LUSAIL, Qatar –

Wow. Wow. Wow, times 1000. My heart is beating at 180 pulses a minute and I am still trying to wrap my head around what my eyes have seen. There is no Hollywood script that could ever match what unfolded in the FIFA World Cup 2022 final between Argentina and France on Sunday. The thriller was a nail-biter all the way to the end, culminating with the happy ending that had become a global consensus: Argentina is the fresh champion; Lionel Messi is the new GOAT.

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This was undoubtedly the best soccer match ever; the best World Cup final one could imagine. Two superstars Kylian Mbappé and Messi in a game that would surely be talked about for years to come. Countless upsets that defied any logic, with fans rooting like mad from the bleachers and billions watching at home – and everyone in disbelief. The tension,  closing the 2-goal gap, the joy turning to despair and vice versa, and the prayers – wow, there were prayers heard all across the globe and they were mostly directed at one person, who may be only 5 feet tall but is also a one-in-a-lifetime magician who got the official certification on Sunday that he is number one.

Nothing could have prepared us for the drama that we saw over the 120-plus minutes of the game. It was basically dominated by one side for 80 minutes; it was almost boring, with Argentina scoring two goals, first by Messi and then by Ángel Di María. The Albiceleste fans in the stands continued with their enthusiastic singing that has become such a part of the team's experience over the past month whenever their team played – you could hear them on the streets of Doha, on the subway system, and on the way to the stadiums and of course in the stadium, whose fans were almost without exception dressed in sky-blue and white; only a few pockets of fans wearing the tricolor were noticeable.

Then came the successor, Mbappé, and in what was a stellar personal drive managed to score two equalizers in one minute. The Argentina fans thought they were going to collapse; the French were ecstatic. Even when the match dragged into stoppage time and then extra time, the tit-for-tat continued, with Mbappé once again equalizing after Messi – in his seventh goal this tournament – brought Argentina to a short-lived one-goal advantage. Mbappé's Hanukkah miracle, on the first night of the holiday, resulted in this crazy match reaching a point that is inherently not suitable when it comes to determining which of the best two national teams should win.

Then when the penalty kicks began, it was only Argentina that dominated, mainly thanks to the great performance of its goalie Emiliano Martínez. The man who managed to save them from defeat in the penalty shootout against the Netherlands did it again and then burst into tears. All the Argentinian players cried with him, as did the thousands in the stand who had waited 36 years for this moment. The only person who did not shed a tear was Messi, who in this tournament showed different traits: leadership, maturity, and as someone who could finally fill Diego Maradona's shoes and take with him 40 million of his compatriots all the way to the holy grail.

The French players, who came back from the dead, looked like a train wreck at the end. They were so close to grabbing another championship, the second in a row. Ultimately, despite Mbappé's amazing game (he so desperately wanted to have the trophy for his birthday this week), no one is going to remember their performance in this World Cup. What will linger is the fact that Argentina won its third World Cup and the jubilation that will follow, as this soccer-obsessed nation celebrates for many days to come to distract from the many problems.

The joy on the pitch continue well after the game was over. Messi swung the cup wearing the black and gold gilded robe he got from the Qatar emir, and then ran off to hug his wife and kids. One picture of the Messi family, speaking and smiling caught my eye. Every other player would have been overcome with emotion at this moment, but Messi – who lives in his own universe, was cool as a cucumber as if he was enjoying a family picnic that just happened to coincide with him holding the most prized trophy in the world.

The Argentinian fans who could not get enough of the celebrations inside the stadium continued partying outside the venue all through the capital city of Doha, which had live-performance stages dotting the entire metropolis. But nothing could upstage the best show in town: the throngs of Argentinians having the time of their lives. Their solidarity with their national team, which started well before the match began, dragged on and on for hours upon hours after the final whistle had been blown, and will surely continue until the team touches down in Buenos Aires.

The world-class performance we saw in the final was a proper final note for a fantastic World Cup with superb quality on display throughout. Yes, this was a treacherous and tainted road – from having to move the tournament to the winter to the thousands of dead construction works and the prohibition of alcohol and protesting anti-LBGT law- but as far as the soccer that was on display, the past month brought the most popular game in the world to new heights. It is doubtful that we will get to see such games in the near future.

As far as Qatar is concerned, that is all that matters. It ran a smooth and impressive tournament, which is no small feat for such a tiny country that had never hosted events of such magnitude. The effort the rulers took in making sure this was a success is seen in every corner, not just in the games, but on the streets as well. Qatar showed the world a smiling face, which was only marred occasionally by political demonstrations (mainly from Morocco's team). It also had the good luck of having the best two teams reach the final, with its two crown jewels of Messi and Mbappé – both play in the Qatari-owned team Paris Saint-Germain F.C. It essentially proved that there is nothing money can't buy.

Starting Monday, Qatar will once again be what is used to be: a rich sheikhdom that is both religious and conservative. But anyone who has had the chance of visiting it over the past several weeks will never forget the magic that was part of this tournament, and especially the final: a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is almost supernatural. Perhaps the only thing one can say is, Thank you. Thank you for having the privilege of seeing this match, these players, and being part of an event that most likely won't be replicated in the future.

