Rarely has the hosting of a global tournament won so many converts virtually overnight. But the sheer majesty of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 did just that against all odds — topped by a never-before-seen pulsating final that simply took the breath away. 

The Amir of Qatar His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani’s tweet following the conclusion of the World Cup pretty much encapsulates the essence of what the mega event manifested. 

“Qatar has fulfilled its promise of delivering an exceptional tournament from the land of Arabs, providing the chance for peoples of the world to learn about the enriched and authentic Arab culture and values,” he tweeted. 

From the stunning state-of-the-art stadiums, a sophisticated organisation with an accent on seamless transportation, the all-round safety and security to the festive atmosphere, the warmth and hospitality of the locals, and the world-class events and activities it had everything that a fan could only have dreamt about. 

A recurring — and popular — declaration across the country, region and the world at large was that the Qatar edition was the best ever in the history of the tournament for sheer quality - a sentiment echoed by no less than FIFA President Giovanni Infantino in a presser. 

Talking of numbers, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 recorded an impressive attendance of 3,404,252 fans over 29 days - from November 20 to December 18.

 The final last Sunday at the electric Lusail Stadium, which saw Argentina put it across France 4-2 with a heart-stopping shootout to lift the trophy, was attended by 88,966 spectators. The attendance for the final match pushed the cumulative total for this FIFA World Cup to over 3.4 million spectators, with an average attendance capacity of 96.3%. 

It ranks only third in terms of attendance history. The US in 1994 tops the list with 3,587,538 fans, while Brazil in 2014 is second with a tally of 3,429,873. Fan attendance at the end of the group stage of Qatar 2022 was 2,457,059, while the Round of 16 was witnessed in the stadiums by 411,609 fans in eight matches. 

In the quarter-finals, 245,221 fans were present in the stadia - 43,893 in the Croatia-Brazil match at Education City Stadium; 44,198 in the Morocco-Portugal showdown at Al Thumama Stadium; 88,235 fans in The Netherlands-Argentina encounter at Lusail Stadium, and another 68,895 at the France-England rumble at Al Bayt Stadium. 

A total of 157,260 fans attended the semi-finals at Lusail and Al Bayt stadiums: the Argentina-Croatia clash saw an attendance of 88,966 fans, while the Morocco-France header at Al Bayt Stadium had 68,294 fans. 

The third-place play-off between Morocco and Croatia at Khalifa International Stadium was watched by 44,137 fans. Overall, the organisers estimate that more than 1.4 million fans from across the globe visited Qatar for the mega event. The Qatar edition also had television audiences around the world hooked in record numbers. 

For instance, the World Cup final set a new all-time record for viewership in France with an average of 24.1 million watching the humdinger. Earlier, in Japan, the group match between Japan and Costa Rica on November 27 drew an average audience of 36.37 million viewers. 

This surpassed the audience of their incredible comeback against Germany in the tournament opener by over 10 million - making it 74% higher than the average domestic group stage audience during the FIFA World Cup in 2018! But what took the cake in terms of fan convenience was how thousands of them were able to attend more than one match per day - the first time this has been made possible in modern World Cup history. 

The transportation won particular praise from all comers, with the Doha Metro, Lusail Tram, Mowasalat (Karwa) buses, multiple taxi services, and the Education City and Msheireb trams safely ferrying millions. Mowasalat also deployed 4,000 buses and a workforce of more than 18,000 staff from 90 countries, including thousands of specially trained drivers. 

A whopping 26.8 million passengers were safely transported through all services, including the public bus and Metrolink network, which operated for extended hours during the tournament on more than 200 routes. Another milestone was the deployment of around 900 E-buses, which reduced the carbon footprint of the event in an equivalent of the Co2 absorption of 18,078 trees. 

When not watching the action, the fans were thronging a host of entertainment events, including the FIFA Fan Festival, Corniche Activation as well as music and fashion extravaganzas. The world’s biggest fashion show took place at the 974 Stadium on the eve of the finals. 

More than 530,000 attended the entertainment events daily throughout the tournament, according to the organisers. The FIFA Fan Festival at Al Bidda Park, easily the centrestage of celebrations, saw more than 1.8 million fans enjoy live broadcasts and entertainment. 

Opening on November 19, the FIFA Fan Festival was quite the hub for both local and global fans during the tournament, showing every FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 game on an iconic 1,800 sq metre screen and providing free entertainment with some of the most famous celebrities from the music world.

 The 145,000 sq metre and 40,000-capacity venue welcomed an average of 70,000 visitors per day. Last but not least, Qatar reinforced its image of being one of the world’s safest countries by returning zero major crime - which cannot be said of even the most advanced countries with massive security apparatuses. 

Once again, it was a recurring theme with visitors, who were bowled over with how convenient it was to move from one place to another. During the entire World Cup, Doha’s famous Metro plied absolutely free of cost! To state the obvious the World Cup is a primer for great things to come. 

Qatar is next slated to host the Asian Football Cup in 2023, the World Swimming Championships in 2024, the World Table Tennis Championships in 2025 and the Asian Games in 2030 (the second time it will do so after 2006). Its next bigger dream however, is the aspiration for the Olympic Games in 2036. 

Given the awe and facility with which it just completed what is widely being dubbed the best World Cup ever, it cannot be counted out. TAIL PIECE: The World Cup saw many converts - not in the least from Britain, which was one of the countries to lose the 2022 bid to Qatar and, for years, its media subjected the country to unjust, if voluminous and vocal, criticism. 

However, Charlie Brooks of The Telegraph, for instance, would now have none of it. Said he: Compare Qatar to the drug-fuelled chaos when we hosted the Euro final, then ask yourself where you’d rather (have) taken your 10-year-old daughter. His comment appeared in an article entitled: Perhaps we should be asking Qatar for advice.

A right royal treatment 

This World Cup probably had one too many firsts to list in this space, but many in the Arab world, Middle East and Africa, and closer home in Pakistan and the Muslim world at large felt a surge of pride at how a geographically tiny Muslim country made a giant run - not by replicating the Western beat that many others in the region are doing but by fashioning it in its own identity, culture and tradition. 

From the recitation of the Holy Quran and giving the stage to a differently abled youngster Ghanem Al Muftah at the inauguration ceremony to drawing the curtains by adorning Lionel Messi with a bisht, Qatar touched the hearts of millions around the globe. 

However, for some ignorant Doubting Thomases, it was deemed to be a last attempt to leave a “Qatari mark” on the World Cup. This really begs an explainer for the benefit of those who could do with it. 

Bisht is an outer garment worn in predominantly Arab countries. The name is derived from the Akkadian word ‘bishtu’ which means ‘nobility’ or ‘prestige’. It is considered a symbol of great honour. And it doesn’t get any bigger than the Amir of Qatar literally gifting the bisht, putting it on you with his own hands. 

It has nothing to do with religion. It’s a cinch Messi may not have understood the import when he graciously wore it, but it was quite the Qatari way of recognising the legend – GOAT to many – for who he is.