Every single street in Argentina is silent—not a single person can be seen outdoors. Inside the houses, however, every Argentinian is glued to the TV. The next second, as if a bomb has dropped, the whole country rushes into the streets. In Buenos Aires, Republic Square is packed with people in blue and white team shirts, yelling and screaming with joy. This is not any ordinary day in Argentina, but the day the country defeated reigning champion France on penalty kicks in the Final during FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022.
“[During the final], until the 80th minute it was fun, but after that it was stressful. The streets were quiet, no one was out on the streets during the game,” East Argentine student Facundo Pagani said. “But after that it was insane; I can guarantee you a solid three-fourths of the country went out to celebrate; every street was packed, and no cars fit on the road.”
Facundo, a senior, alongside his sister Lara, a sophomore, as well as other Argentine students, sophomore Floriana Sueldo and junior Mariel Lopez Casanello, felt unprecedented pride and happiness with the victory of their nation.
“I got so emotional [when they won], I started crying and bawling my eyes out,” Lopez Casanello said. “I was surrendered by a ton of Argentinians, and everyone was crying and hugging each other. We were jumping and changing.”
After the victory, when the Argentina soccer team returned home, Argentina citizens welcomed them with great enthusiasm.
“There was a bus that had all the players on top of it when they arrived. It was insane, people were climbing on bridges and buildings or doing anything just to get a look at them,” Lopez Casanello said. “Everyone was celebrating on the street, it was a crazy experience.”
Watching a World Cup game in person in Qatar, especially the Final, might only be a pipe dream for many, but that was exactly what Pagani’s family experienced during the 2022 World Cup.
“In Qatar it was crazy; I have never seen a community that has so many different countries. It was a couple of million people within a 10-block radius,” Facundo said. “It was a month-long party.”
Though Argentina won the Final, the country had come a long and hard way.
“We didn’t have too much hope at the beginning,” Lopez Casanello said. “[But] over time, we gained so much confidence, we are really, really good this year.”
The team had some close calls, from their first surprising loss to Saudi Arabia to their nail-biting quarterfinal game against the Netherlands, which was won on penalty kicks.
“[Argentina’s] first game was the most surprising because it happened on my birthday. I woke up early, then I watched us lose. It was shocking,” Lara said. “The one against the Netherlands was the most memorable. It was a tense game, and I was stressed out.”
Argentina’s victory was especially significant for one of the most popular soccer players in the whole world: Lionel Messi, since the final was his last game before retirement. Although Messi has become a standalone “soccer hero,” many players from Argentina have also left a strong impression, according to fans at East.
“Argentina’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez is amazing,” Sueldo said. “My dad and I used to be goalkeepers. But I feel like people [often] forget how important goalkeepers are to the whole game. I don’t think we would have made it anywhere near the finals without him.”
Regardless, the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final was a total thrill-ride, and probably among the most sensational games in World Cup history.
While Argentina soccer fans around the world are still immersed in celebration, many start to look forward to the next tournament, scheduled to be held in North America in 2026. Hope for yet another miracle is heightened, according to Argentine students, as Argentina is now one step closer to becoming the third country to ever win two consecutive World Cups.
Photo courtesy of Facundo Pagani
