Here, the BBC presenters and pundits who supplied coverage of the tournament from the Far East, share their personal highlights of the competition.
The story of Germany during the past 12 months has been extraordinary.
OK, some said they had an easy route to the final, and that they enjoyed plenty of luck against Paraguay and the USA.
But Oliver Kahn has been breathtaking. Without doubt, the most influential player in the tournament.
A distraught David Seaman came into the media area to discuss his part in the defeat against Brazil.
He stood in front of hundreds of journalists, opened his mouth to speak, then broke down. Not a single journalist asked a question.
It was a terrible way for the World Cup to end after he had enjoyed such a good tournament.
The Korean experience will stay longest in my memory. Korea worked hard to present themselves to the world, and they succeeded.
Of course, in the main, it was because of the success of their own team. But Guus Hiddink, adventurous and positive throughout the tournament is the man of the World Cup, without question.
Sweden v Senegal in extra time. Anders Svensson turns, shoots and hits the post. The ball is thrown out quickly, and Henri Kamara wriggles his way through to score a fabulous golden goal.
For me that signified what this World Cup has been about. The emerging sides upsetting the natural order of things.
The emergence of Rio Ferdinand as a world-class defender for England gave me tremendous pleasure. His partnership with Sol Campbell will surely benefit England in the future.
The other memory will be of the early starts. Seeing Mark Lawrenson and Peter Reid turning up bleary-eyed at five in the morning, not knowing what day it was, not knowing what game it was, and not knowing much about anything at all. Fantastic.
David Beckham scoring the penalty against Argentina will live on in my memory.
After all the stuff he went through in 1998, the pressure on him for that kick was enormous. He knew the consequences of missing, and had to cope with Simeone trying to shake his hand before the kick.
You saw his celebrations after he scored. That said it all.
I will remember the great Irish adventure.
In particular, it was a moment in the game against Spain. Ian Harte missed a penalty, was substituted and looked desperate on the bench.
Then Robbie Keane scored from the spot, and the jubilation on the Ireland bench summed up what the Irish were all about. It was a great moment.
The anger and the fury of the coaches provided the most memorable moments for me.
Giovanni Trapattoni of Italy, in particular, summed it up as yet another decision went against his side.
His frustration as he banged the dug-out and kicked a water bottle showed the true passion which the World Cup arouses.
England v Argentina was a very special game, and not just for David Beckham.
Before kick-off, the sound man on our camera crew received a phone call from his wife to say she had just gone into labour on the other side of the world!
Shortly after the final whistle he was told he had become the father of a baby girl.
I was in South Korea for their opening game against Poland and it was incredible.
We were surrounded by thousands of fans, singing and cheering hours before kick off - and the party carried on many hours after South Korea's win.
The sheer emotion and passion demonstrated by the fans was quite remarkable.