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Crowds in Paris and other French cities erupted in shouts of joy as France advanced to the World Cup final Wednesday, while disappointed Morocco fans mingled with the exuberant supporters of the winning team, paying tribute to the African country's unprecedented achievement.

Football fans streamed to the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, shooting off firecrackers and red flares, to an unending chorus of honking cars. On the famous avenue, many were brandishing French flags and singing "we are in the final." Some Moroccan fans, wrapped in the North African country's flag, also cheered their team in the streets of the French capital.

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France beat Morocco 2-0 to reach the World Cup final against Argentina, in a historic match between the defending champion and Africa's first ever semifinalist.

Supporters from both teams gathered in bars from the boulevards of Paris to the streets of Morocco's capital Rabat, from the cosmopolitan French Riviera city of Nice to the historic Moroccan city of Marrakech. Celebrating the victory near the Bastille square, in central Paris, Adrien Vignau, a 22-year-old Parisian, praised a "great victory for France" and said he was looking forward to the final against Argentina and its star player, Lionel Messi.

"Bravo to Moroccans," said Parisian Corentin Voiseux. "Tonight it's not only France that wins but all of the French-speaking people. ... We are together and Moroccans will be with us at the final," he added. In central Madrid, fans celebrated on Sol Square after the match, some with red Moroccan flags draped on their shoulders, jumping up and down, and some wearing the French tricolor.

In Belgium, scuffles briefly broke out in Brussels after the game and authorities countered with water cannon and teargas after they were targeted. One and a half hours later, a tense calm had returned. Media reports spoke of 40 detentions. There also was some unrest in northern Antwerp. In Paris, riot police vans lined the broad thoroughfare and the base of the imposing Arc de Triomphe, and white-helmeted officers roamed the crowd on the Champs-Elysees. Minor incidents briefly broke out, leading officers to occasionally use teargas to move the crowd away.

Despite their sadness, Moroccan fans expressed pride in their team, highlighting the history-making moment this game represented. A Rabat resident, Fatima Zahra Attaq said that she was "a bit sad, but this is football. ... After all, they gave their best and made us proud to reach this stage of the competition."

"The national team made us dream," said Reda Hakam, also working in Rabat. "The dream is now over. I am not sad. I am actually very proud." Kenza El Amrani said that "I think Moroccans should wipe the tears off their faces and cheer for this team." Those who attended the game in Qatar also paid tribute to the performance and fighting spirit of the African team.

"Morocco played with their hearts," said Ayaz Dhrolia, a fan from Canada whose face was painted in Morocco colors as he left Doha's Al Bayt Stadium. "They won the hearts of millions and millions of people around the world, well appreciated. Thanks, Morocco."

Youssra Zhhata, a Moroccan woman who was at the game, stressed that "they made it to the semifinals and that's an accomplishment. ... And we had Africans, Arabs, everyone supporting us."

Morocco was under French rule from 1912-56, giving the match political and emotional resonance for both nations. Morocco has exceeded all expectations in Qatar by beating second-ranked Belgium in the group stage and then eliminating European powerhouses Spain and Portugal in the knockout phase to reach the semifinals.

In Gaza, Palestinians who thronged cafes and outdoor large screens expressed disappointment at Morocco's loss. "All of Gaza is now sad for this result. We were hoping they would win," said Wael al-Riffi, a Gaza resident, as he held Morocco's flag. The Palestinians felt empathy from the Moroccan national team as players held the Palestinian flag several times at the World Cup.

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It is doubtful whether in his wildest dreams, the founder of the FIFA World Cup, Jules Rimet, would have been able to envisage a soccer tournament becoming a global wrestling ring and a litmus test to examine the phenomenon of global migration that has permeated the national teams. While in 1930, the players in the European teams taking part in the competition were almost all the children of native parents born in these various countries, in the aftermath of World War II, things changed drastically and the uniform nationality that had characterized most of the nation states was transformed, with an almost immediate impact on the world of soccer. Now, for the first time, the question of whom the local national side represents began to emerge.

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Today, the national teams include a number of national ethnic minorities or immigrants who have come to reside in Western countries, and particularly in Europe.

Soccer, which has always enabled social mobility, gave expression to a variety of national and ethnic minorities, alongside immigrants and their children, seeking to settle in their new environment. Thus, immigrants who regarded soccer as their entry ticket to the society into which they had immigrated, also began to enter the national teams.

Post-World War II Europe became a melting pot of local refugees looking for a safe place to hang their hat, following the wholesale destruction it had suffered. Thus, internal-European migration was also a part of the story of incorporating nationality that began in the national soccer squads.

Britain, which had ended its dominion over remote colonies, was now forced to take in immigrants into what had always been a geographically isolated island. "The empire on which the sun never sets" had to contend with the naturalization of large numbers of the subjects of those countries it had ruled over, which led to a change in the way that many viewed British nationalism. Although black players were not part of the English national team until the latter part of the twentieth century, English soccer was quick to adopt immigrants from its various former colonies.

