Google Search hit highest ever traffic in 25 years during Fifa WC final

The six-goal madness of the final between Argentina and France means that the Qatar Fifa World Cup is the tournament with the highest number of goals ever scored

On Sunday, as Lionel Messi was inching towards his lifelong goal of winning the World Cup for his team, Argentina, Google Search logged its highest-ever traffic in 25 years. 

"Search recorded its highest ever traffic in 25 years during the final of #FIFAWorldCup , it was like the entire world was searching about one thing!," Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai tweeted. 

"One of the greatest games ever. Well played Argentina and France. Jogo Bonito. Nobody deserves it more than #messi, imho the greatest ever to play the game. What a swansong. #FIFAWorldCup," Pichai said in another tweet. 

Lionel Messi's dream of winning the FIFA World Cup finally materialised on Sunday, with Argentina surviving a few anxious moments to register a fighting 4-2 penalty shootout win over defending champions France.

"Over a billion people tuned in, united by their love of the game. That's the best thing about football: it's a truly global game that unites us," Lex Fridma, a research scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, replied to Pichai.

Google Search was founded in 1998 by Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

With a more than 90 per cent market share in 2022, Google Search currently dominates the market.

"Google did deliver in terms of reliable real-time updates," another Pichai follower posted.

The six-goal madness of the final between Argentina and France means that the Qatar World Cup is the tournament with the highest number of goals ever scored.

The six goals that went into the back of the net on Sunday means that 172 goals were scored in the 2022 World Cup, one more than the 171 scored in the 1998 and 2014 editions.

(With agency inputs)