This is the end

This is the end, beautiful friend,

This is the end, our only friend the end,

Of our elaborate plans, the end

Of everything that stands, the end

Etc etc. Although given the World Cup's blending of capitalism and absurdity I could just have gone with weird scenes inside the goldmine.

Either way it's 1420 days until the next one, which will be jointly hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco. I'm sure Spain will enjoy being a host and the World Cup holder at the same time, the first time this has happened (although Germany hosted in 2006 having lost the 2002 final, the nearest we have come before). It will also be 100 years since the first World Cup, which was held in Uruguay in 1930.

The final wasn't the greatest game you'll ever see, but if you enjoy watching the country that just beat England sputter and fail then collapse into a state of graceless thuggery, it was definitely one for the connoisseurs. Spain now hold the European and World trophies, something they last achieved in 2012.

England also had a game over the weekend, as you may have heard, beating France 6-4 in a remarkable Third Place Playoff. FIFA have renamed the game the Bronze Final, a marketing decision that the BBC have responded to by calling the game the Third Place Playoff, and occasionally England's 'bronze final'. They didn't quite call it 'The Fuck Off Infantino Game', but we knew what they meant.

England seem to have seen the game as an opportunity for redemption whereas France treated it more as a contractual obligation, which meant England went in at half-time 4-0 up despite mainly fielding their B team. France must have been quite severely told off during the break, because they came out with a much better attitude and pulled it back to 5-4 before Bellingham took advantage of French adventurousness to seal it right at the end.

The Bayeux Tapestry is currently on display at the British Museum, and Jo Kibble on Bluesky made me laugh with his suggestion that when we return it we should stitch in an extra panel with Sako's second goal on it. After the final, Marie le Conte said maybe we could give Spain the Falklands as a thank you, and there are times when I don't feel I need to be funny at all when there are other people to do it for me.

Realistically, though, the main takeaway from England's final week is that we can't beat France or Argentina if they're trying. We didn't play Spain, but I don't think many people are wondering what might have happened if we had. Thirty years of hurt is sixty now, and maybe it's time we should stop counting. Belgium, Paraguay, Mexico, the USA, Romania, Bolivia, Chile, Yugoslavia and Peru have never won despite playing in the first World Cup in 1930, and Yugoslavia have since split into seven nations, none of whom have won either. You don't hear them banging on about their 96 years of hurt, do you?

We've done very well, and we can make a strong argument that we're the fourth best team in the world. Argentina won't have Messi next time, although someone else is bound to come through more strongly. We last failed to qualify in 1994, and we have got out of the group in the last three tournaments. Italy would love to be us.

 Other countries will also come away with the sense that it was a good World Cup. Egypt, Norway, Cabo Verde, they all did better than many people thought they might. African countries mainly got out of their groups, and all three host nations made it to the last 16.

Some will be disappointed. Brazil, Germany, the Czechs, Turkiye, Uruguay, all might have done better. Scotland were never going to do better than third, but were unlucky when other results didn't go their way.

And it's over. There's no point in sugar coating it.  And so am I. Bye, and thanks for coming along for the ride. It was a wild ride, but now it's gone.