2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup was an international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations and 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, making it the first World Cup held in the Arab world and Muslim world, and the second held entirely in Asia after the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan.[A]
| كأس العالم لكرة القدم 2022 Kaʾs al-ʿālam li-kurat al-qadam 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Qatar |
| Dates | 20 November 2022–18 December 2022 |
| Teams | 32 (from 5 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 8 (in 5 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Argentina (3rd title) |
| Runners-up | France |
| Third place | Croatia |
| Fourth place | Morocco |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 64 |
| Goals scored | 172 (2.69 per match) |
| Attendance | 3,404,252 (53,191 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Kylian Mbappé (8 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Lionel Messi |
| Best young player | Enzo Fernández |
| Best goalkeeper | Emiliano Martínez |
| Fair play award | England |
← 2018 2026 → | |
This tournament was the last with 32 participating teams, with the number of teams being increased to 48 for the 2026 edition. To avoid the extremes of Qatar's hot climate,[B] the event was held during November and December.[C] It was held over a reduced time frame of 29 days with 64 matches played in eight venues across five cities. Qatar entered the event—their first World Cup—automatically as the host's national team, alongside 31 teams determined by the qualification process.
Argentina were crowned the champions after winning the final against the title holder France 4–2 on penalties following a 3–3 draw after extra time. It was Argentina's third title and their first since 1986, as well being the first nation from outside of Europe to win the tournament since 2002. French player Kylian Mbappé became the first player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final since Geoff Hurst in the 1966 final and won the Golden Boot as he scored the most goals (eight) during the tournament. Argentine captain Lionel Messi was voted the tournament's best player, winning the Golden Ball. Teammates Emiliano Martínez and Enzo Fernández won the Golden Glove, awarded to the tournament's best goalkeeper, and the Young Player Award, awarded to the tournament's best young player, respectively. With 172 goals, the tournament set a new record for the highest number of goals scored with the 32-team format, with every participating team scoring at least one goal.[4]
The choice to host the World Cup in Qatar attracted significant criticism, with concerns raised over the country's treatment of migrant workers, women and members of the LGBT community, as well as Qatar's climate, lack of a strong football culture, scheduling changes, and allegations of bribery for hosting rights and wider FIFA corruption.[D]
Overview
The FIFA World Cup is a professional football tournament held between national football teams, Organised by FIFA.[13][14] The tournament, held every four years, was first played in 1930 in Uruguay,[15] and has been contested by 32 teams since the 1998 event.[15] The tournament was contested with eight round-robin groups followed by a knockout round for 16 teams.[16] The defending champions were France, who defeated Croatia 4–2 in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final.[17][18] The event was scheduled to take place under a reduced length,[19] from 20 November to 18 December in Qatar.[20][21][22] Being held in Qatar, it was the first World Cup tournament to be held in the Arab world.[23] Spectators were not required to follow most COVID-19 pandemic restrictions such as social distancing, wearing masks, and negative tests.[24]
Schedule
Unlike previous FIFA World Cups, which are typically played in June and July, because of Qatar's intense summer heat and often fairly high humidity,[2][21][25] the 2022 World Cup was played in November and December.[5][26] As a result, the World Cup was unusually staged in the middle of the seasons of many domestic association football leagues, which started in late July or August, including all of the major European leagues, which had been obliged to incorporate extended breaks into their domestic schedules to accommodate the World Cup. Major European competitions had scheduled their respective competitions group matches to be played before the World Cup, to avoid playing group matches the following year.[27]
The match schedule was confirmed by FIFA in July 2020.[28] The group stage was set to begin on 21 November, with four matches every day. Later, the schedule was tweaked by moving the Qatar vs Ecuador game to 20 November, after Qatar lobbied FIFA to allow their team to open the tournament.[29][30] The final was played on 18 December 2022, National Day, at Lusail Stadium.[31][28]
The matches for each group were allocated to the following stadiums:[31]
- Groups A, B, E, F: Al Bayt Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium
- Groups C, D, G, H: Lusail Stadium, Stadium 974, Education City Stadium, Al Janoub Stadium
FIFA confirmed the group stage venue and kick-off times on 1 April 2022, following the draw.[32][33] On 11 August, it was confirmed that Qatar vs Ecuador had been brought forward one day, now becoming the tournament's opening match, while Senegal vs Netherlands, which would have opened the tournament under the original schedule, had been reallocated to the freed-up timeslot.[34]
Prize money
In April 2022, FIFA announced the prizes for all participating nations. Each qualified team received $1.5 million before the competition to cover preparation costs with each team receiving at least $9 million in prize money. This edition's total prize pool was $440 million, $40 million greater than the prize pool of the previous tournament.[35]
| Place | Teams | Amount (in millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per team | Total | ||
| Champions | 1 | $42 | $42 |
| Runners-up | 1 | $30 | $30 |
| Third place | 1 | $27 | $27 |
| Fourth place | 1 | $25 | $25 |
| 5th–8th place (quarter-finals) | 4 | $17 | $68 |
| 9th–16th place (round of 16) | 8 | $13 | $104 |
| 17th–32nd place (group stage) | 16 | $9 | $144 |
| Total | 32 | $440 | |
Rule changes
The tournament featured new substitution rules whereby teams could make up to five substitutions in normal time, and an additional substitution in extra time.[36][37][38] In addition, it was the first World Cup to feature concussion substitutions, whereby each team was permitted to use a maximum of one concussion substitute during a match. A concussion substitution did not count towards a team's quota of regular substitutions.[39] Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand suffered a concussion in his country's opening match against England and was replaced by Hossein Hosseini. This was the first use of a dedicated concussion substitute during a World Cup.[40]
Host selection
The bidding procedure to host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups began in January 2009. National associations had until 2 February 2009 to register interest.[41] Initially, 11 bids were made for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but Mexico withdrew from proceedings,[42][43] and Indonesia's bid was rejected by FIFA in February 2010 after the Indonesian Football Association failed to submit a letter of Indonesian government guarantee to support the bid.[44]
After UEFA were guaranteed to host the 2018 event, members of UEFA were no longer in contention to host in 2022.[45] There were five bids remaining for the 2022 FIFA World Cup: Australia, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, and the United States. The 22-member FIFA Executive Committee convened in Zürich on 2 December 2010 to vote to select the hosts of both tournaments.[46] Two FIFA executive committee members were suspended before the vote in relation to allegations of corruption regarding their votes.[47] The decision to host the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which was graded as having "high operational risk",[48] generated criticism from media commentators.[49] It was criticised by many as being part of the FIFA corruption scandals.[50]
The voting patterns were as follows:[51]
| Bidders | Votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | |
| Qatar | 11 | 10 | 11 | 14 |
| United States | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| South Korea | 4 | 5 | 5 | Eliminated |
| Japan | 3 | 2 | Eliminated | |
| Australia | 1 | Eliminated | ||
Host selection criticism
There have been allegations of bribery and corruption in the selection process involving FIFA's executive committee members.[52] These allegations are being investigated by FIFA . In May 2011, allegations of corruption within the FIFA senior officials raised questions over the legitimacy of the World Cup 2022 being held in Qatar. The accusations of corruption were made relating to how Qatar won the right to host the event. A FIFA internal investigation and report cleared Qatar of any violation, but chief investigator Michael J. Garcia described FIFA's report on his enquiry as containing "numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations."[53]
In May 2015, Swiss federal prosecutors opened an investigation into corruption and money laundering related to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.[54][55] In August 2018, former FIFA president Sepp Blatter claimed that Qatar had used "black ops", suggesting that the bid committee had cheated to win the hosting rights.[56] Some investigations found that Qatar sought an edge in securing hosting by hiring a former CIA officer turned private contractor, Kevin Chalker, to spy on rival bid teams and key football officials who picked the winner in 2010.[57]
In September 2018, a delegation from al-Ghufran tribe lodged a complaint to FIFA's president to reject the establishment of the World Cup in Qatar unless its government restored the Qatari nationality to all those affected from the tribe and returned land allegedly stolen from them to build the sport facilities.[58]
Qatar faced strong criticism for the treatment of foreign workers involved in preparation for the World Cup, with Amnesty International referring to "forced labour" and poor working conditions,[59][60] while many migrant workers reported having to pay large "recruitment fees" to obtain employment.[61] The Guardian newspaper reported that many workers were denied food and water, had their identity papers taken away from them, and that they were not paid on time or at all, making some of them in effect slaves. The Guardian estimated that up to 4,000 workers could die from lax safety and other causes by the time the competition was held. Between 2015 and 2021, the Qatari government adopted new labour reforms to improve working conditions, including a minimum wage for all workers and the removal of the kafala system. According to Amnesty International, however, living and working conditions of the foreign workers did not improve in the last years.[62]
Qatar was the smallest nation by area ever to have been awarded a FIFA World Cup – the next smallest by area was Switzerland, host of the 1954 World Cup, which was more than three times as large as Qatar and only needed to host 16 teams instead of 32. Qatar also became only the second country (not including Uruguay and Italy, hosts of the first two World Cups) to be awarded a FIFA World Cup despite having never qualified for a previous edition: Japan was awarded co-hosting rights of the 2002 World Cup in 1996 without ever having qualified for the finals, although they qualified for the 1998 edition. Of the eight stadiums used in the tournament, six were located in the Doha metropolitan area, making it the first World Cup since 1930 in which most of the stadiums were in one city. While this decreased the distance that fans and players needed to commute, Qatar itself struggled to accommodate the numbers of arriving fans with its diminutive amount of space.[63]
Due to Qatar's laws on alcohol consumption, World Cup organisers announced the creation of designated "sobering up" zones as an alternative to wide-scale arrests of intoxicated fans during the World Cup.[64] Qatar's World Cup chief executive of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, Nasser Al Khater, stated that the purpose of the designated sobering-up areas was to ensure the fans' safety.[65] If a fan was sent to the "sobering up" zone, they were permitted to leave when they could display clearheaded behaviour.[66] Multiple news agencies described the controversy as a "cultural clash" between social conservatism and Islamic morality against the "norms" of secular Western liberal democracies.[11][67]
Cost of hosting the tournament
At an estimated cost of over $220 billion,[68] it is the most expensive World Cup ever held to date; this figure is disputed by Qatari officials, including organising CEO Nasser Al Khater, who said the true cost was $8 billion, and other figures related to overall infrastructure development since the World Cup was awarded to Qatar in 2010.[69]
Venues
The first five proposed venues for the World Cup were unveiled at the beginning of March 2010. Qatar intended that the stadiums should reflect its history and culture, and for the designs to meet the following terms of reference: legacy, comfort, accessibility, and sustainability.[70] The stadiums were equipped with cooling systems that aim to reduce temperatures within the stadium by up to 20 °C (36 °F).[71][72]
Their marketing included statements describing the stadiums as zero waste, and the upper tiers of the stadiums will be disassembled after the World Cup and donated to countries with less developed sports infrastructure.[71][72] Qatar aspired to be compliant and certified by the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) for all the World Cup stadiums. All of the five stadium projects launched were designed by German architect Albert Speer & Partners.[73] The Al Bayt and Al Wakrah stadiums were the only indoor stadiums of the eight used.[74]
In an April 2013 report by Merrill Lynch, the organisers in Qatar requested that FIFA approve a smaller number of stadiums due to the growing costs.[75] Bloomberg said that Qatar wished to cut the number of venues to eight or nine from the twelve originally planned.[76] By April 2017, FIFA had yet to finalise the number of stadiums Qatar must have readied in five years' time. Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) said it expected there would be eight in and near Doha, with the exception of Al Khor.[77][78]
The most used stadium was the Lusail Stadium, which hosted 10 matches, including the final. The Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor hosted nine matches. All but the nine matches hosted in Al Khor in this tournament were held within a 20 miles (32 km) radius of the centre of Doha. In addition, the Khalifa, Al Thumama and Education City stadiums hosted eight matches each (Khalifa hosted the third place match, while Al Thumama and Education City hosted a quarter-final each) and the 974, Al Janoub and Ahmad bin Ali stadiums hosted seven matches each, including a round of 16 match each.
