The final produced a game worthy of the tournament itself. It was tense. Gritty. And drama-packed. Ferran Torres' extra-time goal delivering Spain victory over an Argentina that was second-best on the day, though managed to run the eventual champions so close through sheer will.
And that, in terms of the football, is how this World Cup should be remembered. A triumph of human will, determination. Yes, there was the odd blow-out. But the vast majority of games, even in this expanded format, were close. And with that competitiveness, we had several late thrillers. Argentina against Egypt. Then against England. The Belgians' amazing comeback against Senegal. The football across Canada, Mexico and the US wasn't end-to-end. But in terms of tension, of theatre, consistently the game has never been so engrossing.
Jude Bellingham, after England's nerve-wracking win at the Azteca, could've been talking about the World Cup as a whole when summing up their performance: "Character, perseverance even when things weren't working, we found a way to win.
"It was a masterclass with fight and spirit."
And no nation embraced the drama more than the co-hosts, USA. The country was gripped by soccer fever - even after their heroes had been bounced out by Belgium. The predictions - largely from outside the nation - were that hometown interest would fizzle out with the locals now gone. But the momentum continued. And was proof of how deep the game's roots are now embedded inside the sporting population's psyche.
Soccer was wall-to-wall across the country. TV. Radio. The press. Showbiz podcasts. Political podcasts. They all would lead with the World Cup. The results. The impact of the travelling fans. The reaction of those same fans to life in the 'States. It was a pure mutual appreciation society. Even the most popular AI podcasts devoted time to discussing Thomas Tuchel's tactical clanger against Argentina. Soccer was everywhere. And it was discussed not begrudgingly, but with passion and enthusiasm. If USA '94 kicked off the MLS, you do hope US Soccer chiefs have even bigger plans to capture and retain what was created during these past five weeks.
Even the US president was caught up by the drama. Yes, we had the Folarin Balogun controversy. But the same critics who attacked Trump for his intervention missed (or omitted) his words after England's win in Mexico. The president would admit in the aftermath, "I shouldn't have been watching, but I couldn't take my eyes off it". Like so many Americans, who barely give football a second glance, Trump found himself caught up in the drama of World Cup '26.
As we say, you do hope football's local powerbrokers have plans to exploit this impact inside the US game. One thing they can lean on was the performance of Lionel Messi throughout the tournament. At 39 and playing in the MLS with Inter Miami, this column - going into the Cup - couldn't see him having any type of meaningful influence, particularly in the latter stages. But Messi proved us wrong. Indeed, MLS proved us wrong. For the league's credibility. For it's place in the game. MLS couldn't have had a better advertisement than the impact of Messi. The biggest players. Their agents. They will have taken note. MLS is no place to wind down your career. Indeed, as Messi proved, it can be launching pad for greater things. Robert Lewandowski and Casemiro obviously have done their homework. And after this World Cup, you can see MLS shifting it's position in the hierarchy of go-to world competitions.
But beyond the local success, World Cup '26 was a triumph for Infantino and FIFA. For it's vision of expansion. For taking the game beyond Europe and South America. The decision to stage the tournament across three countries and with an expanded 48-nation competition was a masterstroke. Again, this column was proved wrong. We were convinced the format would water down the competition and turn off fans.
Instead, interest and passion was generated across not one nation - but a continent. Records weren't just broken, but smashed. Viewing figures. Gates. Revenue. As Trump admitted after Spain's trophy lift, this World Cup was the biggest "event" of it's kind ever held.
"I thought FIFA was incredible," stated the president. "There's never been anything like it in terms of an event, let alone soccer or football whatever you call it. But I found it incredible. It was four times more successful than any other World Cup that FIFA previously organised. And that's even five times more from what I was told today. We are very proud of our country. We are very proud of the work accomplished by everyone."
He added: "We congratulate Gianni Infantino and his entire team for the incredible work they have done. It was one of the largest events of any genre ever organised. We are delighted that it went so well. People came from all over the world and they loved our country, which helped show it in a different light. And it was great. It was a wonderful event. I'm glad you all enjoyed it."
It was "great. It was "wonderful". And for this column, it was the 'happy' World Cup. On the pitch, it was all tension and drama. But in the stands. On the streets. In the parks and on the beaches. For the fans, it was a joy. World Cup '26 epitomised what a sporting event should be.
But what of that Trump admission? Well, in case you missed it, during that post-final presser, Trump revealed he had warned FIFA that some stadiums might not be full.
"I guess I was seriously wrong," Trump wryly smiled.
It was a rare admission from the president. But he wasn't alone. The three host nations. The expanded format. The weather. A lot could've gone wrong. But Infantino and FIFA backed themselves. They went for it. And the results were history-making.
But more than revenue and ratings, World Cup '26 gave us the best of football. The best of elite sport. The fans. The players. Everyone connected to the game contributed to the best World Cup we've seen. And even the most cynical will have to admit, football is in a much better place now thanks to World Cup 2026.