"This is the best organized World Cup so far," triumphantly concluded Gianni Infantino, president of the International Football Federation (FIFA), two days before the World Cup final in Qatar, which gave us... everything.
The first World Cup organized in an Arab country and the first World Cup played in late autumn, were accompanied by many controversies off the field, but everything remained in a state of flux after a month of games and one of the best finals - some say the best - in more than 90 years the long history of the competition.
Argentina, led by the tournament's best player and captain Lionel Messi, defeated France on penalties in a thrilling match at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar.
Quality football, tense matches with many goals, surprises and even sensations, a noisy and cheerful atmosphere in the cooled stands, too long referee compensation are just some of the things that will make the World Cup in Qatar long remembered.
The only thing missing were goals from free kicks.
It is not impossible that a future World Cup will be held again in autumn or winter, judging by Infantino's statements, and it is known that as many as 2026 national teams will participate in the first one next year, in 48, which will be hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico, which is a quarter of FIFA members.
The competition in Qatar will also be remembered for the fact that it was the first time that women were referees, so Stephanie Frapard from France was the first in the role of the main arbiter.
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32 teams traveled to hot Qatar and 64 games were played with 172 goals scored.
The best scorer of the World Cup is the French goalscorer Kylian Mbappe with eight goals, the best young footballer is the 21-year-old Argentine Enzo Fernandez, while his teammate and Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has the golden glove - who tainted the recognition with an unsportsmanlike gesture.
The captain and living legend of the Argentine national team, Lionel Messi, said goodbye to the national team jersey with the only trophy he was missing from his packed showcase - Goldenom Goddessom, as well as recognition for the best player of the tournament.
The third place was taken by the national team of Croatia, defeating Morocco in the battle for bronze 2:1.
Serbia was eliminated in the group stage of the competition, winning only one point, with four goals scored.
Gauchos happier than the Tricolor
The World Cup in Qatar ended with a spectacular duel between Argentina and France at the Lusail stadium, in the Qatari settlement of the same name, where both teams fought for the third title of world champion.
However, Lionel Scaloni's team got on the podium, which was their last success behind the leg 36 years ago at the championship in Mexico.
Argentina led 2:0 in the regular part of the match, with goals from captain Messi and experienced attacker Di Maria, but Mbappe restored hope to the French, scoring two goals in two minutes - the first from the penalty spot, the next with a spectacular volley.
Extra time followed, where Messi again brought the Argentine national team into the lead, but Mbappe created drama on the field with the third goal.
Mbappe thus equaled the record of Jeff Hurst, the only footballer who managed to score three goals in a World Cup final, which was back in 1966 in the match between England and Germany.
However, not even the hat-trick of the XNUMX-year-old PSG striker helped his team, nor did the opponent give up.
Argentina celebrated after the penalty shootout, which they won 4:2.
This is how Messi completed his rich career in the last game for the national team, as he had previously announced.
"Everything I experienced at this World Cup was emotional, seeing how much they enjoyed and rejoiced in Argentina.
"There are many years between this and the next championship, and I don't believe that I will be able (to play). To finish in this way is brilliant," said Messi before the final.
The 35-year-old football virtuoso joined the Argentine goalscorer Mario Kempes, who with the Argentine national team was the world champion on home soil in 1978, and the legendary Diego Maradona, who, with the controversial goal of the hand of God, led the Gauchos to the second world throne.
Argentinian captain and player of French PSG, made his debut for the national team at the age of 18 - in 2005 and scored 98 goals in 172 games.
Last year he won the Copa America, and in 2008 he won the Olympic gold in Beijing.
He won the Ballon d'Or a record seven times, an award that is given every year to the best player in the world, while in four times was the club champion of Europe with Barcelona, along with 11 championship club titles.
French coach Didier Deschamps failed to defend the title from Russia four years ago, which had previously only been accomplished by Italy in 1938 and Brazil in 1962.
From the most politicized to the best World Cup ever held
Before the World Cup in Qatar, the football euphoria was often covered by political dust, which largely continued during the tournament.
Many politicians and non-governmental organizations criticized this country for not respecting human and labor rights in the country, and months before the start of the tournament, the competition was characterized as the most controversial World Cup so far.
The target of criticism was the discriminatory statement of former Qatar international and World Cup ambassador Khalid Salman, who described homosexuality as "haram (sin)", i.e. "mental impairment".
Speaking about homosexuals, he said in an interview for the German television station ZDF that he was "the most important thing is that they accept to come, but that they will have to respect their rules".
The organizers of the World Cup claimed that "everyone is welcome" to visit the country and watch the matches, and they emphasized that no one will be discriminated against.
Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar as it is considered immoral under Islamic Sharia law, and same-sex relations are punishable by even death.
