‘Football is life’: Noisy all-nighter ahead for French and Argentinian fans watching World Cup final

They’ve filled out pubs, clubs and public parks over the last month – and for one final time at 2am on Monday, Argentinian and French soccer fans will be geared up in Sydney to cheer on their national teams in the World Cup final.

Argentinian fans, who have flocked to the Kent St Hotel to watch most of La Albiceleste’s matches in Qatar, have booked out that hotel, as well as The Chippo in Chippendale, to cheer on a side led by the legendary Lionel Messi playing in what he says will “almost certainly” be his final World Cup game.

French supporters will gather in front of the big screen at the state government’s live site at Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour. Pierre Durant, 21, who arrived in Australia from France just over a month ago, is on a mission to get as many Les Bleus supporters to the area as possible.

“The match will be the best moment in December, maybe only after Christmas,” he said. “I would like a big French community to come to Darling Harbour to support the French and to reunite. We’re going to sing all the songs, Allez Les Bleus, [La] Marseillaise, so many songs.”

He’s got demographics on his side: there are more French-born people in NSW than Argentinians (11,540 compared with 6244, from 2016 Census data). But Argentina’s fans heartily make up for their numerical shortfall with a noise and excitement that Messi could almost hear in Qatar.

“Football is life,” said Argentinian Danilo Mironescu, who has been living in Australia for six years. “We’ve been raised like this. All our country, everyone is so passionate about football. It’s in our DNA.”

And they’re confident their players have what it takes to take back the trophy, won most recently by rivals France at the 2018 World Cup.

“We have the best player in the world: Messi,” said Mironescu. “It’ll go to extra time, but we’re going to define the match then.”

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