World Cup wrap: It's coming home — with scars still to heal

Spain are world champions, yet the World Cup has not quietly left the stage. Days after Argentina and Lionel Messi went home in disappointment, debates around FIFA, power and unfinished business keep the tournament in the headlines.

Norwegian commentator Jan Petter Saltvedt framed the aftermath as football coming home with scratches and failed repairs — a metaphor for damage that may still be hard to fix. At the centre of the political story sit FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump, who have stayed closely linked over the past year.

Argentina faces a rematch narrative after a final that felt far worse than its semi-final form. Trump, meanwhile, is already leaning into the 2028 World Cup hosted by the United States and — according to the NRK report — wants Infantino positioned for a larger global role.

The Norwegian Football Federation is also preparing a complaint over how FIFA handled the US president's intervention in a deportation case involving American striker Folarin Balogun. The federation says it wants no part of that political pressure.

The sporting result is settled: Spain lift the trophy. The institutional scars around governance, influence and player cases are what the game is still trying to heal.