In addition to non-governmental organizations and politicians, individual players and associations also reacted.
That's right Denmark in protest at the World Cup, she played in jerseys with a "barely visible crest", while the captains of ten other national teams, such as England, France and Germany, announced that they would wear a ribbon with rainbow colors and an inscription "OneLove" (Jone love).
However, FIFA announced right before the start of the World Cup that captains who dare to make such a gesture will receive yellow card before the start of the match.
However, several players of the German national team, among them the captain and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, found a way to circumvent the regulations, and to be in rainbow colors on the pitches in Qatar. carrying them on his football boots.
In addition to supporting LGBT people, there were other acts of solidarity on the field during the championship itself.
Just before the referee's whistle for the start of the match between England and Iran, the footballers of the European team knelt and thus performed the anti-racist gesture they have been practicing since the death of the African-American George Floyd in 2020, while the Iranian players refused to sing the national anthem, sending their support to the protesters in their own country.
There were also fans who invaded the field with the aim of conveying a political message - one with Palestinian, and another with a rainbow flag, an LGBT symbol and a T-shirt that said "Save Ukraine" and "Respect for the Women of Iran".
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The World Cup in Qatar was also criticized for the poor treatment of 30.000 workers from other Asian countries who were engaged in the construction of the stadium and supporting infrastructure.
Prema allegations organization for the protection of human rights, the workers lived in poor conditions, their passports were confiscated and they were not paid wages.
In last year's report by the London Guardian, it was written that since Qatar was chosen as the host of the World Cup in 2010, 6.500 workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have died in the country.
Qatari authorities claim that 2014 foreign workers died between 2020 and 37, three of them at work.
Two more seasonal workers from Kenya and the Philippines died during the tournament.
However, officials claim that the tournament ended without major excesses, both on the field and in the stands.
"Thanks to everyone who was involved, Qatar, all the volunteers, to make this the best World Cup ever held," He said Gianni Infantino, FIFA President.
He added that the atmosphere was "cheerful" and that "the matches were played without incident".
The British media emphasized that this is the first World Cup in history during which not a single England fan was detained.
At the press conference before the duels for third place and the final, Infantino said that the matches were attended by 3,27 million people, which is a few tens of thousands of spectators less than the World Cup in Russia 2018.
Lions of the Atlas
The Moroccan national team is probably the biggest sensation of this year's World Cup.
The combative and temperamental footballers of the African country won a lot of sympathy already in the group stage of the competition with their good play, finishing in first place, undefeated.
They opened the tournament with a goalless draw against Croatia, and then beat the favored Belgium and Canada, leaving them at the bottom of the table.
The 2:0 triumph over Belgium was the first victory of the Atlas Lions, as this African national team is nicknamed, since the World Cup in France in 1998.
The goals were scored by Zakaria Abuklal and captain Roman Sais, who while playing for England's Wolverhampton earned the nickname "Moroccan Maldini", both born in the diaspora in Europe, as well as many of their colleagues from the national team led by Walid Regragi.
The coach of Morocco replaced Vahid Halihodžić at that position, who actually led them to the World Cup, but was allegedly replaced because clash with the team's star, Hakim Ziješ, Chelsea striker and scorer of one of the goals against Canada in the group (2:1).
Two magical matches followed for the soccer epic of Morocco, the 22nd national team in the FIFA ranking, for which this is the sixth World Cup participation.
In the round of 11, the Spaniards, the former world champions, fell on penalties, and the decisive goal from XNUMX meters was scored by Ashraf Hakimi, the former right back of Real Madrid, who was born in this city.
He celebrated the victory by hugging and kissing his mother in the stands of the Educational City Stadium in El Rayan, which was also done by coach Regragi.
Similar scenes were seen after the historic 1:0 quarter-final victory over Portugal, and Sofian Bufal invited his mother to the field, where they danced to celebrate the incredible success.
The tricolors did not allow another surprise in the semi-finals and with a 2:0 victory, they stopped the magnificent soccer sailing of the Moroccans.
The Atlas Lions played their last match against the rivals with whom the World Cup saga began, but the Croats won 2:1 in the battle for bronze.
"I'm disappointed with the second defeat in a row, we did everything we could. However, I am happy because we reached fourth place at the World Cup.
"We wanted to bring more joy to our fans. We will learn something from this, and we will come to the next World Cup even stronger," said Regragi after the match.
Although defeated, Morocco secured a place in football history because it is the first Arab and African team that managed to be among the four best teams in the world.
Folding stadiums
Since the summer temperatures in Qatar exceed 40 degrees Celsius in the summer, it was agreed that the event will be held on the eve of winter, when the climatic conditions are slightly more favorable.