Stadium 974, formerly known as the Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, was the seventh FIFA World Cup 2022 venue to be completed by the SC. Its name comes from the number of shipping containers used in its construction and Qatar's international dialling code. The venue will be dismantled completely after the tournament – this stadium was the first temporary stadium ever used for a FIFA World Cup.[79] All of the other stadiums used except Khalifa International were reduced in capacity by half.[80]
The Qatari government employed about 50,000 security personnel including police departments and military forces from at least thirteen countries, including Poland, Germany, France, Kuwait, Jordan, Italy, Palestine, Spain, Pakistan, Turkey, USA, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.[81][82]
Stadiums
| City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Lusail | Lusail Stadium | 88,966[83][84][E] |
| Al Khor | Al Bayt Stadium | 68,895[85][86][F] |
| Al Rayyan | Khalifa International Stadium | 45,857[87][88] [G] |
| Ahmad bin Ali Stadium | 45,032[89][90][H] | |
| Education City Stadium | 44,667[91][92][I] | |
| Doha | Al Thumama Stadium | 44,400[93][94][J] |
| Stadium 974 | 44,089[95][96][K] | |
| Al Wakrah | Al Janoub Stadium | 44,325[97][98][L] |
Team base camps
Base camps were used by the 32 national squads to stay and train before and during the World Cup tournament. In July 2022, FIFA announced the hotels and training sites for each participating team.[99][100] This World Cup was the most compact since the inaugural edition in 1930, with 24 of the 32 teams being within a 10 km radius of each other, and are concentrated within the Doha area. It was the first Cup since 1930 in which players did not need to take flights to matches and could remain at the same training base throughout the entire tournament.[101][102]
| Team | Hotel | Training site |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Qatar University Hostel 1 | Qatar University Training Site 3 |
| Australia | New Aspire Academy Athlete Accommodation | Aspire Zone Training Facilities 5 |
| Belgium | Hilton Salwa Beach Resort and Villas | Salwa Training Site |
| Brazil | The Westin Doha Hotel and Spa | Al Arabi SC Stadium |
| Cameroon | Banyan Tree Doha at La Cigale Mushaireb | Al Sailiya SC Stadium |
| Canada | Century Marina Hotel Lusail | Umm Salal SC Training Facilities |
| Costa Rica | dusitD2 Salwa Doha | Al Ahli SC Stadium |
| Croatia | Hilton Doha | Al Ersal Training Site 3 |
| Denmark | Retaj Salwa Resort & SPA | Al Sailiya SC 2 |
| Ecuador | Hyatt Regency Oryx Doha | Mesaimeer SC Training Facilities |
| England | Souq Al Wakra Hotel Qatar by Tivoli | Al Wakrah SC Stadium |
| France | Al Messila – A Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Doha | Al Sadd SC Stadium |
| Germany | Zulal Wellness Resort | Al Shamal SC Stadium |
| Ghana | DoubleTree by Hilton Doha – Al Sadd | Aspire Zone Training Facilities 1 |
| Iran | Al Rayyan Hotel Doha Curio Collection by Hilton | Al Rayyan SC Training Facilities 1 |
| Japan | Radisson Blu Hotel Doha | Al Sadd SC New Training Facilities 1 |
| Mexico | Simaisma, A Murwab Resort | Al Khor SC Stadium |
| Morocco | Wyndham Doha West Bay | Al Duhail SC Stadium |
| Netherlands | The St. Regis Doha | Qatar University Training Site 6 |
| Poland | Ezdan Palace Hotel | Al Kharaitiyat SC Training Facilities |
| Portugal | Al Samriya Autograph Collection Hotel | Al Shahaniya SC Training Facilities |
| Qatar | Al Aziziyah Boutique Hotel | Aspire Zone Training Facilities 3 |
| Saudi Arabia | Sealine Beach, a Murwab Resort | Sealine Training Site |
| Senegal | Duhail Handball Sports Hall | Al Duhail SC 2 |
| Serbia | Rixos Gulf Hotel Doha | Al Arabi SC Training Facilities |
| South Korea | Le Méridien City Center Doha | Al Egla Training Site 5 |
| Spain | Qatar University Hostel 2 | Qatar University Training Site 1 |
| Switzerland | Le Royal Méridien, Doha | University of Doha for Science and Technology Training Facilities |
| Tunisia | Wyndham Grand Doha West Bay Beach | Al Egla Training Sites 3 |
| United States | Marsa Malaz Kempinski, The Pearl – Doha | Al Gharafa SC Stadium |
| Uruguay | Pullman Doha West Bay | Al Ersal Training Site 1 |
| Wales | Delta Hotels City Center Doha | Al Sadd SC New Training Facilities 2 |
Teams
Qualification
FIFA's six continental confederations organised their own qualifying competitions. All 211 FIFA member associations were eligible to enter qualification. The Qatari national team, as hosts, qualified automatically for the tournament. However, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) obliged Qatar to participate in the Asian qualifying stage as the first two rounds also act as qualification for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.[103] Since Qatar reached the final stage as winners in their group, Lebanon, the fifth-best second place team, advanced instead.[104] France, the reigning World Cup champions also went through qualifying stages as normal.[105]
Saint Lucia initially entered CONCACAF qualification but withdrew from it before their first match. North Korea withdrew from the AFC qualifying round due to safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both American Samoa and Samoa withdrew before the OFC qualification draw.[106] Tonga withdrew after the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai eruption and tsunami.[107] Due to COVID-19 outbreaks in their squads, Vanuatu and Cook Islands also withdrew because of the travel restrictions.[108][109]
Of the 32 nations qualified to play at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, 24 countries competed at the previous tournament in 2018.[110] Qatar were the only team making their debut in the FIFA World Cup, becoming the first hosts to make their tournament debut since Italy in 1934. As a result, the 2022 tournament was the first World Cup in which none of the teams that earned a spot through qualification were making their debut. The Netherlands, Ecuador, Ghana, Cameroon, and the United States returned to the tournament after missing the 2018 tournament. Canada returned after 36 years, their only prior appearance being in 1986.[111] Wales made their first appearance in 64 years – the longest ever gap for any team, their only previous participation having been in 1958.[112]
Italy, four-time winners and reigning European champions, failed to qualify for a second successive World Cup for the first time in their history, losing in the qualification play-off semi-finals.[113] The Italians were the only former champions and the highest ranked team in the FIFA Men's World Rankings that failed to qualify. Italy were also the fourth team to have failed to qualify for the upcoming World Cup after having won the previous UEFA European Championship, following Czechoslovakia in 1978, Denmark in 1994, and Greece in 2006.[114] The previous World Cup hosts, Russia, were disqualified from competing due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[115]
Chile, the 2015 and 2016 Copa América winners, failed to qualify for the second consecutive time. Nigeria were defeated by Ghana on away goals in Confederation of African Football (CAF) final playoff round, having qualified for the previous three World Cups and six out of the last seven. Egypt, Panama, Colombia, Peru, Iceland, and Sweden, all of whom qualified for the 2018 World Cup, did not qualify for the 2022 tournament.[116] Ghana were the lowest ranked team to qualify, ranked 61st.[117]
The qualified teams, listed by region, with numbers in parentheses indicating final positions in the FIFA Men's World Ranking before the tournament were:[118]
| AFC (6)
CAF (5) | CONCACAF (4)
CONMEBOL (4) OFC (0)
| UEFA (13) | Team qualified Team failed to qualify Team withdrew or suspended Not a FIFA member
|
Draw
The final draw was held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Doha, Qatar,[119] on 1 April 2022,[120] 19:00 AST, prior to the completion of qualification. The two winners of the inter-confederation play-offs and the winner of the Path A of the UEFA play-offs were not known at the time of the draw.[121] The draw was attended by 2,000 guests and was led by Carli Lloyd, Jermaine Jenas and sports broadcaster Samantha Johnson, assisted by the likes of Cafu (Brazil), Lothar Matthäus (Germany), Adel Ahmed Malalla (Qatar), Ali Daei (Iran), Bora Milutinović (Serbia/Mexico), Jay-Jay Okocha (Nigeria), Rabah Madjer (Algeria), and Tim Cahill (Australia).[122][123]
For the draw, 32 teams were allocated into four pots based on the FIFA Men's World Rankings of 31 March 2022.[124] Pot 1 contained host Qatar (who were automatically assigned to position A1) and the best seven teams. Pot 2 contained the next best eight teams, with the next best eight teams into pot 3. Pot 4 contained the five lowest-ranked teams, along with the placeholders for the two inter-confederation play-off winners and the UEFA Path A play-off winner. Teams from the same confederation could not be drawn into the same group except for UEFA teams, for which there was at least one and no more than two per group.[125]
This principle also applied to the placeholder teams, with constraints applying based on the confederation of both potential winners of each play-off tie. The draw started with pot 1 and ended with pot 4, with each team selected then allocated into the first available group alphabetically. The position for the team within the group would then be drawn (for the purpose of the match schedule), with the pot 1 teams automatically drawn into position 1 of each group.[125] The pots for the draw are shown below.[126]
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qatar (51) (hosts) Brazil (1) Belgium (2) France (3) Argentina (4) England (5) Spain (7) Portugal (8) | Mexico (9) Netherlands (10) Denmark (11) Germany (12) Uruguay (13) Switzerland (14) United States (15) Croatia (16) | Senegal (20) Iran (21) Japan (23) Morocco (24) Serbia (25) Poland (26) South Korea (29) Tunisia (35) | Cameroon (37) Canada (38) Ecuador (46) Saudi Arabia (49) Ghana (61) Wales (18) [M] Costa Rica (31) [N] Australia (42) [O] |
