Bangladesh erupts in joy as Argentina win the World Cup

Argentina the great footballing nation are the World Champions again after a gap of 36 years. They won the tournament after beating France 4-2 on penalties after the World Cup final ended in a gripping 3-3 draw. This victory gave the living legend Lionel Messi the only trophy missing in his cabinet.

The final match was befitting of a tournament of this stature. The French were outgunned and outplayed for the first eighty minutes of the match. However, the defending world champions regrouped late in the second half with goals from Kylian Mbappe to take the match into extra time.

There was more drama in extra time as Messi scored again in the 108th minute only for Mbappe, Messi’s PSG teammate, to equalize again from the penalty spot with two minutes to go for the final whistle. It was in the penalty shootout, the first in a World Cup final since 2006, that Martinez played the decisive role, giving the football-mad Argentina their biggest victory since the Diego Maradona-led 1986 Mexico triumph.

The football World Cup is an event that is regarded as the Greatest Show on Earth. The tournament induces great passion in countries across the world. Even in countries that have little hope of winning the trophy in the near future the World Cup results in episode of agony and ecstasy. Football indeed is the most widely followed sport in the world.

Argentina wasn’t the only country delighted with the World Cup final result. Lionel Scaloni’s side also enjoyed a lot of support from Bangladesh. In fact this world cup has played a role in strengthening ties between Bangladesh and the Latin American nation. As a matter of fact it was during the tournament that news came that Argentina is mulling reopening their embassy in Dhaka.

Leandro E. Gabardi, Honorary Consul of Bangladesh in Argentina told the media recently “Today, I can assure you that in my country, the love and fanaticism that Bangladesh shares for us have been witnessed in a very visible way. Nowadays, every Argentine knows who Bangladesh is, and I dare to say, they are very grateful and fascinated with all of you.”

After every victory of their favourite team Bangladeshi fans of all ages came out on the streets and celebrated in style and with genuine passion.

The last edition of the FIFA World Cup was watched by 3.57 billion people around the world and is regarded as the most-watched sporting event, ever. The 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup is believed to have been watched by five billion people around the world. With the world’s population touching eight billion, attaining a viewership that caters to so many people is nothing short of a miracle.

This world cup was the most expensive in the event’s history. The stylish new stadiums cost more than $6.5 billion, as Qatar highlighted the Arabic tradition and culture through this. The total cost of hosting the Qatar world cup is reportedly around $220 billion. Never in the history of football has seen any country splurging such amount of money for any FIFA world cup. The 2014 Brazil cost $11.5 billion and the Russia 2018 about $14 billion.

The inaugural FIFA World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930 and started with 13 teams, including the host. From 1934 till 1978, each World Cup had 16 participants which were increased to 24 in 1982, and later to 32 in 1998. The FIFA World Cup 2022 will also feature the same format, but this would be the last time 32 teams would be lined up for the trophy since FIFA plans to increase the number of participants to 48 for the next edition.