In order to provide even better conditions, the organizers equipped the stadiums with advanced cooling technology that provides more pleasant conditions for the game, as well as cheering, creating "cooler air balloon" with temperatures between 18 and 24 degrees Celsius.
The matches of the second World Cup on the soil of Asia were played in only eight stadiums, in five places in Qatar, a small Arab country whose shores are washed by the waters of the Persian Gulf.
The only football arena that was not built for the needs of the World Cup is the Khalifa International Stadium, the oldest in Qatar, opened in 1976 in El Rayan.
It is the home of the Arab country's national football team, and it is where Croatia defeated Morocco in the battle for the bronze medal.
In El Rayan there are also Ahmad bin Ali, more popular Desert Gate, Educational city stadium, respectively Desert diamond.
The capacities of both stadiums are about 45.000 seats, while after the World Cup the upper levels will be dismantled, the seats will be donated to other sports facilities in Qatar or developing countries, and the number of seats will be halved.
A similar fate will befall the other newly built arenas - the second largest El Bayt stadium, followed by El Janub and El Tumamu, whose capacities will also be almost doubled, and the seats will be donated.
The final was played at the largest stadium in Qatar - Lusail, 20 kilometers from the capital Doha, whose capacity is 88.966 seats.
This World Cup is also revolutionary because of the first temporary stadium in the history of world football championships.
It is about the so-called 974 stadium, which got its name from the international calling number of this Arab country and the number of containers that were used in its construction.
It is currently being dismantled and it is not yet known exactly where it could end up, but it is he mentions Uruguay as one of the options which is supposed to be a candidate with several other South American countries to host the 2030 World Cup.
Before the competition, FIFA announced that the World Cup will be held in Qatar "carbon neutral", while environmentalists assessed these claims as "dangerous" saying that they "mislead the public" and that the tournament could have a "three times larger carbon footprint than announced".
"Partially full stands of crazy fans"
The World Cup in Qatar will be remembered for the cheerful pictures from the stands and the festival atmosphere that prevailed at some matches.
Supporters' songs were roaring, the sound of drums and other instruments rang out, the stands became colorful, and the visitors danced and rejoiced.
In this, the fans of the national teams of Brazil, Morocco, but above all Argentina were leading the way.
When the Gauchos played, at times it seemed as if it was a carnival, not a football match.
One of the songs that echoed in stadiums across Qatar during their matches was Muchachos, ahora nos volvimos a illusionar by the group La Moscas, which begins with the lyrics "I was born in Argentina, the land of Diego (Maradona) and Lionel (Messiah)".
In addition to the fans, the unofficial anthem of the Argentine national team was also sung by the football players in the dressing rooms after the victories over their rivals on the way to the world throne.
According to the reports of the Agence France-Presse and the Argentine Embassy in Doha, before the semi-finals, between 35.000 and 40.000 Argentines.
"Let's use these moments with the people who are here and in Argentina, where everyone is euphoric," said national team captain Lionel Messi at the time.
The creativity of the fans of all national teams was not lacking, so some of them came to the matches in national costumes, and there were also those who wore traditional Qatari clothes in the colors of their national team.
Also, some visitors did not hesitate to show good manners and habits, such as the Japanese who first cleaned up the Germans on the field, with a score of 2:1 in the first round of the group stage, and then garbage from the stadium, before they celebrated the victory.
However, empty seats could often be seen in the stands, and there were claims of alleged "fake fans" on the streets of Doha.
BBC investigated this phenomenon and found that "passionate fans from several countries were given free flights and accommodation in exchange for positive comments about the tournament on social networks, as well as being asked to like and share other material on the Internet".
Big numbers on the scoreboards of the fourth official
In addition to being "the greenest, the most politicized and the best", this World Cup could also bear the epithet "the longest" due to the large number of minutes in stoppage time.
The time played in stoppage time in the tournament corresponds to the duration of more than eight games.
This happened because FIFA tried to more precisely control the number of minutes during which matches were stopped in this competition.
Pierluigi Colina, president of the FIFA Referee Commission and a former referee, compared this year's World Cup in Qatar with the one in Russia 2018, where the average referee compensation lasted six and a half minutes.
As one of the reasons why the number of minutes in stoppage time is longer than four years ago, Kolina cites the number of changes.
Then the total number of (possible) substitutions on both sides was six, while now it is ten, to which, according to him, there is another minute of compensation.
"Thus, we went from seven and a half minutes to ten, which is not a dramatic change," Kolina pointed out.
"It's like when you go to a concert - you're happy and you ask for an encore from the singer.
"And I think it's important to offer good entertainment to spectators in stadiums and in front of small screens," he concluded the former best referee in the world.
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