Argentina wins the 2022 World Cup

Welcome to the world’s biggest, blingiest salad bowl — the Lusail Iconic Stadium! The word "iconic" is actually in the title of the venue, just in case you don’t think it merits the accolade.

Its spectacular architecture looks as though it’s been dipped in gold, and it is a fitting arena for a match that will decide both the World Cup and the Golden Boot race for most goals.

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé have arrived here as the tournament's top scorers with five goals each.

Tens of thousands of supporters got here early, and they have been streaming inside for the last couple of hours. The shelves of the complimentary flag stall had been picked clean an hour and 45 minutes before kickoff.

Every Argentina supporter believes that they’re going to witness a destiny fulfilled today. That is, in the first World Cup since the passing of Argentine icon Diego Maradona, Messi will finally lift the trophy in his last ever World Cup match, taking his place alongside his late compatriot in the pantheon.

Outside, their plucky chants of "Allez Les Bleus," seem almost defiant, but they know that France stands on the brink of history itself, potentially the first side to win back-to-back titles since Brazil in 1962. And if Mbappé can get his hands on a second World Cup at the age of just 23, we could be lauding him as the next Pelé.

Fate will now decide the outcome, but as an Argentine fan walks by me with Messi’s face on one side of his drum and Maradona’s image on the other, I can hear the Argentina fans’ song which has become the unofficial soundtrack to this whole tournament.

It almost sounds like a lullaby, ending with the verse: “Now let’s get excited, I want to win the third World Cup. I want to be world champion. And Diego — we can see him from heaven, encouraging Lionel to be champions again.”

The French foreign ministry sent a message of support to its nation's soccer team Sunday, saying it was "all behind the French team for this FIFA World Cup FINAL." 

With the World Cup nearly complete, we took a look back through the tournament to highlight some of the ways that Qatar 2022 made history:

Tournament firsts:

Player accomplishments:

Ukraine is criticizing FIFA for refusing to show a video message from President Volodymyr Zelensky in Qatar’s Lusail Stadium ahead of the World Cup final Sunday. 

The video, which was recorded in English, was meant to be an “appeal for peace,” according to a written statement provided to CNN by Ukraine’s presidential office Saturday. 

"Qatar supported the President’s initiative, but FIFA blocked the initiative and will not allow the video address of the president to be shown before the final game," the statement said. 

CNN has reached out to FIFA but has not received a comment. Qatar has not publicly commented on the request from Ukraine.

CNN first reported on the story when a source within Zelensky’s office said the request to deliver the video message had been rebuffed.  

CNN received a video copy of President Zelensky’s pre-recorded speech on Saturday.

During the 1 minute, 43 second video, Zelensky says soccer is meant to bring the world together and calls for "the World Cup, but not world war."

The Ukrainian presidential office told CNN they were informed that FIFA regarded the message as too political and said they had sent a copy of the text of the address to FIFA headquarters in Switzerland on Friday.

The Ukrainian presidential office added there is "still time for FIFA to correct their error.” 

"FIFA should not be afraid that words of peace will be heard at the global soccer celebration that represents peace," the statement said.

Ukraine’s presidential office also said it will distribute the video independently if FIFA doesn’t air it. It said the organization's decision to block the clip would show "FIFA has lost its valuable understanding of soccer — as a game that unites peoples, rather than supporting existing divisions."

As ever, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar produced stirring moments on and off the pitch.

Check out some of the best images captured in the course of the tournament, and view a complete gallery of the best photos from Qatar 2022 here.

It's impossible to ignore the storyline: Argentina soccer legend Lionel Messi is playing in his final World Cup match Sunday against Kylian Mbappé, the 23-year-old superstar who is quickly becoming the face of the game.

But in remarks to the media Saturday, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni downplayed the superstar faceoff, emphasizing that today's World Cup final is a team game.

The coach added about the opposing side's superstar:

"France is not only Mbappé. He is a great player. I think they have other players that assist him and make him a better player. He is one of the best players, he is still young and he will continue improving, there is no doubt about that."

Perhaps underlining Scaloni's point is the race for the Golden Boot. While Messi and Mbappé currently are in the lead for most goals in the tournament, a pair of teammates are close behind them. Argentina's Julián Álvarez and France's Olivier Giroud have scored four times apiece, putting them just one goal behind their squads' headlining stars.

A titan of the sport will make his last World Cup appearance in Sunday's final between Argentina and France, but Lionel Messi's opponents haven't conceded the spotlight.

The reigning champion Les Bleus will look to create their own entry in the history books. They have a chance to become the first back-to-back tournament winners since Brazil in the late '50s and early '60s.

"It's a final between two big nations of football, between Argentina and France," added Hugo Lloris, the French captain and goalkeeper. "Obviously when you face that type of player you need a special focus on him, but it's not only about him, you know?"

"We want to write our own story and we want to finish it in the best way possible," Lloris said.