It has been one of the most enthralling and memorable World Cups of modern times.There has been endless late drama, the big players turned up, there were three competitive and fully engaged host nations with the matches mostly in front of full stadiums. And, to cap it all, there was a thrilling late finish in the final.We have picked out the best images from the tournament (all provided by Getty Images) to tell the tale.Mexico kick off the tournamentFireworks greet the arrival of Mexico and South Africa (Rodrigo Oropeza/AFP via Getty Images)It’s been a big World Cup in every which way; more teams and matches, huge stadiums and an abundance of colour and bombast. FIFA’s pre-match ceremonies with giant flags, loud music and every squad player lining up for the national anthems set the tone, like in the opening match of the tournament, Mexico versus South Africa.Raul Jimenez’s poignant celebrationRaul Jimenez celebrates scoring against South Africa (Carl Recine/Getty Images)Jimenez, in his first World Cup start at the age of 35, scored his first World Cup goal in the 2-0 win over South Africa.He dedicated it to his father, who had passed away this year. His impressive tournament (three goals in four appearances) was all the more remarkable given Jimenez almost died on the pitch in 2020. The headband visible above is a permanent reminder of the injury he suffered.USA fans celebrate against ParaguayA fan of the USMNT makes her feelings clear outside SoFi Stadium (Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images)While football/soccer will never be as big as American Football in the United States, it felt like the country was noticeably more engaged with the World Cup than when it was lasted hosted here in 1994.It helped that the USMNT initially made a great start to the tournament with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay in front of Tom Cruise, David Beckham et al in Los Angeles.Focus on Cristiano RonaldoCaptain Cristiano Ronaldo leads Portugal on to the pitch for the pre-match warm up at Houston Stadium (Alex Pantling – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)At the age of 41, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score at six different World Cups when he netted twice against Uzbekistan in Portugal’s second group-stage match. Ronaldo, along with his old pal Lionel Messi, now jointly holds the record for appearing at the most World Cups (also six).While he was clearly some way short of his peak years, he remained one of the most talked-about, followed and photographed players at the tournament.USA celebrations against AustraliaThe USMNT and their supporters celebrate their opening goal against Australia (Fran Santiago/Getty Images)For a brief period there was fanciful talk of the USMNT going deep into the competition and possibly even winning it. National fervour approached somewhere near a peak when they beat Australia 2-0 in Seattle.Erling Haaland on target againErling Haaland scores against Iraq (Mark Smith/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)The Adidas Trionda ball was a talking point for its occasionally unpredictable flight patterns, but Erling Haaland certainly enjoyed playing with it, scoring seven goals (to add to the 16 he netted in qualifying).Against Iraq he was in particularly dismissive mood judging by his facial expression.Statue manDR Congo supporter Michel Kuka Mboladinga performs his statue routine (Doug Zimmerman/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)Some of the many fears of it not being an inclusive tournament were sadly realised, what with Iran’s constant issues in travelling to the U.S., or Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan being denied entry to the country.However, it was much more of a fan festival than many thought it would be. DR Congo supporter Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, also known as Lumumba Vea, brought his unique take on fandom to their match against Colombia.Smiling cops at Jordan versus AlgeriaPolice officers pose for photos as Algeria fans cheer in the stands (Stu Forster/Getty Images)Police officers are allowed to have fun too, right? Well they were in Santa Clara, south of San Francisco, as two smiled for the camera in front of Algeria fans. Those fans must have been even happier when they came from behind to beat Jordan 2-1.Cape Verde flying their flagJovane Cabral and Bubista celebrate their 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia in Houston (Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images)Cape Verde were one of the stories of the tournament. The African country with only 530,000 inhabitants are the only nation to have faced both of Sunday’s finalists during this World Cup — and they didn’t lose to either of them inside 90 minutes, drawing 0-0 with Spain in the group stage and then losing 3-2 to Argentina after extra time in a pulsating round-of-32 match.Head coach Bubista waved their flag on Jovane Cabral’s shoulders after their 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia.Lamine Yamal at SoFiLamine Yamal prays before kick-off (Alex Pantling – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)The Los Angeles Stadium, normally known as SoFi, is the world’s most expensive sports arena at a cost of $5billion (£3.7bn).The vast, sprawling 70,000-capacity stadium gave us some of the best visuals of the tournament, with Lamine Yamal and Spain playing two games at the venue.Paraguay celebrating