Guillermo Luis Nicolas
A year ago, the Lusail Stadium hosted the final match of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. After a close 120 minutes’ game and a nerve-shredding round of penalties, Argentina got to celebrate its third title.
Described as the best World Cup ever by most of the people, the 22nd edition of the competition, since the original one played 1930, represents more than a third star now embroidered close to our hearts.
Just to name a few remarks, the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup was the first of its kind to be played in an Arab country and in this region. Other notorious milestones achieved during this last edition were the setting of the highest-scoring record ever, with 172 goals scored, and being the most compact edition since the first World Cup, held in 1930.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi lifts the World Cup trophy during the Qatar 2022 World Cup trophy ceremony after the football final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, on December 18, 2022.
For Argentina, the road to Qatar 2022 began with the CONMEBOL qualifiers. Our country earned its place by mid November 2021 and then got to know its initial opponents during the draw, held in Doha in April 2022. As part of the preparations, our team selected Qatar University as their home and training facility. Looking back, it’s clear now that having both accommodation and practice pitch in the same place was a tremendous advantage.
On November 20, 2022, the biggest event in sports worldwide kicked off in Al Khor, with a spectacular opening ceremony. Only a few days after the initial match, where Qatar played Ecuador, our country faced its first rival. I must admit that the shock of not winning the first game gave me and my countrymen a very uncomfortable sensation. But we trusted our players. And we trusted our fans even more.
Over 45.000 Argentines came to Qatar during the tournament. The light blue and white vertical stripes of the traditional Argentine jersey were spotted in every corner of the country. And plenty of my nationals coming to Doha did so by travelling with our national airline, Aerolineas Argentina.
During the entire duration of the tournament our flag carrier operated more than a dozen flights that landed on Hamad International Airport. As part of the Consular Assistance Services provided by the Embassy, in coordination with our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other Argentine Embassies and Consular offices around the world, our staff deployed several parties in order to assist our incoming nationals. The scheme was also replicated at the stadiums and mayor touristic areas, with both our Embassy and our desk at the International Consular Service Center at DECC working as our headquarters.
But in addition to the nationals that arrived to Doha from my country, the support for our national team was even greater. Just by walking by any streets of Lusail, by taking the metro or when visiting any of the great shopping malls present all over Doha, you could always see someone wearing our jersey. Several nationals from the most diverse parts of the world proudly wore our colors and cheered for our team.
The images that I just described were not only showcased here in Doha, or even in the cities back home. The support for my country seemed worldwide. Supporters in Bangladesh, China, India, Pakistan and many other countries contributed to create a perfect atmosphere in a global scale.
The presence of the Argentines was, to say the least, felt in Qatar. The gatherings of fans singing to the rhythm of “Muchachos”, the flags being waived and the eternal “vamos vamos…” being sung, provided our share of emotions to the ongoing celebrations. But this presence did not only last until the end of the tournament. It also endured once finished.
As one of many legacies that the attendance of Argentines left in Qatar, we can now enjoy the establishment of the Argentine Neighborhood, located in one of the Barwa residential complexes. After thousands and thousands of Argentines left the compound, the ambient created inspired the Group to rename the area as an homage to the champions.
Another cultural milestone that I always reflect upon is the fact that, from now on, a new word has been adopted by every Argentine when speaking about football… and we do speak a lot about it. That word is Qatar. Until recently, when talking about the accomplishments of our national team, every one of us used to repeatedly name two countries: Argentina and Mexico. We got our first star back in 1978 when hosting the tournament, and our second title came in 1986, after witnessing the magical talent displayed by the late Diego Armando Maradona in Mexico. Now, when talking about Argentina ’78 and Mexico ’86, we’ve proudly added Qatar 2022 to our record.
One year has passed since Messi lift the cup while wearing the traditional Bisht. One year since thousands of Argentines came to Doha and celebrated through the streets of Lusail.
On this occasion I would like to wish the State of Qatar a Happy National Day and to convey my gratitude and congratulations to Amir of the State of Qatar, H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, for delivering the best world cup ever and for the shared legacy left for generations to come.