Squads
Before submitting their final squad for the tournament, teams named a provisional squad of up to 55 players. Teams were required to have their 55-player roster submitted to FIFA by 21 October.[127] Teams were required to name their final squads by 13 November.[128] In August 2022, FIFA increased the final squad size to 26 players from a total of 23 players at the 2018 edition.[129] All teams had a total of 26 players in their final squads except for France, who decided not to replace Karim Benzema after he sustained an injury, and Iran, who chose 25 players.[130][131]
Officiating
In May 2022, FIFA announced the list of 36 referees, 69 assistant referees, and 24 video assistant referees for the tournament. Of the 36 referees, FIFA included two each from Argentina, Brazil, England, and France.[132][133]
For the first time women referees officiated games at a major men's tournament.[134] France's Stéphanie Frappart, Salima Mukansanga from Rwanda, and Yoshimi Yamashita from Japan became the first female referees to be appointed to a men's World Cup.[135] Frappart previously oversaw the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup Final.[136] They were joined by three female assistant referees, Neuza Back, Kathryn Nesbitt, and Karen Díaz Medina. Frappart then officially became the first ever female referee to officiate a World Cup match when she worked the Costa Rica vs Germany match in Group E on 1 December.[137]
Gambian referee Bakary Gassama and Argentine assistant referee Juan Pablo Belatti were among the officials to serve at their third World Cup. Belatti was an assistant referee in the 2018 final.[138][139][140] Other returning officials included referees César Arturo Ramos of Mexico and Janny Sikazwe of Zambia, and Iranian assistant referee Mohammadreza Mansouri.[141][142][143]
On 15 December 2022, FIFA announced that Polish referee Szymon Marciniak would adjudicate the final.[144]
Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony took place on Sunday, 20 November 2022 at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, prior to the opening match of the tournament between hosts Qatar and Ecuador.[145] It included appearances by Morgan Freeman and Ghanim Al-Muftah, along with performances by South Korean singer and BTS member Jungkook and Qatari singer Fahad Al Kubaisi.[146][147] It was the first time that the Qur'an had been recited as part of the opening ceremony.[148]
Group stage
The group stage was played from 20 November to 2 December.[149] Competing countries were divided into eight groups of four teams (groups A to H). Teams in each group played one another in a round-robin, where the top two teams advanced to the knockout stage.
| Tie-breaking criteria for group play |
|---|
The ranking of teams in the group stage was determined as follows:[150]
|
Group A
The first match of the tournament was held between Qatar and Ecuador in Group A. Ecuador had a disallowed goal in the opening minutes,[151] but eventually won 2–0 with two goals from Enner Valencia.[152] Qatar became the first host nation to lose their opening match at a World Cup.[153][154][155] Many Qatar natives were seen leaving the game before the end, with ESPN reporting that two-thirds of the attendance had left.[156][157] The other starting match in group A was won by the Netherlands 2–0 over Senegal. Cody Gakpo scored the opening goal in the 84th minute and Davy Klaassen added a second in stoppage time.[158] Senegal faced Qatar in the third match of the group; Boulaye Dia capitalised on a slip by Boualem Khoukhi to put Senegal 1–0 ahead. Famara Diédhiou scored a second with a header, before Mohammed Muntari scored Qatar's first-ever goal at a World Cup to reduce the deficit back to one. Senegal eventually won the match 3–1 after an 84th-minute goal by Bamba Dieng. With this result, Qatar became the first team to be eliminated from the tournament, as well as becoming the first host nation to ever be knocked out of the tournament after two games.[159] Gakpo scored his second goal of the tournament as the Netherlands led Ecuador; however, Valencia scored an equaliser in the 49th minute.[160] The Netherlands won 2–0 against Qatar following goals by Gakpo and Frenkie de Jong to win the group, while Qatar attained the distinction of being the first home nation to lose all three group matches.[161] Senegal faced Ecuador to determine the second knockout round qualifier. At the end of the first half, Ismaïla Sarr scored a penalty kick to put Senegal ahead. In the 67th minute, Moisés Caicedo scored an equaliser, but shortly after, Kalidou Koulibaly gave Senegal the victory. The win was enough to qualify Senegal as the runners-up of Group A.[162]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 7 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 2 | Senegal | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 6 | |
| 3 | Ecuador | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 4 | |
| 4 | Qatar (H) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 0 |
(H) Host
| Senegal | 0–2 | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Netherlands | 1–1 | Ecuador |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Netherlands | 2–0 | Qatar |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Group B
England completed a 6–2 victory over Iran. Iranian keeper Alireza Beiranvand was removed from the game for a suspected concussion before England scored three first-half goals.[163] Mehdi Taremi scored in the second half after which England defender Harry Maguire was also removed for a concussion.[163] Timothy Weah, of the United States, scored a first-half goal against Wales; however, the match finished as a draw after a penalty kick was won and scored by Gareth Bale.[164] Iran defeated Wales 2–0 following a red card to Welsh goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey after he committed a foul outside of his penalty area. Substitute Rouzbeh Cheshmi scored the first goal eight minutes into stoppage time, followed by Ramin Rezaeian scoring three minutes later.[165] England and the United States played to a 0–0 draw, with only four shots on target between them.[166] England won the group following a 3–0 win over Wales with a goal by Phil Foden and two by Rashford.[167] Christian Pulisic scored the winning goal as the United States defeated Iran 1–0 to qualify for the round of 16.[168]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 7 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 2 | United States | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 5 | |
| 3 | Iran | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 3 | |
| 4 | Wales | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 1 |
| England | 0–0 | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Iran | 0–1 | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Group C
Argentina took an early lead against Saudi Arabia after Lionel Messi scored a penalty kick after ten minutes; however, second-half goals by Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari won the match 2–1 for Saudi Arabia,[169] a result described as "the biggest upset in the history of the World Cup."[170][171] The match between Mexico and Poland ended as a goalless 0–0 draw after Guillermo Ochoa saved Robert Lewandowski's penalty kick attempt.[172] Lewandowski scored his first career World Cup goal in a 2–0 win over Saudi Arabia four days later.[173][174] Argentina defeated Mexico 2–0, with Messi scoring the opener and later assisting teammate Enzo Fernández who scored his first international goal.[175][176] Argentina won their last game as they played Poland with goals by Alexis Mac Allister and Julián Álvarez which was enough to win the group;[177] Poland qualified for the knockout stage on goal difference.[178]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentina | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 6 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 2 | Poland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 | Mexico | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 4 | |
| 4 | Saudi Arabia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 3 |
| Argentina | 1–2 | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
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| Poland | 2–0 | Saudi Arabia |
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| Poland | 0–2 | Argentina |
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| Report |
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| Saudi Arabia | 1–2 | Mexico |
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| Report |
Group D
The match between Denmark and Tunisia ended as a goalless draw; both teams had goals disallowed by offside calls.[179] Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen made his first major international appearance since suffering a cardiac arrest at the UEFA Euro 2020.[179] Defending champions France went a goal behind to Australia, after a Craig Goodwin goal within ten minutes. France, however, scored four goals, by Adrien Rabiot, by Kylian Mbappé, and two by Olivier Giroud to win 4–1.[180] The goals tied Giroud with Thierry Henry as France's all-time top goalscorer.[180] Mitchell Duke scored the only goal as Australia won against Tunisia. This was their first World Cup win since 2010.[181][182] Mbappé scored a brace as France defeated Denmark 2–1. This was enough for France to qualify for the knockout round – the first time since Brazil in 2006 that the defending champions progressed through the opening round.[183][181] Mathew Leckie scored the only goal as Australia defeated Denmark 1–0, qualifying for the knockout round as runners-up with the win.[184] Wahbi Khazri scored for Tunisia against France in the 58th minute. Although Antoine Griezmann equalised in stoppage time it was overturned for offside. Tunisia finished third in the group, as they required a draw in the Denmark and Australia game.[185]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 2 | Australia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 6 | |
