In its 80 years the World Cup has only ever been won by a handful of countries in Europe and South America, and only four tournaments have been hosted outside those two continents.

So with just two countries now remaining in the first World Cup to ever be held in Africa, it’s time to ask if anything has changed.

No European team has ever won a World Cup played outside of Europe, and until the quarterfinals nothing really suggested this might change. Both the reigning world champions (Italy) and last tournament’s runners-up (France) had already crashed out in the group stage, coming dead last in their respective pools. Just three of the original 13 European teams remained, in comparison to four of the five South American nations.

But then the tournament suddenly came to life, and after four quarterfinal games that quickly made up for a lack of action in earlier stages both Brazil and Argentina were gone. On Tuesday it became official, when Holland defeated Uruguay: the two finalists would be European. The second semifinal yesterday, when Spain knocked out Germany, ensured a new country would win the World Cup for the first time in twelve years.

The quarterfinals also broke the hearts of a billion Africans, and elevated Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez to super-villain status. With all the other African teams failing to go beyond the group stage, the prayers for an African miracle were invested solely in Ghana. Tied at the end of extra time, the game was heading to penalties when Stephen Appiah headed the ball toward the goal.

Had it gone in, Ghana would have become the first ever African team to reach the semifinals of the World Cup, but Suarez blatantly handed the ball on the line to deny the goal. Though he was sent off and Ghana was given a spot-kick to rightfully win, Asamoah Gyan hit the crossbar, and in the penalty shoot-out that followed Uruguay prevailed. Suarez may have become a hero to 3.4 million of his countrymen, but he robbed the hopes and dreams of an entire continent.

On the face of it, this was a World Cup of big upsets. Not only did so many major European teams struggle, but the biggest stars of the football world also came up short.

The three players who have been FIFA World Player of the Year in the last three seasons – Argentina’s Lionel Messi, Portugal’s Christiano Ronaldo and Brazil’s Kaká – scored just one goal between them and failed to set the tournament on fire. Germany, by comparison, with a team of lesser-known young players, has broken the traditional mould of German football and was clearly the most exciting and explosive team in South Africa.

Apart from Suarez’s handball, the other big negative story from the World Cup centered on a couple of shockingly bad refereeing decisions. Disallowed goals by England and the USA, Kaká being sent off for nothing, an off-side goal by Argentina and several other incidents will increase the clamor for bringing technology into the game. It seems impossible that FIFA won’t listen, but many commentators suspect we will still be having this argument in four years’ time.

Whatever the history books will write about this tournament, at the very least TV audiences across the globe have learnt two Zulu words: Jabulani and Vuvuzela.

The former, meaning “rejoice,” apparently the roundest ball ever created, has frustrated both goalkeepers and strikers and been blamed for a lack of goals. Retailing at around $150, it also highlights the chasm between the prosperous and the poor. The World Cup may be being held in their continent, but it is unlikely that most of the children of Africa will ever be able to play with “their” ball.

The latter is completely the opposite. The sound of cheap plastic horns made and sold for pennies have echoed the sounds of Africa around the world. Commentators, viewers and players have complained about the drone that drowns out both fans chanting and communication on the pitch, but this is to miss the point.

Everything about this World Cup was planned with ruthless precision by FIFA and its partners. To satisfy the demands of sponsors, local businesses have been denied the chance to make an honest living from the influx of tourists to their country, and it’s unclear how much of the money earned will really stay in the continent. Through all of this, though, no one fully anticipated – and no one can seemingly silence – the sound of the vuvuzela.

Germany and Uruguay now have to play perhaps the least desirable game in football, the third place play-off on Saturday, when they would probably rather already be on their way home. The final on Sunday, however, should be an intriguing matchup. Spain and Holland have both carried the heavy tag of being known as the best countries never to have won the World Cup for a long time. One of them will now walk away champion, the other will shoulder the burden alone.