against GermanyGustavo Gomez celebrates after Paraguay win the penalty shootout against Germany (Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)There weren’t many big upsets at this World Cup, with the top four nations in the FIFA rankings all reaching the semi-finals for the first time ever.Paraguay’s victory over Germany in the round of 32 was probably the biggest shock, and Gustavo Gomez’s reaction after the winning penalty reflected the magnitude of his team’s success.Michael Olise acrobaticsMichael Olise attempts his overhead kick against Sweden (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise was one of the stars of the tournament, providing a record seven assists as part of France’s stylish and prolific attack.His magnificent acrobatic attempt against Sweden in the round of 32 would have been one of the goals of the tournament, but smacked against the post.Balogun’s Belgian embraceFolarin Balogun is consoled by Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia (David Ramos/Getty Images)The postponed suspension of USMNT striker Folarin Balogun became one of the tournament’s biggest stories.He was allowed to play against Belgium despite being sent off in his team’s previous match but, after Belgium won 4-1, their manager Rudi Garcia consoled Balogun at full-time.Neymar cryingNeymar sinks to his knees in tears following Brazil’s elimination to Norway (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)There were a few likely World Cup goodbyes, such as for Croatia’s Luka Modric, Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne and possibly Ronaldo and Messi (all very much TBC).One player we definitely won’t see on football’s biggest stage again is Brazil’s all-time record goalscorer Neymar, who retired after one final goal and a lot of tears as Brazil bowed out at the last-16 stage.The Norway rowErling Haaland leads the Norway row (Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images)While Neymar wept, Norway celebrated. Their run to a first quarter-final was one of the tournament’s better stories and their fans brought colour and culture with their unmistakable mass row, which they performed at stadiums, in Times Square and even on subway trains.Haaland led the on-pitch celebrations after their victory over Brazil.Fabian Ruiz’s baby celebrationFabian Ruiz celebrates his team’s opener against Belgium (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)Spain started slowly but made dramatic progress in the knockout stages with late Mikel Merino winners against Portugal and Belgium.Midfielder Fabian Ruiz also scored against Belgium and used the moment to celebrate the recent birth of his newborn son.Harry Kane and Jude BellinghamHarry Kane and Jude Bellingham serenade the England fans in Miami (Patrick Smith – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)For the first time in World Cup history, two players from the same nation scored at least six goals each.Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham propelled England to the semi-finals, with the latter scoring both goals in their 2-1 victory over Norway in the quarter-finals.Messi cornerLionel Messi prepares to take a corner against Switzerland (Julian Finney – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)This breathtaking image sums up the weight of an expectant, ever-watching nation on Messi’s slumped shoulders during the quarter-final victory over Switzerland.The little genius became the World Cup’s all-time top scorer during the tournament — before being usurped by Kylian Mbappe — and set a record for scoring in nine consecutive World Cup matches, dating back to 2022.Argentina’s celebrations against EnglandArgentina’s players hold their political banner (Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images)A lot of FIFA’s rules, regulations and principles didn’t seem to apply at this World Cup. The tournament is supposed to be inclusive and open to everyone (rejected visas and outrageous ticket prices suggested otherwise), while political inference is against FIFA’s ethos (but a phonecall from President Donald Trump about a red card was apparently fine).Argentina were also allowed to display a banner about the Falkland Islands after beating England, which stated that the disputed islands were theirs.England and France players uniteEngland and France unite in prayer after the third-place play-off (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)England versus France in the third-place play-off was unexpectedly one of best World Cup matches of modern times, with England’s remarkable 6-4 victory being the highest-scoring match in the tournament since 1982.It was a fun game played in a great spirit, epitomised by religious players from both sides — Dayot Upamecano, Bukayo Saka, Maxence Lacroix, Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Trevoh Chalobah — huddling together in prayer after the match.Fernandez’s final redEnzo Fernandez sends Pau Cubarsi flying (Al Bello/Getty Images)The final was a stodgy, tense affair with endless breaks in play and 46 fouls. Enzo Fernandez was sent off for upending Pau Cubarsi, which saw the Spanish youngster propelled into the air.Torres’ winnerFerran Torres celebrates scoring the winning goal in the World Cup final (David Ramos/Getty Images)Spain won 1-0 with Ferran Torres the unlikely match-winner.His almost disbelieving expression as Spain’s subs flocked to celebrate with him will be one of the enduring images.