A Night To Remember: Spectacular closing ceremony precedes World Cup final

Qatar began to draw the curtains on the 2022 World Cup with a mesmerising closing ceremony on Sunday, an hour before the final kicked off between Argentina and France at the Lusail Stadium.

Titled 'A Night To Remember', the ceremony lifted off with colourful lamps representing each team in the competition released into the air. Only two remained floating above the pitch - those representing France and Argentina. 

Dana Al Fardan 🫶🏼#CopaDoMundoFIFA pic.twitter.com/06E2mhYP81

— Ruthe Regis 🦋루스 (@ruthe_regis) December 18, 2022

The first performance of the evening was a rendition of  Louis Armstrong's 'What A Wonderful World' by Qatari artist Dana al Fardan. The tempo soon rose after her performance as 'Dreamers' by BTS star Jung Kook blared around the stadium, with fans dancing and clapping to the song.

Davido, Aisha, and Trinidad Cardona emerged to perform 'Hayya Hayya', part of the official soundtrack for the tournament. A host of other musicians from around the world - Ozuna, Balqees, Rahma Riad, Manal, Nora Fatehi and Gims - all took to the stage during the ceremony.

Qatar 🇶🇦have delivered one of the best World Cup tournaments.

Very colorful closing ceremony underway 🥰🥰🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/3xqOHIhVqg

— George Addo Jnr (@addojunr) December 18, 2022

All the singers appeared on stage for a final performance, before the fifteen-minute ceremony concluded with a shower of sparks and fireworks. 

All eyes subsequently turned to the two teams, France and Argentina, as they vie for the World Cup trophy in the final.