2022 FIFA World Cup final

• 1. Tournament Context And Background

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  Argentina entered the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar with a history of heartbreak. They had won the tournament twice before, in 1978 and 1986. Yet they also finished as runners-up three times, including losses in 1930, 1990, and 2014. After losing the 2014 final to Germany, Argentina suffered two consecutive Copa América defeats to Chile in 2015 and 2016. A string of disappointing performances followed at the 2018 World Cup, where they lost to France in the first knockout round. The team then finished third in the 2019 Copa América under coach Jorge Sampaoli. New manager Lionel Scaloni changed the trajectory by defeating Brazil 1, 0 in the 2021 Copa América final. This victory gave captain Lionel Messi his first senior international title. Argentina went on to win the Finalissima against Italy 3, 0 before arriving in Doha as favorites. France arrived as defending champions from their 2018 World Cup victory in Russia. This marked the first time since 2002 that a team made consecutive appearances in the finals. It was also the first time since 1998 that a title holder qualified for the subsequent final. France had claimed two World Cups, winning in 1998 and 2018. They reached the 2006 final but fell to Italy on penalties. Under Didier Deschamps, who won the 1998 tournament as a player, France failed to conquer the 2014 World Cup and UEFA Euros in 2016 and 2020. Deschamps aimed to become the second manager to win two men's FIFA World Cup titles after Vittorio Pozzo with Italy in 1934 and 1938. He sought to be the third person to win three FIFA World Cup titles overall.

• 2. Venue Construction And Logistics

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  The final took place at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, located about 40 kilometers north of Doha's city center. The stadium was confirmed as the final venue on the 15th of July 2020. It was designed by British firms Foster and Partners and Populous, supported by MANICA Architecture. Construction began in April 2017 and was originally planned to finish in 2020. Completion was postponed until November 2021. The stadium hosted its first match, the Lusail Super Cup, on the 9th of September 2022. Lusail Stadium holds 88,966 spectators for major events like the final. It uses solar power to cool the interior and claims a carbon zero footprint. The venue was allocated to host nine previous matches during the tournament, including six group stage games and three knockout fixtures. The match ball for the semi-finals and final was named Adidas Al-Hilm, meaning 'The Dream' in Arabic. This special ball featured Gold Metallic, maroon, Collegiate Burgundy, and red colors to reflect Qatar's national colors and the golden hues of the stadium. It was the fifth special ball used for World Cup finals after the Teamgeist Berlin, Jo'bulani, Brazuca Final Rio, and Telstar Mechta.

• 3. Match Narrative And Key Moments

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  France kicked off the match at 18:00 local time in front of 88,966 spectators. Argentina won a penalty in the 22nd minute when Ángel Di María was fouled by Ousmane Dembélé. Lionel Messi scored the penalty with a low shot into the right corner. In the 36th minute, Di María finished a counterattack to make it 2, 0. France failed to register a shot on goal until the 80th minute. Randal Kolo Muani was brought down in the box by Nicolás Otamendi, leading to a penalty for Kylian Mbappé. He scored low to the left corner despite Emiliano Martínez touching the ball. Just 97 seconds later, Kingsley Coman tackled Messi, starting a rapid counterattack. Marcus Thuram lofted a pass that Mbappé volleyed first-time while falling to the ground to tie the game 2, 2. Five minutes before extra time ended, Adrien Rabiot fired a shot inside the box that required a fumbling save from Martínez. Three minutes later, Messi had a hard shot parried over the bar by Hugo Lloris. The score remained tied after regulation time and entered extra time. After the first half of extra time finished goalless, Messi scored again in the second period. He finished from close range after Lloris parried a shot from Lautaro Martínez. However, France won a second penalty in the 117th minute when Mbappé's shot hit Gonzalo Montiel's arm. Mbappé scored his third goal with a penalty kick to the left, sending Martínez the wrong way. This made him the second player to score a hat-trick in a men's World Cup final after Geoff Hurst in 1966. With 15 seconds remaining, Kolo Muani shot low to the right but was blocked by Martínez's shin.

• 4. Individual Performances And Awards

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  Lionel Messi was named man of the match and won his second Golden Ball award as the best player of the tournament. He became the first player to receive this award twice, having previously won it in 2014. Messi also won the Silver Boot for scoring seven goals at the tournament. His appearance in the final marked his 26th World Cup game, surpassing Lothar Matthäus for most appearances. Messi became the only player to score in all knockout rounds plus the group stage. Kylian Mbappé scored three goals in the final, making him the highest-scoring player in a World Cup final with four total goals. He surpassed Geoff Hurst, Pelé, Vavá, and Zinedine Zidane who each scored three. Mbappé won the Golden Boot as the top scorer of the tournament with eight goals, the most since Ronaldo in 2002. He received the Silver Ball as the second-best player of the World Cup. Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez won the Golden Glove award as the best goalkeeper. Enzo Fernández won the Young Player Award as the best player aged 21 or younger born on or after the 1st of January 2001. The match statistics showed Argentina had 54% ball possession compared to France's 46%. Argentina took 20 shots while France took 10. Both teams committed 26 fouls combined during regulation time.

• 5. Global Reception And Cultural Impact

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  A record 1.5 billion people watched the final on television, making it one of the most widely watched sporting events in history. Pundits and commentators praised the intensity and thrilling back-and-forth nature of the game. Many media outlets highlighted the duel between Paris Saint-Germain teammates Messi and Mbappé. Journalists hailed the match as one of the most exciting World Cup finals ever played. It became the third FIFA World Cup final decided by a penalty shoot-out after 1994 and 2006. The six goals brought the total number of goals in the tournament to a record 172, surpassing the 171 scored in 1998 and 2014. Within 48 hours of posting, Messi's Instagram photo with the trophy surpassed 75 million likes. This made it the most-liked social media post across all platforms, beating the world record egg. FIFA president Gianni Infantino presented the trophy to Lionel Messi alongside Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The ceremony featured pyrotechnics and lights instead of confetti, set against orchestral cinematic music. Argentine singer Lali Espósito sang the national anthem while Egyptian mezzo-soprano Farrah Eldibany performed La Marseillaise for France.

• 6. Post-Match Celebrations And Reactions

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  Celebrations erupted across Argentina, especially in Buenos Aires and Rosario, Messi's hometown. On the 20th of December, crowds estimated at over four million people gathered in Buenos Aires streets. The team had to be airlifted by helicopter out of their bus due to the massive crowd size. In France, riots erupted in cities including Paris, Lyon, and Nice. These disturbances resembled those after their 2018 victory and earlier wins against England and Morocco. Some French players like Kingsley Coman, Randal Kolo Muani, and Aurélien Tchouaméni faced racial abuse online from their own fans. The French Football Federation lodged a formal complaint against Emiliano Martínez for unsporting behavior. This included incidents such as a sarcastic prayer for silence directed at Mbappé in the locker room. Photos showed Martínez holding and laughing at a toy with a facial cutout of Mbappé's face during the victory parade. Despite these controversies, Argentina won their third World Cup title, surpassing France and Uruguay. They became the first South American side to win since Brazil in 2002. It was also the first time a reigning Copa América winner won the World Cup.