| 3 | Tunisia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | Denmark | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 1 |
| France | 2–1 | Denmark |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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Group E
Group E began with Japan facing 2014 champions Germany. After an early penalty kick was converted by Germany's İlkay Gündoğan, Japan scored two second-half goals by Ritsu Dōan and Takuma Asano in a 2–1 upset win.[186] In the second group match, Spain defeated Costa Rica 7–0. First-half goals by Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio, and Ferran Torres were followed by goals by Gavi, Carlos Soler, Alvaro Morata, and a second by Torres.[187][188] This was the largest defeat in a World Cup since Portugal's victory over North Korea in the 2010 event by the same scoreline.[189] Costa Rica defeated Japan 1–0, with Keysher Fuller scoring with Costa Rica's first shot on target of the tournament.[190] Germany and Spain drew 1–1, with Álvaro Morata scoring for Spain and Niclas Füllkrug scoring for Germany.[191][192][193] Morata scored the opening goal for Spain against Japan as they controlled the first half of the match.[194] Japan equalised on Ritsu Doan before a second goal by Kaoru Mitoma was heavily investigated by VAR for the ball being out of play. The goal was awarded, and Japan won the group following a 2–1 win.[195] Serge Gnabry scored on ten minutes for Germany against Costa Rica and they led until half-time. Germany required a win, and for Japan to not win their match, or for both teams to win their matches by a combined goal difference of at least 9 goals, to qualify. In the second half, goals by Yeltsin Tejeda and Juan Vargas gave Costa Rica a 2–1 lead, which would have qualified them into the knockout stages ahead of Spain. Germany scored three further goals—two by Kai Havertz and a goal by Niclas Fullkrug, ending in a 4–2 win for Germany—which was not enough to qualify them for the final stages.[196] Japan won the group ahead of Spain.[197]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 6 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 2 | Spain | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 4 | |
| 3 | Germany | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 4 | |
| 4 | Costa Rica | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 11 | −8 | 3 |
| Spain | 7–0 | Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Japan | 0–1 | Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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Group F
Group F's first match was a goalless draw between Morocco and Croatia.[198] Canada had a penalty kick in the first half of their match against Belgium which was saved by Thibaut Courtois. Belgium won the match by a single goal by Michy Batshuayi.[199] Belgium manager Roberto Martínez confirmed after the game that he believed Canada to have been the better team.[200] Belgium lost 2–0 to Morocco, despite Morocco having a long-range direct free kick goal by Hakim Ziyech overturned for an offside on another player in the lead up to the goal. Two second-half goals from Zakaria Aboukhlal and Romain Saïss helped the Morocco win their first World Cup match since 1998.[201][202] The match sparked riots in Belgium, with residents fires and fireworks being set off.[203] Alphonso Davies scored Canada's first World Cup goal to give Canada the lead over Croatia. Goals by Marko Livaja, Lovro Majer, and two by Andrej Kramarić for Croatia completed a 4–1 victory.[204] Morocco scored two early goals through Hakim Ziyech and Youssef En-Nesyri in their game against Canada and qualified following a 2–1 victory. Canada's only goal was an own goal by Nayef Aguerd.[205] Croatia and Belgium played a goalless draw which eliminated Belgium, whose team was ranked second in the world, from the tournament.[206]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morocco | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 7 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 2 | Croatia | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 5 | |
| 3 | Belgium | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 4 | |
| 4 | Canada | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 |
Group G
Breel Embolo scored the only goal in Switzerland's 1–0 defeat of Cameroon.[207] Richarlison scored two goals as Brazil won against Serbia, with star player Neymar receiving an ankle injury.[208] Cameroon's Jean-Charles Castelletto scored the opening goal against Serbia, but they were quickly behind as Serbia scored three goals by Strahinja Pavlović, Sergej Milinković-Savić, and Aleksandar Mitrović either side of half time. Cameroon, however, scored goals through Vincent Aboubakar and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, completing a 3–3 draw.[209] An 83rd-minute winner by Casemiro for Brazil over Switzerland was enough for them to qualify for the knockout stage.[210] Having already qualified, Brazil were unable to win their final group game, as they were defeated by Cameroon 1–0 following a goal by Vincent Aboubakar. He was later sent off for removing his shirt in celebrating the goal.[211] Cameroon, however, did not qualify, as Switzerland defeated Serbia 3–2.[212]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 6 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 2 | Switzerland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 6 | |
| 3 | Cameroon | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | Serbia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 1 |
| Switzerland | 1–0 | Cameroon |
|---|---|---|
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| Brazil | 2–0 | Serbia |
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| Cameroon | 3–3 | Serbia |
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| Brazil | 1–0 | Switzerland |
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| Serbia | 2–3 | Switzerland |
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Group H
Uruguay and South Korea played to a goalless draw.[213] A goalless first half between Portugal and Ghana preceded a penalty converted by Cristiano Ronaldo to give Portugal the lead. In scoring the goal, Ronaldo became the first man to score in five World Cups. Ghana responded with a goal by André Ayew before goals by João Félix, and Rafael Leão by Portugal put them 3–1 ahead. Osman Bukari scored in the 89th minute to trail by a single goal, while Iñaki Williams had a chance to equalise for Ghana ten minutes into stoppage time, but slipped before shooting. The match finished 3–2 to Portugal.[214] Ghanaian Mohammed Salisu opened the scoring against South Korea, with Mohammed Kudus following it up. In the second half, Cho Gue-sung scored a brace for South Korea, levelling the score. Mohammed Kudus scored again in the 68th minute, winning the match 3–2 for Ghana.[215] Portugal defeated Uruguay 2–0 with two goals from Bruno Fernandes, advancing them to the knockout stage.[216] The game's first goal appeared to have been headed in by Ronaldo, but the ball just missed his head. A controversial penalty decision was called late in the game, with a suspected handball from José María Giménez.[217][218] Portugal led South Korea through Ricardo Horta after 10 minutes. However, goals by Kim Young-gwon and Hwang Hee-chan won the match 2–1 for South Korea.[219] Giorgian de Arrascaeta scored two goals as Uruguay defeated Ghana 2–0.[220] However, with South Korea winning, Uruguay required another goal to progress as they finished third on goals scored.[221] Several Uruguay players left the pitch after the game surrounding the referees and followed them off the pitch.[222][223][224]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 2 | South Korea | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 | Uruguay | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | Ghana | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 3 |
| Uruguay | 0–0 | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
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| South Korea | 2–3 | Ghana |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Ghana | 0–2 | Uruguay |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| South Korea | 2–1 | Portugal |
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| Report |
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Knockout stage
In the knockout stage, if the scores were equal when normal playing time expired, extra time was played for two periods of 15 minutes each. This was followed, if required, by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winners.[150]
Bracket
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||
| 3 December – Al Rayyan (Khalifa) | ||||||||||||||
| Netherlands | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 9 December – Lusail | ||||||||||||||
| United States | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Netherlands | 2 (3) | |||||||||||||
| 3 December – Al Rayyan (Ahmad bin Ali) | ||||||||||||||
| Argentina (p) | 2 (4) | |||||||||||||
| Argentina | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 13 December – Lusail | ||||||||||||||
| Australia | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Argentina | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 5 December – Al Wakrah | ||||||||||||||
