A couple stood out in their devotion to the beautiful game. Sachin R and R Athira's wedding date coincided with the final on Sunday. While they agreed on most things about their wedding, they didn't want to compromise on which team they supported in the final. Sachin is an ardent fan of Argentina star Lionel Messi, while Athira is a passionate supporter of the French football team.
Nov 19: Alcohol was set to be served "in select areas within stadiums", despite its sale being strictly controlled in the Muslim country.
Those in corporate areas of stadiums at the tournament will still be able to purchase alcohol.
The World Cup starts on Sunday when Qatar play Ecuador.
Budweiser, a major sponsor of Fifa, is owned by beer maker AB InBev and had exclusive rights to sell beer at the World Cup.
"Following discussions between host country authorities and Fifa, a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the Fifa fan festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing sales points of beer from Qatar's Fifa World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters," said a statement from world football's governing body.
"There is no impact to the sale of Bud Zero which will remain available at all Qatar's World Cup stadiums.
"Host country authorities and Fifa will continue to ensure that the stadiums and surrounding areas provide an enjoyable, respectful and pleasant experience for all fans.
"The tournament organisers appreciate AB InBev's understanding and continuous support to our joint commitment to cater for everyone during the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022."
Budweiser posted a message on Twitter on Friday saying, "Well, this is awkward" before the post was later deleted.
An AB InBev spokesperson said that they could not proceed with "some of the planned stadium activations" because of "circumstances beyond our control".
The Football Supporters' Association (FSA) criticised the timing of the decision to ban the sale of beer for most fans.
"Some fans like a beer at a game and some don't, but the real issue is the last minute U-turn which speaks to a wider problem - the total lack of communication and clarity from the organising committee towards supporters," said an FSA spokesperson.
"If they can change their minds on this at a moment's notice, with no explanation, supporters will have understandable concerns about whether they will fulfil other promises relating to accommodation, transport or cultural issues."
England fan Ryan, an Arsenal supporter who is in Qatar for the World Cup, echoed concerns over the late change. He told BBC Sport: "It's not ideal but as far as I understand there'll be other places to drink. Football is football and part of the culture is having a drink with your mates, but there's no point crying about it.
"They had 12 years to organise it and I don't think it bodes well to have so many last-minute changes. As fans we have to get on with it."
In August, Fifa changed the start date of the World Cup so that the first game of the competition would be Qatar facing Ecuador.
The game was scheduled to be played on 21 November as the third game, with Senegal against the Netherlands set to be the opening match earlier that day.
Oct 26: His rise to the top has been fast. He only became MP for Richmond in North Yorkshire in 2015 and joined the Cabinet in 2019.
"I showed up and people were surprised," Mr Sunak said about being selected to represent Richmond, with its overwhelming white population. But his "Yorkshire values" of hard work resonated with people and he won them over by showing an interest in what mattered to them, he said. Seven years on and he has made history as the UK's first British Asian prime minister.
Mr Sunak joined Boris Johnson's cabinet in 2019 as chief treasury to the secretary working with chancellor Sajid Javid, and his career rocketed from there.
A self-confessed "huge Star Wars fan" with a sizeable collection of lightsabers, he tweeted a photo of himself and his "Jedi Master" Mr Javid at a screening of The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. A few months later, the apprentice became the master when he replaced Mr Javid as chancellor, and was plunged into pandemic crisis planning and budgeting.
For quite a few people, Mr Sunak appeared to be a reassuringly steady hand at the tiller as chancellor.
When he pledged to do "whatever it takes" to help people through the pandemic in the spring of 2020 - and unveiled support worth £350bn - his personal poll ratings went through the roof.
But the UK continued to be buffeted by stormy economic weather, and Mr Sunak himself had to deal with the fallout of being fined by police for breaking lockdown rules in Downing Street in June 2020.
In July, he resigned from the cabinet, saying he felt his own approach to the economy was "fundamentally too different" to that of the PM, Boris Johnson. The move was instrumental in ousting Mr Johnson, which some of the former PM's allies will not have forgotten.
