Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone and Spanish World Cup-winning captain Iker Casillas unveiled the FIFA World Cup 2022 trophy in Qatar on Sunday, 18 December.
They unveiled the trophy at the Lusail Iconic Stadium, where world champion France fight it out in a high-octane match with Argentina.
Deepika had earlier teased her fans with a sneak peak of the Trophy trunk book by Louis Vuitton, of which the actor is a brand ambassador.
Ahead of the crucial World Cup final, the French football team was hit by a virus which had led authorities to 'enforce social distancing' and take all precautions.
The virus in the French camp had caused Dalot Upamecano and Adrien Rabiot to miss the semifinal against Morocco and had also affected central defenders Raphael Varane and Ibrahima Konate, and winger Kingsley Coman, who didn't participate in the training session on Friday due to a cold -- a fact which the French football federation confirmed on Friday.
The participants, Argentina and France, are so similar, yet as distinct as they possibly could have been. Both nations are battling for their third title, but the circumstances are contrasting.
Argentina became two-time champions 12 years before France won their first title, but since then, it has mostly been agony for La Abliceleste. With their icon, Lionel Messi playing his last World Cup, a victory today would mean the perfect swansong.
France, on the contrary, are vying to become only the second team since Brazil to become back-to-back champions. Their squad is all about exuberance, with the most prominent name being Kylian Mbappe – the 23-year-old who is on the verge of equalling Pele’s record of winning two World Cup titles by 23.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)