On December 18, 2022, 88,966 spectators packed into Lusail Stadium and close to 1.5bn around the world watched a pulsating final between Argentina and France. One month to the day since Lionel Messi, Lionel Scaloni and La Albiceleste lifted the trophy, FIFA has reviewed some facts and figures from on and off the pitch, which reflect the sheer scale of the biggest single sporting event on the planet.Early figures suggest that around 5bn people have engaged with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, following tournament content across an array of platforms and devices across the media universe. On social media, according to Nielsen, there have been 93.6mn posts across all platforms, with a 262bn cumulative reach and 5.95bn engagements.The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 was enjoyed inside the stadiums by 3.4mn spectators - up from 3mn in 2018 - who were treated to a historic tournament. A total of 172 goals ensured that Qatar 2022 became the highest scoring FIFA World Cup in history, eclipsing the previous highest total of 171, in both 1998 and 2014.Three matches at Lusail Stadium, including the final, saw the highest attendance for a match registered at a FIFA World Cup since USA 1994 when Brazil played Italy in front of 94,194 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.It was a tournament too of notable contributions from some of football’s heavyweights. Cristiano Ronaldo became the first man to score at five FIFA World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022) while Lionel Messi became the first player to score in four successive knockout stage matches in a FIFA World Cup since the round of 16 was introduced into the modern era, at Mexico 1986. Messi also passed another landmark when he made his 26th FIFA World Cup appearance in the final, overtaking the record previously held by Lothar Matthaus.The fastest goal came after just 68 seconds when Canada's Alphonso Davies, 22, scored against Croatia. At just 18 years and 110 days, Spain’s Gavi became the youngest goal scorer at a World Cup since Pele in 1958, with a stunning strike during the 7-0 win against Costa Rica.There were many other notable achievements:
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January 18, 2023 | 10:12 PM