Doha:  Lusail Stadium witnessed on Sunday evening the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, the first-ever edition in the Arab world, with an exciting final between Argentina and France played in the presence of more than 88,000 fans, at the end of which the Albiceleste claimed the title for the third time in their history. In the final which coincided with the National Day celebrations of the State of Qatar, Messi and his comrades won the trophy by defeating France on penalties 4-2, after a marathon match that saw a 3-3 stalemate at the end of extra time. Argentina thus returned to the podium to lift the title after an absence of more than 36 years, following their last triumph under the leadership of the legendary Diego Maradona in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. The start of the match was preceded by a brief closing ceremony, with the participation of the artists Davido, Aisha, Manal, Balqees, Rahma Riad, Ozuna, GIMS, and Nora Fatehi, who performed songs from the official album of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, along with the lighting of 32 balls resembling planets decorated with the flags of the teams that participated in the tournament. The ceremony included the recital by two Arab poets, Tamim Al-Barghouti and Mohamed Ould Bemba, on the spirit of football which was seen in the tournament, and how football is an alternative world where equality exists, with no differences between the competitors, and privileges distributed among everyone equally. Those words were also a reflection of Qatar and its work to overcome the challenges it faced in order to organise an exceptional event such as the World Cup, and shed light on Qatar's determination, with the support of people from the Arab world and elsewhere, to have the right to organise the global event, without double standards or changing criteria in judgment. The poets illustrated their sentiment by referring to the verses of Imam Al-Shafi’i in which he speaks of 'the eye of approval' that is blind to all its flaws, while the 'eye of disapproval' seeks them out. The paragraph concluded with words from the poem of the founder of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, may God have mercy on him, who was buried in the city of Lusail - the venue of the World Cup final - with his selected verses about unbending determination, regardless of the difficulties and challenges that one may have to face. His Excellency Mr. Hassan Al-Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, and Chairman of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, said: “Qatar is proud to host a historic and unforgettable edition of the FIFA World Cup. This tournament has been a source of inspiration for billions of people across our Arab world, the Middle East and the entire world. We have succeeded in bridging the gap between East and West through football, and showcased the best of our culture, heritage and customs, and the positive impact of hosting this wonderful tournament, on the social, cultural, economic and environmental levels, will remain tangible for decades to come.” Engineer Yasser El-Jamal, Director General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, said: “It has been an amazing journey, not limited to the last 29 days of competitions; our journey with this tournament began twelve years ago. We pledged to the world in 2010 to host an amazing edition of the FIFA World Cup, and indeed we succeeded in an impressive way, thanks to outstanding planning and cooperation with our partners in Qatar and the world, and we provided an exceptional experience for fans, with seamless transportation, as we organized the most accessible and compact edition in the history of the tournament. I thank all our employees and partners for their efforts to organize this exceptional edition of the FIFA World Cup.” For his part, Mr. Nasser Al-Khater, CEO of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, said: “When fans around the world think of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, they will remember the exciting events on the pitch of this stadium, and the other seven stadiums, and the amazing experience lived by the fans of the tournament, which will remain immortal in their memories, no doubt. We fulfilled our mission to host a global carnival of the most popular sport on the planet, a festival where fans were united by their common passion for football.” He added: “We are proud to host the most compact and creative edition of the FIFA World Cup, and the most family-friendly in the history of the tournament, which will leave a sustainable legacy in Qatar, the region and the world. This tournament has set new standards for hosting major events in the future, and everyone who has played a role in organising it, over the past 12 years, can be proud of what they have achieved in preparing for this historic edition of the FIFA World Cup.” The final of the tournament was the 64th match of the historic event that kicked off at Al Bayt Stadium on November 20, with the official figures for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 revealing the sale of more than 3.4 million tickets in total for the 64 matches, which were hosted by eight world-class stadiums, all of which are located within a distance of no more than one hour from the centre of the Qatari capital, Doha. Qatar thus succeeded in hosting the most compact edition in the history of the World Cup, since the first tournament in 1930, with fans having the opportunity to attend more than one match in one day during the first stages of the competition. In total, the country received more than 1.4 million visitors over 29 days. In addition to attending matches in the World Cup stadiums, fans enjoyed a variety of entertainment activities at many locations across the country, including the FIFA Fan Festival in Al Bidda Park in Doha, which welcomed nearly 2 million fans throughout the tournament; the Doha Corniche, and the areas surrounding the stadiums. The tourist attractions in Qatar were also a destination for fans from everywhere to celebrate together their common passion for football and to learn about diverse cultures from around the world in a unique atmosphere.