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Editorial
World Cup has showcased the beautiful game despite some ugly moments
While high ticket prices, visa issues and a Trump intervention cast a shadow on the tournament, the engrossing competition has also brought people together
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Editorials represent the views of the South China Morning Post on the issues of the day.
The World Cup has gripped football fans globally for over a month. It is about to reach its climax, with a showpiece final that promises to be a thriller.
This has been the biggest edition of the competition yet, featuring a record 48 teams. Now, only Spain and Argentina remain.
The event has shown the universal appeal of the sport and its ability to bring people of different cultures together. More than six million fans will have attended the record 104 matches, held for the first time in three host countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada. Over a billion are expected to watch broadcasts of the final, which kicks off at 3am on Monday, Hong Kong time.
Fans in the city have enthusiastically embraced the tournament, despite many inconvenient kick-off times. It has given a much-needed boost to business for bars, restaurants and shopping malls.
The tournament has provided exciting matches and there has been a good atmosphere in stadiums, with fans from rival nations entering into the joyful spirit of the occasion.
But the event has been beset by high ticket prices and visa issues and the integrity of the competition was questioned when US President Donald Trump intervened. He called Fifa president Gianni Infantino to personally lobby for a one-match ban on a US team player to be reviewed.
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