Having said that, black players in the England national team have suffered and to this day still do suffer from numerous manifestations of racism, which English society may well have believed to have been a thing of the past. Now, we have a new ingredient to throw into the pot, Brexit, as a factor that once again has served to differentiate the English from Europe, reawakening the sense of local pride and national supremacy. "We won two World Wars and one World Cup" is the popular chant sung by English soccer fans at every large tournament, taunting the fans of the other teams.

Winning FIFA is no guarantee of Utopia                                                     

But England is clearly not alone on this. France too, which ruled over vast swathes of land in North and West Africa, took in large numbers of immigrants. The French national squad that won the 1998 World Cup was aptly termed the "Black-Blanc-Beur" (Black, White and Arab), a play on the trilogy of the French flag's colors, blue, white and red. This nickname was a genuine reflection of the ethnic integration created among the native-born French and the immigrants arriving from Africa after the French sought to amend the wrongs of their colonial rule. The 1998 national team, arguably more than any other, brought to the surface the question of "Who is French", and racists such as Jean-Marie Le Pen even claimed that "The players don't know the words of the national anthem."

This phenomenon, by the way, is still part of the France national team that will represent the French in Qatar. Many citizens there still refuse to regard them as "genuine French", even though this is a national team whose stars were born on French soil. For the various Arab communities in France, the Muslim or African stars in the side are the most important, often taking precedence over the context of the French team itself.

The Dutch national team is also divided up into various ethnic minorities. Holland's rule over Suriname led to the integration of immigrants of Surinamese origin or second-generation immigrants into the Dutch national team, such as Frank Rijkaard and Ruud Gullit, who led the team to win the UEFA European Football Championship in 1988. Nevertheless, reports of divisiveness in the Dutch changing room have become routine, with ethnic origin clearly being a cause of friction.

Two further processes that had a profound impact on European soccer are the fall of the Iron Curtain and the Balkan War. Players of Russian, Serbian, Croatian and Albanian origin currently play in European national sides, mainly from Western Europe. Thus, for example, the two Xhaka brothers, Taulant and Granit Xhaka, grew up in Switzerland to parents of ethnic Albanian origin who immigrated there from Kosovo in the nineties. Granit, who plays for Arsenal, will represent the Swiss national team at the current World Cup, while his brother Taulant has represented the Albanian national team in the past.

The most complex national team of all                                                         

In 1938, after its annexation of Austria, the German national team took part in the World Cup. It was made up of six German and five Austrian players in order to prevent internal-German wrangling. After World War II, West Germany initiated a move to bring thousands of Turkish refugees in an effort to implement the US Marshall Plan aimed at rebuilding the country, and thus avoid the fatal mistake made at the Treaty of Versailles at the end of World War II, which imposed unbearably heavy reparations on Germany at the time.

The next generation of Turkish immigrants began to play for the German national team, and this was followed by the African generation, completely shuffling the deck and changing the makeup of the national team, which also includes players of Polish origin, for example, helping it to shed its image of the boring national side, as the diverse racial blend has changed the very way they play the game. Though the national team might still be considered a popular and well-liked team amongst the Germans, in recent years racism and antisemitism have once again begun to haunt the Bundesliga, and many claim that this is merely a manifestation of a much broader social issue.

The question of nationality is currently assuming pride of place as we approach the World Cup games due to commence in Qatar this Sunday. It is also important to keep in mind the current political climate in which the games are to be played: the war between Russia and Ukraine, the mass social protests that have swept across Iran and the rise of right-wing governments in Europe. Soccer, as usual, will not only bring to the pitch the technical skills of its most talented players, but also the best seismograph for monitoring those processes and undercurrents currently affecting the world as a whole, and Europe in particular.

Will the upcoming games turn into fertile ground for various political activities – starting from social protest on the issue of human rights in Qatar, via support for the people of Iran and Ukraine, and on to an infinite number of internal issues that tend to crop up each time the referee blows the whistle and the game kicks off? For numerous leaders in Europe, the competition is a superb propaganda platform for showcasing their supremacy over other nations. During this tournament, we might get an answer to the thorny question of whether within the nation itself, in the Europe of 2022, everybody automatically stands behind the national team.

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Al-Qaida's regional branch urged Muslims around the world to shun the soccer World Cup in Qatar, though it stopped short of threatening attacks or promoting violence in connection with the event, according to a statement reported by a monitoring group.

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Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the militant group's Yemen-based branch, criticized Qatar for "bringing immoral people, homosexuals, sowers of corruption and atheism into the Arabian Peninsula" and said the event served to divert attention from the "occupation of Muslim countries and their oppression".

"We warn our Muslim brothers from following this event or attending it," said the statement, reported by the SITE Intelligence group on Saturday, a day before the tournament opens in a predominantly Muslim country for the first time.

World Cup organizers, in response to criticism over Qatar's human rights record including LGBT rights as well as social restrictions, have said that everyone, no matter their sexual orientation or background, is welcome during the event.

Qatar, a small country of some 3 million, mostly foreign workers, has said that it trained more than 50,000 people to provide security during the World Cup, with foreign forces helping out under Qatari command.

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