2022, fifa, world, 2022, world, redirects, here, other, competitions, that, name, 2022, world, disambiguation, fifa, 2022, redirects, here, video, game, fifa, international, football, tournament, contested, national, teams, fifa, member, associations, 22nd, ed. 2022 World Cup redirects here For other competitions of that name see 2022 World Cup disambiguation FIFA 2022 redirects here For the video game see FIFA 22 The 2022 FIFA World Cup was an international football tournament contested by the men s national teams of FIFA s member associations and 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022 making it the first World Cup held in the Arab world and Muslim world and the second held entirely in Asia after the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan A 2022 FIFA World Cupكأس العالم لكرة القدم 2022 Kaʾs al ʿalam li kurat al qadam 2022الآن هو كل شيء Al ʾana huwa kullu sayʾ Now Is All 1 Tournament detailsHost countryQatarDates20 November 2022 2022 11 20 18 December 2022 2022 12 18 Teams32 from 5 confederations Venue s 8 in 5 host cities Final positionsChampions Argentina 3rd title Runners up FranceThird place CroatiaFourth place MoroccoTournament statisticsMatches played64Goals scored172 2 69 per match Attendance3 404 252 53 191 per match Top scorer s Kylian Mbappe 8 goals Best player s Lionel MessiBest young playerEnzo FernandezBest goalkeeperEmiliano MartinezFair play award England 20182026 This tournament was the last with 32 participating teams with the number of teams being increased to 48 for the 2026 edition To avoid the extremes of Qatar s hot climate B the event was held during November and December C It was held over a reduced time frame of 29 days with 64 matches played in eight venues across five cities Qatar entered the event their first World Cup automatically as the host s national team alongside 31 teams determined by the qualification process Argentina were crowned the champions after winning the final against the title holder France 4 2 on penalties following a 3 3 draw after extra time It was Argentina s third title and their first since 1986 as well being the first nation from outside of Europe to win the tournament since 2002 French player Kylian Mbappe became the first player to score a hat trick in a World Cup final since Geoff Hurst in the 1966 final and won the Golden Boot as he scored the most goals eight during the tournament Argentine captain Lionel Messi was voted the tournament s best player winning the Golden Ball Teammates Emiliano Martinez and Enzo Fernandez won the Golden Glove awarded to the tournament s best goalkeeper and the Young Player Award awarded to the tournament s best young player respectively With 172 goals the tournament set a new record for the highest number of goals scored with the 32 team format with every participating team scoring at least one goal 4 The choice to host the World Cup in Qatar attracted significant criticism with concerns raised over the country s treatment of migrant workers women and members of the LGBT community as well as Qatar s climate lack of a strong football culture scheduling changes and allegations of bribery for hosting rights and wider FIFA corruption D Contents 1 Overview 1 1 Schedule 1 2 Prize money 1 3 Rule changes 2 Host selection 2 1 Host selection criticism 2 2 Cost of hosting the tournament 3 Venues 3 1 Stadiums 4 Teams 4 1 Qualification 4 2 Draw 5 Squads 6 Officiating 7 Opening ceremony 8 Group stage 8 1 Group A 8 2 Group B 8 3 Group C 8 4 Group D 8 5 Group E 8 6 Group F 8 7 Group G 8 8 Group H 9 Knockout stage 9 1 Bracket 9 2 Round of 16 9 3 Quarter finals 9 4 Semi finals 9 5 Third place play off 9 6 Final 10 Statistics 10 1 Goalscorers 10 2 Discipline 11 Awards 12 Marketing 12 1 Branding 12 2 Merchandise 12 3 Broadcasting rights 12 4 Sponsorship 13 Symbols 13 1 Mascot 13 2 Match ball 13 3 Music 14 Controversies 14 1 Migrant workers 14 2 Move to November and December 14 3 Bidding corruption allegations 2014 14 4 Qatar diplomatic crisis in 2017 14 5 Russian participation 14 6 LGBT rights 14 7 Women s rights 14 8 Influence of Iran 14 9 Alcohol ban 14 10 Treatment of Jewish and Israeli visitors 14 11 Accommodation 15 Reception 16 See also 17 Notes 18 References 19 External linksOverviewThe FIFA World Cup is a professional football tournament held between national football teams Organised by FIFA 13 14 The tournament held every four years was first played in 1930 in Uruguay 15 and has been contested by 32 teams since the 1998 event 15 The tournament was contested with eight round robin groups followed by a knockout round for 16 teams 16 The defending champions were France who defeated Croatia 4 2 in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final 17 18 The event was scheduled to take place under a reduced length 19 from 20 November to 18 December in Qatar 20 21 22 Being held in Qatar it was the first World Cup tournament to be held in the Arab world 23 Spectators were not required to follow most COVID 19 pandemic restrictions such as social distancing wearing masks and negative tests 24 Schedule Unlike previous FIFA World Cups which are typically played in June and July because of Qatar s intense summer heat and often fairly high humidity 2 21 25 the 2022 World Cup was played in November and December 5 26 As a result the World Cup was unusually staged in the middle of the seasons of many domestic association football leagues which started in late July or August including all of the major European leagues which had been obliged to incorporate extended breaks into their domestic schedules to accommodate the World Cup Major European competitions had scheduled their respective competitions group matches to be played before the World Cup to avoid playing group matches the following year 27 The match schedule was confirmed by FIFA in July 2020 28 The group stage was set to begin on 21 November with four matches every day Later the schedule was tweaked by moving the Qatar vs Ecuador game to 20 November after Qatar lobbied FIFA to allow their team to open the tournament 29 30 The final was played on 18 December 2022 National Day at Lusail Stadium 31 28 The matches for each group were allocated to the following stadiums 31 Groups A B E F Al Bayt Stadium Khalifa International Stadium Al Thumama Stadium Ahmad bin Ali Stadium Groups C D G H Lusail Stadium Stadium 974 Education City Stadium Al Janoub StadiumFIFA confirmed the group stage venue and kick off times on 1 April 2022 following the draw 32 33 On 11 August it was confirmed that Qatar vs Ecuador had been brought forward one day now becoming the tournament s opening match while Senegal vs Netherlands which would have opened the tournament under the original schedule had been reallocated to the freed up timeslot 34 Prize money In April 2022 FIFA announced the prizes for all participating nations Each qualified team received 1 5 million before the competition to cover preparation costs with each team receiving at least 9 million in prize money This edition s total prize pool was 440 million 40 million greater than the prize pool of the previous tournament 35 Place Teams Amount in millions Per team TotalChampions 1 42 42Runners up 1 30 30Third place 1 27 27Fourth place 1 25 255th 8th place quarter finals 4 17 689th 16th place round of 16 8 13 10417th 32nd place group stage 16 9 144Total 32 440Rule changes The tournament featured new substitution rules whereby teams could make up to five substitutions in normal time and an additional substitution in extra time 36 37 38 In addition it was the first World Cup to feature concussion substitutions whereby each team was permitted to use a maximum of one concussion substitute during a match A concussion substitution did not count towards a team s quota of regular substitutions 39 Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand suffered a concussion in his country s opening match against England and was replaced by Hossein Hosseini This was the first use of a dedicated concussion substitute during a World Cup 40 Host selectionMain articles 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bids and Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup bid The bidding procedure to host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups began in January 2009 National associations had until 2 February 2009 to register interest 41 Initially 11 bids were made for the 2018 FIFA World Cup but Mexico withdrew from proceedings 42 43 and Indonesia s bid was rejected by FIFA in February 2010 after the Indonesian Football Association failed to submit a letter of Indonesian government guarantee to support the bid 44 After UEFA were guaranteed to host the 2018 event members of UEFA were no longer in contention to host in 2022 45 There were five bids remaining for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Australia Japan Qatar South Korea and the United States The 22 member FIFA Executive Committee convened in Zurich on 2 December 2010 to vote to select the hosts of both tournaments 46 Two FIFA executive committee members were suspended before the vote in relation to allegations of corruption regarding their votes 47 The decision to host the 2022 World Cup in Qatar which was graded as having high operational risk 48 generated criticism from media commentators 49 It was criticised by many as being part of the FIFA corruption scandals 50 The voting patterns were as follows 51 2022 FIFA bidding majority 12 votes Bidders VotesRound 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4Qatar 11 10 11 14United States 3 5 6 8South Korea 4 5 5 EliminatedJapan 3 2 EliminatedAustralia 1 EliminatedHost selection criticism Russian President Vladimir Putin handing over the symbolic relay baton for the hosting rights of the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in June 2018 There have been allegations of bribery and corruption in the selection process involving FIFA s executive committee members 52 These allegations are being investigated by FIFA see Bidding corruption allegations 2014 below In May 2011 allegations of corruption within the FIFA senior officials raised questions over the legitimacy of the World Cup 2022 being held in Qatar The accusations of corruption were made relating to how Qatar won the right to host the event A FIFA internal investigation and report cleared Qatar of any violation but chief investigator Michael J Garcia described FIFA s report on his enquiry as containing numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations 53 In May 2015 Swiss federal prosecutors opened an investigation into corruption and money laundering related to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids 54 55 In August 2018 former FIFA president Sepp Blatter claimed that Qatar had used