WWith 85 days left until the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, millions of fans around the world are on the edge of their seats in anticipation of the next tournament.
Meanwhile, the federation has decided to surprise everyone by releasing unreleased footage that looks back at the special moments of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, when Lionel Messi’s Argentina team won the trophy.
New POV of Messi lifting the trophy
Lionel Scaloni’s side’s road to the finals did not start smoothly. Argentina passed Group C first, but lost to Saudi Arabia 2-1 in the first round. They then defeated Mexico and Poland 2-0. They then defeated Australia 2-1 in the Round of 16 and defeated the Netherlands on penalties in the quarter-finals. They also defeated Croatia 3-0 in the semi-finals.
In the final, they drew 3-3 with France, led by Kylian Mbapp, and faced another brutal penalty shootout, but Albiceleste won 4-2, giving them their third World Cup title (1978, 1986, 2022) and Lionel Messi’s first in five tournaments.
For this reason, the image of the Argentine captain lifting the trophy and celebrating with his teammates was etched in the hearts and minds of fans and spread around the world. FIFA has now decided to release unreleased footage of that moment.
The International Football Federation shared on X’s official account (formerly Twitter) a 25-second clip taken from the side of the stage during the award ceremony at Lusail Stadium, showing Leo approaching the team with the trophy and the celebrations that followed.
Of course, the video also captured hundreds of fans watching the historic moment in soccer, some of whom immortalized the moment by pointing their cellphone cameras at the number 10.
Now, Argentina will emerge as defending champions and must defend their title at the next tournament, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11th to July 19th. In Group J, they will face Algeria on Tuesday, June 16th at Kansas City Stadium. They will then face Austria on Monday, June 22nd at Dallas Stadium, and Jordan on Saturday, June 27th.
Meanwhile, Lionel Scaloni’s side will continue their preparations for this tournament and will play a friendly at home before the next World Cup after the final against Spain was cancelled.
AFA announced that it will host the Guatemalan national football team on March 31st at La Bombonera Stadium.
