IT WAS the World Cup for all the wrong reasons.

The wrong country in the wrong climate at the wrong time of year.

FIFA putting their own bulging bank balance far above what any football fan would really want. Wrong, wrong, wrong …

And yet, as the 22nd World Cup draws to a close, it is hard to think of a better one.

The tournament we all wanted to hate, the one that should never have been, the one that was shoehorned into the calendar and to Hell with domestic leagues, has turned out to be an absolute belter.

The confirmation of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe as the present and future dominant forces on the global stage, the emergence of Morocco as the genuine African threat we have waited so long to see, the tension and drama of the group stages - and the chance to watch matches at all times of the day.

Qatar 2022 has just about had it all.

That is not, of course, glossing over the political picture that constantly lurks in the background.

To salute the football is not to agree with the country’s authoritarian morals or their treatment of those whose sweat and tears was responsible for putting together the arenas which have staged such a spectacle.

Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s current overlord, might glibly suggest we focus on the fiesta of football and sweep everything else under a bulging carpet.

But then Infantino, for all his crowing and posturing as he seemingly pops up at every game, has not come out of the last few weeks well.

His ludicrous opening speech - even by FIFA’s questionable standards - will go down as one of the most cock-eyed, misdirected broadcasts that's been our misfortune to hear. A template in how to offend anybody and everybody in a five-minute monologue.

He almost makes Sepp Blatter sound like one of the good guys. Almost …

There is no denying, though, that the football on show - even with the record number of goalless draws early doors - has been far better than we all probably expected.

And for those working from home, matches kicking off at 10am and 1pm were the stuff of dreams! For those of us of a certain age, the 7pm start for the “late” games was nothing to sniff at either.

If only all World Cups could be so accommodating. No such luck with 2026, though, when the spread across America, Canada and Mexico will throw up some potentially nightmarish nocturnal timings.

By then, of course, there will be an extra 16 teams in the tournament as FIFA cannot resist meddling.

Like a TV executive rinsing a once-successful show reality idea until its bone dry with tweak after tweak, they will cram in more, more, more - quantity being their only aim when the overall quality is inevitably likely to suffer.

Talking of telly, it’s been a mixed tournament for the cohort of commentators and pundits that have lapped up the winter sun.

Traditional heavyweights such as Alan Shearer, Graeme Souness and Roy Keane have mixed it with up-and-comers and never-should-bes.

Andros Townsend, for me, was the best newcomer and, as a current Premier League player, offered a fresh insight alongside those who have long since hung up their own boots. He should get a regular gig further down the line.

Karen Carney has also come across well - far better than the rambling John Hartson or ubiquitous Alex Scott.

Sam Matterface, without doubt, delivered the crassest line of them all with his Gary Lineker and Chris Waddle comparison in the light of Harry Kane’s penalty miss. It might have sounded clever in his head but it showed a lack of class at such a sensitive moment.

I’m not going all snowflake here but could you imagine some of the dignified TV voices of the past - or even the likes of Clive Tyldesley and Guy Mowbray now - coming out with such a cheap shot?

It sounded like a social-media soundbite; commentary for likes. You’d expect better.

Of course, we expected better in terms of England’s progress.

Those of you who have watched our Voices of the North podcast, and there are some pundits who really need polishing, will have seen we all gloomily predicted an exit at the quarter-final stage.

None of us took any pleasure in getting that one spot on, although there are ways of losing and England did at least go down fighting against the world champions.

Gareth Southgate is expected to stay on for the Euros and he should do. There is no obvious successor on the horizon and no need to rip everything up and start again.

This remains a young and exciting team that he has developed and most, if not all, will still be in full swing come 2024.

He’s just got to resist reaching for the handbrake when the going gets tough - and maybe make the subs a bit earlier.

But for now, let’s just savour a month-long spectacle that has amazed us all. Qatar, we were wrong to doubt you.