"If the strength of the bid itself is most important, then England will win" - Martin Lipton assesses all the final pitches from Zurich
The pitches have been made, the emotional appeals to follow on from the arm-twisting and pleading in the hotel bars and lobbies.
Now there is no more England can do. It is about 22 men in their little black room.
But at least England's 2018 World Cup bid team went out with the bang they promised, the "Oscar-winning performances" Seb Coe said they needed.
England know they have ticked all the boxes.
Technical report: Top.
Economic report: Top.
Presentation: "Excellent and remarkable", according to Sepp Blatter.
England's bid came after the opening gambit by Holland and Belgium was followed by Spain/Portugal, with the Russians on last.
The Low Countries pitched as a mixture of humour and football as an engine for change, with mock interviews with the 1974 incarnation of Johan Cruyff and Belgian's 1980 goalkeeper Jean-Marie Pfaff intercut with the real men today, as well as Ruud Gullit.
It was about fun, about fans, about how football can combat childhood obesity and will provide the easiest possible tournament to get round, before answering one of the great dinner table joke games: Name 10 famous Belgians.
No doubt it was eye-catching stuff, the highlight being the "Lost in Translation" montage detailing Guus Hiddink's football story, all conducted as The Monkees sang "I'm a Believer".
Spain/Portugal, who had been so far under the radar in Zurich that nobody knew they were here, demonstrated why they had not campaigned with a dull and uninspiring opening by the Prime Ministers of the two countries, enlivened only when Spanish PM Jose Luiz Zapatero congratulated FIFA for the 2010 tournament in South Africa: "An outstanding World Cup.......because of the team that won!"
That, though, was the highlight. Spain/Portugal played it safe. They arrived in Zurich thinking they were front-runners, that it was about not offering any hostages to fortune. Grey and lifeless, believing the work had already been done, with Ex-Co member Angel Maria Villar Llona ending with an aggressive peroration denouncing the "slander" from the English media: "FIFA is a clean institution; FIFA works honestly."
It was a deliberate dig in the ribs, with the presentation running seven minutes over time as well, cutting the England team's time to prepare for their go. As one of Spain's leading journalists told me: "Now we know for sure - the enemy is England!"
In came England, led by Manchester City community worker Eddie Afekafe, who outlined his start among the gangs of Moss Side and the message: "Football changed my life."
That message of change, that promise of "the most spectacular World Cup in history", was carried on by Prince William - who told FIFA "I love football; the English love football" and added a gag about his impending marriage - and David Cameron.
Cameron, speaking without notes, made the pitch: "There are three groups we can deliver for: players, fans and FIFA."
The PM extolled the virtues of the bid but also pressed the global legacy England promises: "Every day during that World Cup will be a beautiful day", illustrated by a video featuring the Premier League's global stars including Fernando Torres and Nani, played out to a background of Elbow's "One Day Like This".
Bid chief executive Andy Anson, after paying the necessary tributes to Blatter and FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke, then promised "packed stadia bursting with atmosphere" and 28 million fans from across the planet, with supportive video comments from Arsene Wenger, Harry Redknapp, Roberto Mancini and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Anson then went on: "We will give you a FIFA World Cup for the world; for the entire world."
Then, of course, David Beckham. "I owe my life, everything I have, through football," said the former England skipper, recalling how grandfather Joe - who died exactly a year ago - took him to Spurs as a kid, name-checking Sir Bobby Charlton as well.
"I've seen how football can change lives, all over the world. Now I want to do more. That is why I'm here, why everybody in the England bid is here today."
Even Elton John, Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard, Park Ji-Sung, Richard Scudamore, Gary Lineker, Alex, Michael Essien and Wilson Palacios were drafted in to reinforce the message: "Imagine the difference we would make."
And finally, Russia, whose campaign has seemingly imploded over the past 48 hours. No Vladimir Putin, of course, a sign of weakness but bid chief Andriy Sorokin said he wanted to "show you what's in our heart" rather than "bore you".
Name-checking Winston Churchill, who labelled Russia "a riddle wrapped up in an enigma", the video was the story of "Sasha", a boy traversing every corner of the country, dreaming of the World Cup in 2018, who comes off the bench in the Final to bend a last-second free-kick past Gianluigi Buffon.
And that was that. If the strength of the bid itself is the determining feature, then England will win.
But this is FIFA, it is not just about that, not about the moral right. It is about getting the politics right. Within a few hours, we will find out the truth.
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