Just 16 weeks later, he has become leader himself.
His appointment as PM came on the day millions celebrated Diwali, and as a practising Hindu he has said one of his proudest career moments was lighting ceremonial diyas (oil lamps) outside 11 Downing Street while chancellor. A traditional Hindu red bracelet, meant for good luck and protection, could be seen on his wrist when he posed on the steps of 10 Downing Street for the first time as UK leader.
Rishi Sunak: The basics
Age: 42
Place of birth: Southampton, Hampshire
Home: London and Yorkshire
Education: Winchester College, Oxford University, Stanford University
Family: Married to businesswoman Akshata Murty with two daughters
Parliamentary constituency:Richmond (Yorkshire)
There is no denying that Mr Sunak's wealth is a world away from that of most. Together, he and his wife Akshata Murty have an estimated worth of more than £700m - a sum which supersedes the personal wealth of King Charles III.
Critics of Mr Sunak have raised the question of whether the millionaire can grasp the scale of the cost-of-living squeeze facing struggling households.
In April, the finances of Mr Sunak and his family came under intense scrutiny, with the tax affairs of his wife - the daughter of Narayana Murthy, Indian billionaire and co-founder of IT services giant Infosys - placed in the spotlight. Headquartered in Bangalore, Infosys reported revenues of more than $11.8bn (£9bn) in 2019, $12.8bn in 2020, and $13.5bn in 2021. The company's latest annual report shows Ms Murty owns a 0.9% stake in Infosys.
She announced in April she would start paying UK tax on this income to relieve political pressure on her husband.
Mr Sunak's appointment as prime minister has made his own wealth and tax affairs a hot topic again. He has been tight-lipped about his personal wealth and maintains that he has never benefited from funds based in tax havens.
It remains to be seen whether he and his family will split their time between Downing Street and the £4.5m five-bedroom townhouse in South Kensington, London where they currently reside.
The Sunaks are understood to own a further three properties: a Grade II-listed manor house in the village of Kirby Sigston, near Northallerton, in his Richmond constituency, was bought for £1.5m in 2015. The couple also own a flat in South Kensington and a penthouse apartment with views of the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, California.
Mr Sunak won the approval of 202 Tory MPs to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. Newsnight's political editor Nick Watt says his colleagues find him "very personable", but also someone who is "very clear and certain in what he thinks".
For example, in the run-up to the 2016 Brexit referendum - in which he campaigned to Leave - he was called into Downing Street and asked for his support to remain in the EU but he refused.
"He said 'No, I think Brexit is the right thing to do' - which is quite a thing for a newly elected MP to say to Downing Street."
Mr Sunak told the Yorkshire Post he believed leaving the EU would make the UK "freer, fairer and more prosperous".
He said changing immigration rules was another key reason for his Leave vote: "I believe that appropriate immigration can benefit our country. But we must have control of our borders."
Before entering politics Mr Sunak was an analyst for the investment bank Goldman Sachs and then worked for two multibillion dollar hedge funds.
His supporters hope his eye for statistics and data will be an asset in making the right economic decisions.
Mr Sunak's parents came to the UK from east Africa and are both of Indian origin.
He was born in Southampton in 1980, where his father was a GP, and his mother ran her own pharmacy.
"In terms of cultural upbringing, I'd be at the temple at the weekend - I'm a Hindu - but I'd also be at [Southampton Football Club] the Saints game as well on a Saturday - you do everything, you do both."
In the interview he said he had been fortunate not to have endured a lot of racism growing up, but that there was one incident that had stayed with him.
"I was just out with my younger brother and younger sister, and I think, probably pretty young, I was probably a mid-teenager, and we were out at a fast food restaurant and I was just looking after them. There were people sitting nearby, it was the first time I'd experienced it, just saying some very unpleasant things. The 'P' word.
"And it stung. I still remember it. It seared in my memory. You can be insulted in many different ways."
However, he said he "can't conceive of that happening today" in the UK.
