The Falklands, Johnny Infantino and an invisible man: A whirlwind review of the World Cup

The World Cup has always been about more than soccer. Every four years, the global sporting extravaganza becomes a stage on which governments project power, politicians clamor for photo opportunities and old rivalries discover new life. North America’s first World Cup since 1994 was no different — only bigger. The 48-team tournament brought a Viking invasion of Miami, diplomatic skirmishes over the Falkland Islands, Trump-era political intrigue, Gulf money and one FIFA president seemingly determined to be everything everywhere all at once. It did also produce some outstanding and tense soccer. Here’s POLITICO’s full A-to-Z review of the tournament. A is for Absent Italy again failed to qualify, setting off a massive political outcry in Rome, which involved senior allies of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni trying to gain control of the soccer federation. They ultimately failed, but the episode underscored just how far Italian soccer has fallen since winning the tournament in 2006. Other politically notable absentees: Russia and China. B is for Bygones 23 years after the U.S. invasion that left hundreds of thousands of people dead, Iraq qualified for the North American World Cup. The team struggled, but Iraqi fans that POLITICO spoke to in Massachusetts were happy to be there for the party. Those vibes were sky high at the Boston Stadium fanzone before the match against Norway, where the DJ yelled, “Let me hear you in the house from Eye-raq!” C is for Cape Verde The island minnows were the biggest surprise of the tournament, drawing with Spain and then pushing Argentina to extra time in a thrilling knockout match. Heroic goalkeeper Vozinha’s mom was able to come and watch after the U.S. State Department waived her eye-watering visa fees following Cape Verde’s opening match. D is for Displeased Early exits for Uruguay and Turkey both triggered a national outcry, but political recriminations went furthest in South Korea, where President Lee Jae Myung called on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to probe the country’s failure to advance to the round of 32, one of the Asian powerhouse’s most disappointing World Cup campaigns in decades. E is for Exploitation Ticket prices and hotel costs left many fans whom our reporters met feeling fleeced. FIFA and the U.S. were a perfect commercial match with merchandise, stadium food and even car parking retailing for eye-watering prices. The governing body maintained throughout the tournament that it got ticket prices right, and said full stadiums were evidence of that. F is for the Falklands The 1982 war in the South Atlantic loomed over the semifinal game between England and Argentina, one of the great historic World Cup grudge matches. After their late victory, some Argentine players unfurled a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” — which translates to “The Falkland Islands are Argentine” — staking their claim to the British Overseas Territory. The incident has breathed new life into the issue, in both Buenos Aires and London, that will endure well beyond today’s final whistle. G is for German inefficiency Four-time champions Germany were dumped out in the first knockout round by Paraguay, an abject result that cost coach Julian Nagelsmann his job. The other top German manager in the tournament — Thomas Tuchel, in charge of England — then cost his side a place in the final, going all-out defense and making a series of bizarre substitutions against Argentina. For some German politicians, that ineptness provided a tap-in metaphor: “This national team plays the way this federal government governs: big on ambition, short on resolve,” in the words of Member of the European Parliament Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann. H is for Half-time show Sunday featured the first ever half-time show at a World Cup final. Music superstars Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira and K-Pop band BTS took the stage, pausing the game for 27 minutes — longer than the customary 15-minute interval — and reigniting t