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Close to a whopping 1.5 billion people watched the exciting 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France, FIFA has announced.
Argentina and France went head-to-head in the final of the 2022 World Cup at the Lusail Iconic Stadium on 18 December. Goals from Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria put La Albiceleste in the driving seat before Kylian Mbappe netted a tidy brace to push the game into extra time. Messi struck again in extra time only to see it canceled by Paris Saint-Germain teammate Mbappe’s penalty.
With the scoreline firmly poised at 3-3 at the end of extra time, the match went to penalties. Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez stopped Kingsley Coman’s effort before Aurelien Tchouameni failed to hit the target. Argentina put away all of their penalties to secure a 4-2 victory.
It was one of the most exhilarating World Cup finals in history, and according to FIFA, close to 1.5 billion people watched it unravel across the globe. A staggering 88,966 lucky spectators watched the drama from close quarters at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
As per FIFA, five billion people engaged in the grand spectacle over the course of the tournament. According to data from Nielsen, 93.6 million posts related to the 2022 World Cup dropped on social media, attaining a 262 billion cumulative reach and drawing 5.95 billion engagements.
A record 172 goals were scored at the tournament in Qatar, while 3.4 million spectators attended the picture-perfect Qatari stadiums. The event welcomed 400,000 more viewers than it did in 2018.
Cristian Romero reveals why he celebrated in Kylian Mbappe’s face in the 2022 World Cup final
Tensions were at an all-time high during the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France at the Lusail Iconic Stadium. There were stunning individual displays, brilliant goals, and an abundance of drama.
Argentine defender Cristian Romero and French superstar Kylian Mbappe were caught sharing one dramatic moment, which has made plenty of headlines since the clash in Qatar. The Tottenham Hotspur centre-back was pictured celebrating wildly in Mbappe’s face after Messi fired La Albiceleste in front in the 108th minute.
Speaking to DSports Radio, Romero revealed why he reacted the way he did. The defender admitted that it was to teach Mbappe a lesson after he supposedly insulted Enzo Fernandez.
“I yelled the goal in Mbappe's face, because Enzo (Fernández) had spoken with him and he treated him very badly.”
Mbappe reacted brilliantly to the celebration, however, calmly putting away his penalty to equalize for France for the second time in the 118th minute.