black ops suggesting that the bid committee had cheated to win the hosting rights 56 Some investigations found that Qatar sought an edge in securing hosting by hiring a former CIA officer turned private contractor Kevin Chalker to spy on rival bid teams and key football officials who picked the winner in 2010 57 In September 2018 a delegation from al Ghufran tribe lodged a complaint to FIFA s president to reject the establishment of the World Cup in Qatar unless its government restored the Qatari nationality to all those affected from the tribe and returned land allegedly stolen from them to build the sport facilities 58 Qatar faced strong criticism for the treatment of foreign workers involved in preparation for the World Cup with Amnesty International referring to forced labour and poor working conditions 59 60 while many migrant workers reported having to pay large recruitment fees to obtain employment 61 The Guardian newspaper reported that many workers were denied food and water had their identity papers taken away from them and that they were not paid on time or at all making some of them in effect slaves The Guardian estimated that up to 4 000 workers could die from lax safety and other causes by the time the competition was held Between 2015 and 2021 the Qatari government adopted new labour reforms to improve working conditions including a minimum wage for all workers and the removal of the kafala system According to Amnesty International however living and working conditions of the foreign workers did not improve in the last years 62 Qatar was the smallest nation by area ever to have been awarded a FIFA World Cup the next smallest by area was Switzerland host of the 1954 World Cup which was more than three times as large as Qatar and only needed to host 16 teams instead of 32 Qatar also became only the second country not including Uruguay and Italy hosts of the first two World Cups to be awarded a FIFA World Cup despite having never qualified for a previous edition Japan was awarded co hosting rights of the 2002 World Cup in 1996 without ever having qualified for the finals although they qualified for the 1998 edition Of the eight stadiums used in the tournament six were located in the Doha metropolitan area making it the first World Cup since 1930 in which most of the stadiums were in one city While this decreased the distance that fans and players needed to commute Qatar itself struggled to accommodate the numbers of arriving fans with its diminutive amount of space 63 Due to Qatar s laws on alcohol consumption World Cup organisers announced the creation of designated sobering up zones as an alternative to wide scale arrests of intoxicated fans during the World Cup 64 Qatar s World Cup chief executive of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy Nasser Al Khater stated that the purpose of the designated sobering up areas was to ensure the fans safety 65 If a fan was sent to the sobering up zone they were permitted to leave when they could display clearheaded behaviour 66 Multiple news agencies described the controversy as a cultural clash between social conservatism and Islamic morality against the norms of secular Western liberal democracies 11 67 Cost of hosting the tournament At an estimated cost of over 220 billion 68 it is the most expensive World Cup ever held to date this figure is disputed by Qatari officials including organising CEO Nasser Al Khater who said the true cost was 8 billion and other figures related to overall infrastructure development since the World Cup was awarded to Qatar in 2010 69 VenuesFurther information List of football stadiums in Qatar Six of the eight venues such as the venue for the final Lusail Stadium were new stadiums built specifically for the 2022 FIFA World Cup The first five proposed venues for the World Cup were unveiled at the beginning of March 2010 Qatar intended that the stadiums should reflect its history and culture and for the designs to meet the following terms of reference legacy comfort accessibility and sustainability 70 The stadiums were equipped with cooling systems that aim to reduce temperatures within the stadium by up to 20 C 36 F 71 72 Their marketing included statements describing the stadiums as zero waste and the upper tiers of the stadiums will be disassembled after the World Cup and donated to countries with less developed sports infrastructure 71 72 Qatar aspired to be compliant and certified by the Global Sustainability Assessment System GSAS for all the World Cup stadiums All of the five stadium projects launched were designed by German architect Albert Speer amp Partners 73 The Al Bayt and Al Wakrah stadiums were the only indoor stadiums of the eight used 74 Some venues such as the 68 000 seat Al Bayt Stadium will have its upper tier of seating removed to reduce capacity after the tournament In an April 2013 report by Merrill Lynch the organisers in Qatar requested that FIFA approve a smaller number of stadiums due to the growing costs 75 Bloomberg said that Qatar wished to cut the number of venues to eight or nine from the twelve originally planned 76 By April 2017 FIFA had yet to finalise the number of stadiums Qatar must have readied in five years time Qatar s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy SC said it expected there would be eight in and near Doha with the exception of Al Khor 77 78 The most used stadium was the Lusail Stadium which hosted 10 matches including the final The Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor hosted nine matches All but the nine matches hosted in Al Khor in this tournament were held within a 20 miles 32 km radius of the centre of Doha In addition the Khalifa Al Thumama and Education City stadiums hosted eight matches each Khalifa hosted the third place match while Al Thumama and Education City hosted a quarter final each and the 974 Al Janoub and Ahmad bin Ali stadiums hosted seven matches each including a round of 16 match each Stadium 974 formerly known as the Ras Abu Aboud Stadium was the seventh FIFA World Cup 2022 venue to be completed by the SC Its name comes from the number of shipping containers used in its construction and Qatar s international dialling code The venue will be dismantled completely after the tournament this stadium was the first temporary stadium ever used for a FIFA World Cup 79 All of the other stadiums used except Khalifa International were reduced in capacity by half 80 The Qatari government employed about 50 000 security personnel including police departments and military forces from at least thirteen countries including Poland Germany France Kuwait Jordan Italy Palestine Spain Pakistan Turkey USA Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom 81 82 Stadiums Interactive fullscreen map Venues of the 2022 FIFA World Cup1 Lusail Stadium2 Al Bayt Stadium3 Khalifa International Stadium4 Ahmad bin Ali Stadium5 Education City Stadium6 Al Thumama Stadium7 Stadium 9748 Al Janoub Stadium City Stadium CapacityLusail Lusail Stadium 88 966 83 84 E Al Khor Al Bayt Stadium 68 895 85 86 F Al Rayyan Khalifa International Stadium 45 857 87 88 G Ahmad bin Ali Stadium 45 032 89 90 H Education City Stadium 44 667 91 92 I Doha Al Thumama Stadium 44 400 93 94 J Stadium 974 44 089 95 96 K Al Wakrah Al Janoub Stadium 44 325 97 98 L Team base campsBase camps were used by the 32 national squads to stay and train before and during the World Cup tournament In July 2022 FIFA announced the hotels and training sites for each participating team 99 100 This World Cup was the most compact since the inaugural edition in 1930 with 24 of the 32 teams being within a 10 km radius of each other and are concentrated within the Doha area It was the first Cup since 1930 in which players did not need to take flights to matches and could remain at the same training base throughout the entire tournament 101 102 Team Hotel Training site Argentina Qatar University Hostel 1 Qatar University Training Site 3 Australia New Aspire Academy Athlete Accommodation Aspire Zone Training Facilities 5 Belgium Hilton Salwa Beach Resort and Villas Salwa Training Site Brazil The Westin Doha Hotel and Spa Al Arabi SC Stadium Cameroon Banyan Tree Doha at La Cigale Mushaireb Al Sailiya SC Stadium Canada Century Marina Hotel Lusail Umm Salal SC Training Facilities Costa Rica dusitD2 Salwa Doha Al Ahli SC Stadium Croatia Hilton Doha Al Ersal Training Site 3 Denmark Retaj Salwa Resort amp SPA Al Sailiya SC 2 Ecuador Hyatt Regency Oryx Doha Mesaimeer SC Training Facilities England Souq Al Wakra Hotel Qatar by Tivoli Al Wakrah SC Stadium France Al Messila A Luxury Collection Resort amp Spa Doha Al Sadd SC Stadium Germany Zulal Wellness Resort Al Shamal SC Stadium Ghana DoubleTree by Hilton Doha Al Sadd Aspire Zone Training Facilities 1 Iran Al Rayyan Hotel Doha Curio Collection by Hilton Al Rayyan SC Training Facilities 1 Japan Radisson Blu Hotel Doha Al Sadd SC New Training Facilities 1 Mexico Simaisma A Murwab Resort Al Khor SC Stadium Morocco Wyndham Doha West Bay Al Duhail SC Stadium Netherlands The St Regis Doha Qatar University Training Site 6 Poland Ezdan Palace Hotel Al Kharaitiyat SC Training Facilities Portugal Al Samriya Autograph Collection Hotel Al Shahaniya SC Training Facilities Qatar Al Aziziyah Boutique Hotel Aspire Zone Training Facilities 3 Saudi Arabia Sealine Beach a Murwab Resort Sealine Training Site Senegal Duhail Handball Sports Hall Al Duhail SC 2 Serbia Rixos Gulf Hotel Doha Al Arabi SC Training Facilities South Korea Le Meridien City Center Doha Al Egla Training Site 5 Spain Qatar University Hostel 2 Qatar University Training Site 1 Switzerland Le Royal Meridien Doha University of Doha for Science and Technology Training Facilities Tunisia Wyndham Grand Doha West Bay Beach Al Egla Training Sites 3 United States Marsa Malaz Kempinski The Pearl Doha Al Gharafa SC Stadium Uruguay Pullman Doha West Bay Al Ersal Training Site 1 Wales Delta Hotels City Center Doha Al Sadd SC New Training Facilities 2TeamsQualification Main article 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification FIFA s