The final of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 was held on December 18, local time. Argentina led by Lionel Messi defeated France in a penalty shootout and won the third Hercules Cup in Argentina's history.

 

 

Messi scored two goals in this match, setting two World Cup records. He not only became the first player to score in every stage from the group stage to the final, but also has the most World Cup appearances with 26.

In this year's World Cup, Messi scored 7 goals and gave 3 assists to win the Adidas Golden Ball.

 

Content source: CCTV news WeChat official account

Image source/Qatar World Cup official website

 

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is the twenty-second World Cup football tournament, the first in history to be held in Qatar and the Middle East and the second in Asia. In addition, it was the first World Cup to be held in the northern hemisphere in winter and the first to be hosted by a country that had never reached the World Cup finals.

As a global human celebration, the World Expo and the sport of football have been linked since early on.

 

Tournament sports with a long history

The predecessor of modern football originated from the ancient Chinese ball game "cuju", which was later transferred from China to Europe by the Arabs and gradually evolved into modern football. It began in England in 1900, when it was included in the official program of the Second Summer Olympic Games.

 

The appearance of football as a tournament sport competition at the World Expo dates back as far as the Expo 1900 Paris. Following entry can be found in its official catalog: 

All sports will be represented in Vincennes: Running, Football, Cricket, Bowls, Tennis, Golf, Gymnastics, Fencing, Gunnery, Archery, Polo, Yachting, etc...

 

《Expo 1900 Paris official catalog》，p251

 

 

At the entrance to the Palais des Beaux-Arts of the Expo 1900 Paris, stands the sculpture "the wounded football player".

 

《The Paris Exposition of 1900 : a vivid descriptive view and elaborate scenic presentation of the site, plan and exhibits》，p176

 

《Exposition universelle et internationale (1913)  Exhibition posters, Belgium -- Ghent》

 

Since then, the game has grown rapidly and the tradition of football matches as an event during the Expo has been carried on, as documented at the Expo 1915 San Francisco, the Expo 1933 Chicago, the Expo 1937 Paris, the Expo 1967 Montreal, the Expo 1968 San Antonio, and the Expo 1970 Osaka.

 

《Condensed facts concerning the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, 1915, celebrating the opening of the Panama Canal》

 

The Expo 1933 Chicago had the largest stadium at the time of the Expo

《Official book of the fair : an introduction to a Century of Progress International Exposition,Chicago June 1--November 1, 1933》，p85

 

Introduction of the tournament sports at the Expo 1933 Chicago

《Official guide book of the fair 1933》，p116

 

Schedule of events on June 11 during the Expo 1933 Chicago

《Official World fair weekly vol.1 No.7 1933》，p26

 

Expo 1937 Paris

《LIVRE D’OR Officiel》，p152

The first television set to broadcast the opening ceremony of the Expo 1939 New York and football games

 

Expo 1967 Montreal 

《1967 Montreal Official Guide》, p236

 

Expo 1968 San Antonio

《1968 San Antonio Official Guide》，p180

 

The award ceremony for the football tournament at the Expo 1970 Osaka

《Japan World Expo Commemorative Photo Album》，p19

 

Double "World" linkage, double the passion

The Expo 2010 Shanghai coincided with the opening of the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup. On the opening day, the Expo pavilion was filled with a football atmosphere, and fans from all over the world held events to share the football frenzy in the Expo Park.

Both the Expo 2010 Shanghai and the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup celebrated their "firsts" in 2010: the Expo 2010 Shanghai was the first comprehensive world exposition to be held in a developing country, and the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup was the first World Cup held on the African continent.

South Africa Pavilion at the Expo 2010 Shanghai

Due to the postponement of the event and the fact that it is a Gulf country with Qatar, Expo 2020 Dubai is also full of football atmosphere.

During the Expo 2020 Dubai in January 2022, the Expo organizers also invited the world stars of Figo, Materazzi, Kuranyi, Salgado, Evra, Sagna, Nasri and other stars to play a football match against Arab stars to celebrate the Expo.

Seminars offered by organizations such as the Italian Olympic Federation, the AC Milan Academy or the Australian Football Federation were also held during the Expo 2020 Dubai , inviting visitors to explore the world of sports in depth.

The charm of football, as CCTV's He Wei explained: "Why do we love the sport of football? Because it not only shows the inspirational struggle stories of the players, but also holds the heroic dreams of our ordinary people in their ordinary lives."

"I hope tonight's insights can help you face the real life tomorrow morning after you push open the door, which is the real charm of this sport. I love football!"