a globally exceptional country that had not previously fully embraced the sport. So FIFA allowed the United States to put its own spin on soccer.
From the mid-half hydration break that broadcasters used to run commercials, to the championship rings and halftime show, there were efforts to make the game American for the masses.
Many books have been written about the driving forces behind football’s universal appeal. There is consensus that one of the main reasons is the accessibility of the sport. All you need is a ball. Anyone can play anywhere, rich or poor, young or old, and can easily watch a wide variety of games.
However, in this World Cup, watching the games was a privilege only for those who could afford it. Tickets cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars and excluded working-class fans.
In the host city, the World Cup felt close yet incredibly far away for many fans.
“I wish they would help us, so people like us who are crazy about the game and passionate about our team can go and watch our idols play,” Los Angeles-area mechanic Juan Cortez told Al Jazeera at the start of the tournament.
Los Angeles Stadium, which hosted several games, was several miles from his store, but he couldn’t afford to go to any of them.
“It’s not every day you get to watch the World Cup in your country,” Cortes said.
A mirage of that distance also appeared in the final. International fans may have believed the match was taking place in New York because of the city skyline in the background.
In fact, New York’s New Jersey Stadium is located in the suburbs of New Jersey and is surrounded by parking lots and freeways, making it inaccessible on foot and difficult for city dwellers to navigate.
Despite all the misgivings, the World Cup still delivered magical moments, hair-raising excitement, near misses, late comebacks, individual acts of heroism, heartbreaking experiences and entertainment that will be remembered for decades.
These contradictions and inconsistencies at the North American World Cup are the latest iteration for a sport that has always lived and thrived with them.
In the words of legendary German coach Sepp Herberger, who inspired the title of British author David Goldblatt’s book on the history of soccer, “The ball is round. The game lasts 90 minutes. Everything else is theory.”
