With a wartime host nation, a referee deported and a ban overturned after a call from the White House, the 2026 tournament tested FIFA like no other.

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Amid anxiety over how the United States would welcome the world, cities like Lawrence, Kan., and Boston threw open their doors. The bonds forged are still visible on the streets.

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The nation’s years of pain continue.

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Wednesday’s contest for a spot in the final carries the weight of a 1986 contentious clash, a war over the Falklands and a national mythology built around Diego Maradona.