'A Night to Remember:' Qatar's 2022 World Cup ends with glittering ceremony

Tens of thousands of soccer fans wearing French and Argentinian colours gathered at Doha's Lusail stadium on Sunday where the 2022 World Cup ends with a dream-like scenario for Qatar: a showdown between Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, both stars of Doha-owned Paris St Germain.

The throngs overcrowded Doha's metro with Qatar Rail delaying access to the stations as a modest closing ceremony kicked off inside the stadium with dancers celebrating "A Night to Remember." Thirty minutes before kick off, the stadium appeared three-quarters full.

The crowd watched Qatar's air force planes flying over Lusail as the Gulf state also celebrated its national day, with thousands of police forces, including anti-riot units armed with water canons, securing the area.

After 63 matches, the World Cup in Qatar comes to a close with reigning champions France taking on Argentina in a showpiece final with both teams looking to add a third star to their crest. France's Mbappe and Argentina's Messi, both playing for the Qatari-owned club, are also a reminder of Qatar's influence on global soccer beyond the Fifa World Cup organisation.

"Our parents talked to us about Maradona, and we will talk to our sons about Messi ... We hope that we will win the cup, and we can celebrate with him and all the people in Argentina," said Nicolas Gomez, a fan from Argentina.

Thousands also gathered outside the stadium to watch the game on giant screens: "We have no tickets. We are here for the national day and because the players might come out after the finish. We wanted to just see them,” said Shafeek Mydheea, a tourist from Dubai standing in front of two rows of riot police outside Lusail metro station.

Reuters