six continental confederations organised their own qualifying competitions All 211 FIFA member associations were eligible to enter qualification The Qatari national team as hosts qualified automatically for the tournament However the Asian Football Confederation AFC obliged Qatar to participate in the Asian qualifying stage as the first two rounds also act as qualification for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup 103 Since Qatar reached the final stage as winners in their group Lebanon the fifth best second place team advanced instead 104 France the reigning World Cup champions also went through qualifying stages as normal 105 Saint Lucia initially entered CONCACAF qualification but withdrew from it before their first match North Korea withdrew from the AFC qualifying round due to safety concerns related to the COVID 19 pandemic Both American Samoa and Samoa withdrew before the OFC qualification draw 106 Tonga withdrew after the 2022 Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha apai eruption and tsunami 107 Due to COVID 19 outbreaks in their squads Vanuatu and Cook Islands also withdrew because of the travel restrictions 108 109 Of the 32 nations qualified to play at the 2022 FIFA World Cup 24 countries competed at the previous tournament in 2018 110 Qatar were the only team making their debut in the FIFA World Cup becoming the first hosts to make their tournament debut since Italy in 1934 As a result the 2022 tournament was the first World Cup in which none of the teams that earned a spot through qualification were making their debut The Netherlands Ecuador Ghana Cameroon and the United States returned to the tournament after missing the 2018 tournament Canada returned after 36 years their only prior appearance being in 1986 111 Wales made their first appearance in 64 years the longest ever gap for any team their only previous participation having been in 1958 112 Italy four time winners and reigning European champions failed to qualify for a second successive World Cup for the first time in their history losing in the qualification play off semi finals 113 The Italians were the only former champions and the highest ranked team in the FIFA Men s World Rankings that failed to qualify Italy were also the fourth team to have failed to qualify for the upcoming World Cup after having won the previous UEFA European Championship following Czechoslovakia in 1978 Denmark in 1994 and Greece in 2006 114 The previous World Cup hosts Russia were disqualified from competing due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine 115 Chile the 2015 and 2016 Copa America winners failed to qualify for the second consecutive time Nigeria were defeated by Ghana on away goals in Confederation of African Football CAF final playoff round having qualified for the previous three World Cups and six out of the last seven Egypt Panama Colombia Peru Iceland and Sweden all of whom qualified for the 2018 World Cup did not qualify for the 2022 tournament 116 Ghana were the lowest ranked team to qualify ranked 61st 117 The qualified teams listed by region with numbers in parentheses indicating final positions in the FIFA Men s World Ranking before the tournament were 118 AFC 6 Australia 38 Iran 20 Japan 24 Qatar 50 hosts Saudi Arabia 51 South Korea 28 CAF 5 Cameroon 43 Ghana 61 Morocco 22 Senegal 18 Tunisia 30 CONCACAF 4 Canada 41 Costa Rica 31 Mexico 13 United States 16 CONMEBOL 4 Argentina 3 Brazil 1 Ecuador 44 Uruguay 14 OFC 0 None qualified UEFA 13 Belgium 2 Croatia 12 Denmark 10 England 5 France 4 Germany 11 Netherlands 8 Poland 26 Portugal 9 Serbia 21 Spain 7 Switzerland 15 Wales 19 Team qualified Team failed to qualify Team withdrew or suspended Not a FIFA member Draw Main article 2022 FIFA World Cup seeding The final draw was held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Doha Qatar 119 on 1 April 2022 120 19 00 AST prior to the completion of qualification The two winners of the inter confederation play offs and the winner of the Path A of the UEFA play offs were not known at the time of the draw 121 The draw was attended by 2 000 guests and was led by Carli Lloyd Jermaine Jenas and sports broadcaster Samantha Johnson assisted by the likes of Cafu Brazil Lothar Matthaus Germany Adel Ahmed Malalla Qatar Ali Daei Iran Bora Milutinovic Serbia Mexico Jay Jay Okocha Nigeria Rabah Madjer Algeria and Tim Cahill Australia 122 123 For the draw 32 teams were allocated into four pots based on the FIFA Men s World Rankings of 31 March 2022 124 Pot 1 contained host Qatar who were automatically assigned to position A1 and the best seven teams Pot 2 contained the next best eight teams with the next best eight teams into pot 3 Pot 4 contained the five lowest ranked teams along with the placeholders for the two inter confederation play off winners and the UEFA Path A play off winner Teams from the same confederation could not be drawn into the same group except for UEFA teams for which there was at least one and no more than two per group 125 This principle also applied to the placeholder teams with constraints applying based on the confederation of both potential winners of each play off tie The draw started with pot 1 and ended with pot 4 with each team selected then allocated into the first available group alphabetically The position for the team within the group would then be drawn for the purpose of the match schedule with the pot 1 teams automatically drawn into position 1 of each group 125 The pots for the draw are shown below 126 Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4 Qatar 51 hosts Brazil 1 Belgium 2 France 3 Argentina 4 England 5 Spain 7 Portugal 8 Mexico 9 Netherlands 10 Denmark 11 Germany 12 Uruguay 13 Switzerland 14 United States 15 Croatia 16 Senegal 20 Iran 21 Japan 23 Morocco 24 Serbia 25 Poland 26 South Korea 29 Tunisia 35 Cameroon 37 Canada 38 Ecuador 46 Saudi Arabia 49 Ghana 61 Wales 18 M Costa Rica 31 N Australia 42 O SquadsMain article 2022 FIFA World Cup squads Before submitting their final squad for the tournament teams named a provisional squad of up to 55 players Teams were required to have their 55 player roster submitted to FIFA by 21 October 127 Teams were required to name their final squads by 13 November 128 In August 2022 FIFA increased the final squad size to 26 players from a total of 23 players at the 2018 edition 129 All teams had a total of 26 players in their final squads except for France who decided not to replace Karim Benzema after he sustained an injury and Iran who chose 25 players 130 131 OfficiatingMain article 2022 FIFA World Cup officials In May 2022 FIFA announced the list of 36 referees 69 assistant referees and 24 video assistant referees for the tournament Of the 36 referees FIFA included two each from Argentina Brazil England and France 132 133 For the first time women referees officiated games at a major men s tournament 134 France s Stephanie Frappart Salima Mukansanga from Rwanda and Yoshimi Yamashita from Japan became the first female referees to be appointed to a men s World Cup 135 Frappart previously oversaw the 2019 FIFA Women s World Cup Final 136 They were joined by three female assistant referees Neuza Back Kathryn Nesbitt and Karen Diaz Medina Frappart then officially became the first ever female referee to officiate a World Cup match when she worked the Costa Rica vs Germany match in Group E on 1 December 137 Gambian referee Bakary Gassama and Argentine assistant referee Juan Pablo Belatti were among the officials to serve at their third World Cup Belatti was an assistant referee in the 2018 final 138 139 140 Other returning officials included referees Cesar Arturo Ramos of Mexico and Janny Sikazwe of Zambia and Iranian assistant referee Mohammadreza Mansouri 141 142 143 On 15 December 2022 FIFA announced that Polish referee Szymon Marciniak would adjudicate the final 144 Opening ceremonyMain article 2022 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony The opening ceremony took place on Sunday 20 November 2022 at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor prior to the opening match of the tournament between hosts Qatar and Ecuador 145 It included appearances by Morgan Freeman and Ghanim Al Muftah along with performances by South Korean singer and BTS member Jungkook and Qatari singer Fahad Al Kubaisi 146 147 It was the first time that the Qur an had been recited as part of the opening ceremony 148 Group stageAll times are local AST UTC 3 The group stage was played from 20 November to 2 December 149 Competing countries were divided into eight groups of four teams groups A to H Teams in each group played one another in a round robin where the top two teams advanced to the knockout stage Tie breaking criteria for group playThe ranking of teams in the group stage was determined as follows 150 Points obtained in all group matches Goal difference in all group matches Number of goals scored in all group matches Points obtained in the matches played between the teams in question Goal difference in the matches played between the teams in question Number of goals scored in the matches played between the teams in question Fair play points in all group matches only one deduction could be applied to a player in a single match Yellow card 1 points Indirect red card second yellow card 3 points Direct red card 4 points Yellow card and direct red card 5 points Drawing of lots Result of countries participating in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Group A Main article 2022 FIFA World Cup Group A The first match of the tournament was held between Qatar and Ecuador in Group A Ecuador had a disallowed goal in the opening minutes 151 but eventually won 2 0 with two goals from Enner Valencia 152 Qatar became the first host nation to lose their opening match at a World Cup 153 154 155 Many Qatar natives were seen leaving the game before the end with ESPN reporting that two thirds of the attendance had left 156 157 The other starting match in group A was won by the Netherlands 2 0 over Senegal Cody Gakpo scored the opening goal in the 84th minute