The curtains closed on the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar on Sunday with the Lionel Messi-led Argentina clinching their third title by beating France in the final, but with barely very little time for the fans to let the euphoria sink in, the focus has promptly shifted back to club football.

Lionel Messi’s World Cup fairytale lit up the year in football as heroics and heartbreak at the finals captivated fans and highlighted the growth of the world’s most popular sport despite the criticism of host country Qatar’s human rights record.

"Muchachos, we can dream again..." the hit song that accompanied Argentina on their conquest of the 2022 World Cup has found deep resonance in a country desperate for a feel-good moment.

The instant-classic World Cup final that saw Argentina defeat France on penalty kicks set viewership records in the United States.

Argentina's World Cup heroes had to abandon an open-top bus parade in Buenos Aires on Tuesday as millions of ecstatic fans flooded onto the streets and brought the city to a standstill, with Lionel Messi and his team mates whisked into helicopters to complete the celebrations.

Tens of thousands of Moroccans thronged the capital on Tuesday to welcome home their national football team, the first Arab or African squad ever to reach the semi-final of a World Cup.

Title contenders Mohammedan SC and Sheikh Jamal DC got winning starts to their Federation Cup campaign on Monday.

President Emmanuel Macron intervened to ask France’s footballers to greet fans after their defeat in the World Cup fina. France’s players initially wanted to head straight home Monday after their loss on penalties to Argentina, the head of the French Football Federation, Noel Le Graet, said.

Hundreds of thousands - millions by some estimates - of ecstatic Argentines flooded onto the streets of Buenos Aires on Tuesday to cheer the country's World Cup-winning soccer squad led by Lionel Messi after their plane landed in the pre-dawn hours.

As the streets of the metropalitans and village Bangladesh are bustling with waving flags, chants, cheers for Lionel Messi and Argentina following their third World Cup victory in a breathtaking final against France on Sunday, Argentina Football Team’s official twitter handle thanked Bangladesh for their wonderful support they showered.

Argentina's World Cup winners led by captain Lionel Messi returned home from Qatar in the early hours of Tuesday morning ahead of a welcome home party in the nation's capital.

How should one remember December 18? It may as well be known as the GOAT day. The coronation of the King, who completed football. The story, with a fairytale ending for one of the greatest to play the game and what had come to pass before and the joy thereafter, makes it one of sport’s greatest. For France, it was 120 minutes in the Lionel Messi territory and some more. For Argentina, they had to do it under the spirited gaze of Kylian Mbappe, always on the hunt. That only made Messi’s coronation that much sweeter in the end.

France forward Kingsley Coman and midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni have been subjected to online racist abuse after missing their penalties in Sunday's World Cup final against Argentina, the BBC reported on Monday.

Prior to the Qatar World Cup, Lionel Andres Messi had all but conquered everything for his country and the clubs he represented – prestigious titles, individual awards, accolades from teammates, opponents, and critics alike.

Ballon D’Or winner Karim Benzema announced he was ending his international career on Monday, the day after France lost in the World Cup final to Argentina.

Lionel Scaloni hardly ever shows emotion in the dugout. Whether his team scores a crucial goal or a spectacular one, he hardly moves a facial muscle, let alone unleash a joyous celebration like the ones you see from most coaches around the world. He sits there with a straight face, like a monk deep in meditation.

Supporters packed a square in central Paris on Monday to give a rousing welcome to the French football team despite their loss to Argentina in a nail-biting World Cup final.

For the last month, Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates have brought success and unity to their fans, in stark contrast to the country's economic woes and polarized political landscape.

We could not have asked for a better ending to a magnificent World Cup in Qatar on Sunday, with little magician Lionel Messi finally laying his hands on that glittering piece of glory after a nerve-wracking final that Argentina won 4-2 on penalties against holders France after regulation and extra time ended with the scores level.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today congratulated Argentine President Alberto Ángel Fernández on the victory of the FIFA World Cup 2022.