He attended the exclusive private school Winchester College and worked as a waiter at a Southampton curry house during his summer holidays. He has attracted criticism from Labour for donating more than £100,000 to his former school, to fund bursaries for children who could not afford to attend it.
After finishing school he went on to Oxford to study philosophy, politics and economics, before studying for an MBA at Stanford University in California. There he met his wife, and the couple have two daughters.
During the previous leadership campaign, he often mentioned his daughters in the context of climate change. Answering a question on climate change during a BBC TV debate, Mr Sunak said he took "advice from my two young daughters, who are the experts of this in my household".
APRIL 20: The Portugal international, 37, and Rodriguez, 28, were expecting twins.
Their baby girl survived, and they said her birth "gives us the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness".
"Our baby boy, you are our angel. We will always love you," they wrote.
In a statement on social media, they said: "It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that our baby boy has passed away.
"We are all devastated at this loss and and we kindly ask for privacy at this very difficult time."
The pair had announced the pregnancy in October.
Manchester United tweeted: "Your pain is our pain. Sending love and strength to you and the family at this time."
And team-mate Marcus Rashford said on social media: "Thoughts are with you and Georgina brother I'm so sorry."
Manchester United later confirmed Ronaldo will miss Tuesday evening's match against Liverpool.
A fan-led minute's applause will be held in the seventh minute of the game at Anfield, while both teams will wear black armbands.
"Family is more important than everything and Ronaldo is supporting his loved ones at this immensely difficult time," the club said.
"As such, we can confirm that he will not feature in the match against Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday evening and we underline the family's request for privacy.
"Cristiano, we are all thinking of you and sending strength to the family."
Ronaldo's former side Real Madrid said the club, their president and board of directors "are deeply saddened" by the news, adding: "Real shares in the family's pain and wishes to send them all of our warmth."
Manchester City, Leeds United and the Premier League have also tweeted messages of condolence.
Ronaldo has a son, Cristiano Jr, who was born in 2010, and twins Eva and Mateo who were born in 2017. He also has a daughter with Rodriguez, Alana Martina, who was born in 2017.
The online creative community is increasingly split on the issue of NFTs, but independent game marketplace Itch.io has taken a firm and obvious stance on the matter. "A few have inquired about our view on NFTs," the business said in a tweet this week. "NFTs are a rip-off. If you believe they are really beneficial for anything other than exploitation of creators, financial frauds, and environmental harm, we suggest that you reconsider your life choices."
Itch.io's firm position stands out at a time when numerous organizations, from gaming businesses to digital stores like Itch.io, are at least considering incorporating NFTs. GameStop just revealed intentions to create its own NFT marketplace, while Ubisoft appears to be quietly carrying on with its own NFT ambitions. Public outrage, on the other hand, has put a halt to several such proposals. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. backtracked on its NFT goals amid fan backlash, and a recent study of game developers revealed that...
Repeated crowd problems in Ligue 1 are putting the future of French soccer at risk, French sports minister Roxana Maracineanu said after Sunday's game between Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique Marseille was abandoned due to fan violence.
This lockdown period is an opportunity for me to spend quality time with my 94-year-old father. We watch old reruns of cricket matches every day. He loves watching cricket, and I am a diehard fan of cricket. One day I was surprised by his comment. He said, ‘there are quite of few lefthanded players these days.” I had not given it much thought. Yes, I knew it is an advantage to have left-handed batsmen and bowlers in a team. This makes the game more interesting. Around 19 percent of the international cricketers are left-handed batsmen, and 14.48-30.28 percent are left-handed bowlers. Some left-handed batsmen are right-handed bowlers, and some right-handed batsmen are left-handed bowlers.
MADRID, June 8: La Liga will use virtual images of stands in television broadcasts with added ‘fan audio’, produced by the makers of the FIFA video game, when it returns to action on Thursday.
KATHMANDU, Oct 30: Any game would lose its craze without the fans’ support. Fans are the core heart of any sports team. Various fan groups are established to more closely support the teams of interest. The trend of establishing fan clubs has, however, expanded its horizon from being been limited to a small community.
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