TOURNAMENT LEGACY

Italy secured their fourth World Cup title, defeating France 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in a dramatic final. The match was marred by Zinedine Zidane's headbutt on Marco Materazzi, resulting in a red card for Zidane in his final international appearance. The tournament featured several memorable moments, including Germany's strong home performance (finishing third), Argentina's penalty shootout loss to Germany in the quarter-finals, and Portugal's fourth-place finish. This was the first World Cup to use video assistant referee (VAR) technology in a limited capacity for review purposes. The Golden Ball was awarded to Zinedine Zidane (France), while Miroslav Klose won the Golden Boot with 5 goals. The format remained 32 teams with 8 groups followed by a knockout stage. The mascot was 'Goleo VI', a lion wearing a Germany jersey, accompanied by a talking football named 'Pille'.