and Davy Klaassen added a second in stoppage time 158 Senegal faced Qatar in the third match of the group Boulaye Dia capitalised on a slip by Boualem Khoukhi to put Senegal 1 0 ahead Famara Diedhiou scored a second with a header before Mohammed Muntari scored Qatar s first ever goal at a World Cup to reduce the deficit back to one Senegal eventually won the match 3 1 after an 84th minute goal by Bamba Dieng With this result Qatar became the first team to be eliminated from the tournament as well as becoming the first host nation to ever be knocked out of the tournament after two games 159 Gakpo scored his second goal of the tournament as the Netherlands led Ecuador however Valencia scored an equaliser in the 49th minute 160 The Netherlands won 2 0 against Qatar following goals by Gakpo and Frenkie de Jong to win the group while Qatar attained the distinction of being the first home nation to lose all three group matches 161 Senegal faced Ecuador to determine the second knockout round qualifier At the end of the first half Ismaila Sarr scored a penalty kick to put Senegal ahead In the 67th minute Moises Caicedo scored an equaliser but shortly after Kalidou Koulibaly gave Senegal the victory The win was enough to qualify Senegal as the runners up of Group A 162 Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification1 Netherlands 3 2 1 0 5 1 4 7 Advanced to knockout stage2 Senegal 3 2 0 1 5 4 1 63 Ecuador 3 1 1 1 4 3 1 44 Qatar H 3 0 0 3 1 7 6 0Source FIFA H Host 20 November 2022 2022 11 20 19 00Qatar 0 2 EcuadorReport Valencia 16 pen 31 Al Bayt Stadium Al KhorAttendance 67 372Referee Daniele Orsato Italy 21 November 2022 2022 11 21 19 00Senegal 0 2 NetherlandsReport Gakpo 84 Klaassen 90 9 Al Thumama Stadium DohaAttendance 41 721Referee Wilton Sampaio Brazil 25 November 2022 2022 11 25 16 00Qatar 1 3 SenegalMuntari 78 Report Dia 41 Diedhiou 48 B Dieng 84 Al Thumama Stadium DohaAttendance 41 797Referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz Spain 25 November 2022 2022 11 25 19 00Netherlands 1 1 EcuadorGakpo 6 Report Valencia 49 Khalifa International Stadium Al RayyanAttendance 44 833Referee Mustapha Ghorbal Algeria 29 November 2022 2022 11 29 18 00Ecuador 1 2 SenegalCaicedo 67 Report I Sarr 44 pen Koulibaly 70 Khalifa International Stadium Al RayyanAttendance 44 569Referee Clement Turpin France 29 November 2022 2022 11 29 18 00Netherlands 2 0 QatarGakpo 26 F de Jong 49 ReportAl Bayt Stadium Al KhorAttendance 66 784Referee Bakary Gassama Gambia Group B Main article 2022 FIFA World Cup Group B England completed a 6 2 victory over Iran Iranian keeper Alireza Beiranvand was removed from the game for a suspected concussion before England scored three first half goals 163 Mehdi Taremi scored in the second half after which England defender Harry Maguire was also removed for a concussion 163 Timothy Weah of the United States scored a first half goal against Wales however the match finished as a draw after a penalty kick was won and scored by Gareth Bale 164 Iran defeated Wales 2 0 following a red card to Welsh goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey after he committed a foul outside of his penalty area Substitute Rouzbeh Cheshmi scored the first goal eight minutes into stoppage time followed by Ramin Rezaeian scoring three minutes later 165 England and the United States played to a 0 0 draw with only four shots on target between them 166 England won the group following a 3 0 win over Wales with a goal by Phil Foden and two by Rashford 167 Christian Pulisic scored the winning goal as the United States defeated Iran 1 0 to qualify for the round of 16 168 Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification1 England 3 2 1 0 9 2 7 7 Advanced to knockout stage2 United States 3 1 2 0 2 1 1 53 Iran 3 1 0 2 4 7 3 34 Wales 3 0 1 2 1 6 5 1Source FIFA 21 November 2022 2022 11 21 16 00England 6 2 IranBellingham 35 Saka 43 62 Sterling 45 1 Rashford 71 Grealish 90 Report Taremi 65 90 13 pen Khalifa International Stadium Al RayyanAttendance 45 334Referee Raphael Claus Brazil 21 November 2022 2022 11 21 22 00United States 1 1 WalesWeah 36 Report Bale 82 pen Ahmad bin Ali Stadium Al RayyanAttendance 43 418Referee Abdulrahman Al Jassim Qatar 25 November 2022 2022 11 25 13 00Wales 0 2 IranReport Cheshmi 90 8 Rezaeian 90 11 Ahmad bin Ali Stadium Al RayyanAttendance 40 875Referee Mario Escobar Guatemala 25 November 2022 2022 11 25 22 00England 0 0 United StatesReportAl Bayt Stadium Al KhorAttendance 68 463Referee Jesus Valenzuela Venezuela 29 November 2022 2022 11 29 22 00Wales 0 3 EnglandReport Rashford 50 68 Foden 51 Ahmad bin Ali Stadium Al RayyanAttendance 44 297Referee Slavko Vincic Slovenia 29 November 2022 2022 11 29 22 00Iran 0 1 United StatesReport Pulisic 38 Al Thumama Stadium DohaAttendance 42 127Referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz Spain Group C Main article 2022 FIFA World Cup Group C Argentina took an early lead against Saudi Arabia after Lionel Messi scored a penalty kick after ten minutes however second half goals by Saleh Al Shehri and Salem Al Dawsari won the match 2 1 for Saudi Arabia 169 a result described as the biggest upset in the history of the World Cup 170 171 The match between Mexico and Poland ended as a goalless 0 0 draw after Guillermo Ochoa saved Robert Lewandowski s penalty kick attempt 172 Lewandowski scored his first career World Cup goal in a 2 0 win over Saudi Arabia four days later 173 174 Argentina defeated Mexico 2 0 with Messi scoring the opener and later assisting teammate Enzo Fernandez who scored his first international goal 175 176 Argentina won their last game as they played Poland with goals by Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez which was enough to win the group 177 Poland qualified for the knockout stage on goal difference 178 Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification1 Argentina 3 2 0 1 5 2 3 6 Advanced to knockout stage2 Poland 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 43 Mexico 3 1 1 1 2 3 1 44 Saudi Arabia 3 1 0 2 3 5 2 3Source FIFA 22 November 2022 2022 11 22 13 00Argentina 1 2 Saudi ArabiaMessi 10 pen Report Al Shehri 48 S Al Dawsari 53 Lusail Stadium LusailAttendance 88 012Referee Slavko Vincic Slovenia 22 November 2022 2022 11 22 19 00Mexico 0 0 PolandReportStadium 974 DohaAttendance 39 369Referee Chris Beath Australia 26 November 2022 2022 11 26 16 00Poland 2 0 Saudi ArabiaZielinski 39 Lewandowski 82 ReportEducation City Stadium Al RayyanAttendance 44 259Referee Wilton Sampaio Brazil 26 November 2022 2022 11 26 22 00Argentina 2 0 MexicoMessi 64 Fernandez 87 ReportLusail Stadium LusailAttendance 88 966Referee Daniele Orsato Italy 30 November 2022 2022 11 30 22 00Poland 0 2 ArgentinaReport Mac Allister 46 Alvarez 67 Stadium 974 DohaAttendance 44 089Referee Danny Makkelie Netherlands 30 November 2022 2022 11 30 22 00Saudi Arabia 1 2 MexicoS Al Dawsari 90 5 Report Martin 47 Chavez 52 Lusail Stadium LusailAttendance 84 985Referee Michael Oliver England Group D Main article 2022 FIFA World Cup Group D The match between Denmark and Tunisia ended as a goalless draw both teams had goals disallowed by offside calls 179 Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen made his first major international appearance since suffering a cardiac arrest at the UEFA Euro 2020 179 Defending champions France went a goal behind to Australia after a Craig Goodwin goal within ten minutes France however scored four goals by Adrien Rabiot by Kylian Mbappe and two by Olivier Giroud to win 4 1 180 The goals tied Giroud with Thierry Henry as France s all time top goalscorer 180 Mitchell Duke scored the only goal as Australia won against Tunisia This was their first World Cup win since 2010 181 182 Mbappe scored a brace as France defeated Denmark 2 1 This was enough for France to qualify for the knockout round the first time since Brazil in 2006 that the defending champions progressed through the opening round 183 181 Mathew Leckie scored the only goal as Australia defeated Denmark 1 0 qualifying for the knockout round as runners up with the win 184 Wahbi Khazri scored for Tunisia against France in the 58th minute Although Antoine Griezmann equalised in stoppage time it was overturned for offside Tunisia finished third in the group as they required a draw in the Denmark and Australia game 185 Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification1 France 3 2 0 1 6 3 3 6 Advanced to knockout stage2 Australia 3 2 0 1 3 4 1 63 Tunisia 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 44 Denmark 3 0 1 2 1 3 2 1Source FIFA 22 November 2022 2022 11 22 16 00Denmark 0 0 TunisiaReportEducation City Stadium Al RayyanAttendance 42 925Referee Cesar Arturo Ramos Mexico 22 November 2022 2022 11 22 22 00France 4 1 AustraliaRabiot 27 Giroud 32 71 Mbappe 68 Report Goodwin 9 Al Janoub Stadium Al WakrahAttendance 40 875Referee Victor Gomes South Africa 26 November 2022 2022 11 26 13 00Tunisia 0 1 AustraliaReport Duke 23 Al Janoub Stadium Al WakrahAttendance 41 823Referee Daniel Siebert Germany 26 November 2022 2022 11 26 19 00France 2 1 DenmarkMbappe 61 86 Report A Christensen 68 Stadium 974 DohaAttendance 42 860Referee Szymon Marciniak Poland 30 November 2022 2022 11 30 18 00Australia 1 0 DenmarkLeckie 60 ReportAl Janoub Stadium Al WakrahAttendance 41 232Referee Mustapha Ghorbal Algeria 30 November 2022 2022 11 30 18 00Tunisia 1 0 FranceKhazri 58 ReportEducation City Stadium Al RayyanAttendance 43 627Referee Matthew Conger New Zealand Group E Main article 2022 FIFA World Cup Group E Group E began with Japan facing 2014 champions Germany After an early penalty kick was converted by Germany s Ilkay Gundogan Japan scored two second half goals by Ritsu Dōan and Takuma Asano in a 2 1 upset win 186 In the second group match Spain defeated Costa Rica 7 0 First half goals by Dani Olmo Marco Asensio and Ferran Torres were followed by goals by Gavi Carlos Soler Alvaro Morata and a second by Torres 187 188 This was the largest defeat in a World Cup since Portugal s victory over North Korea in the 2010 event by the same scoreline 189 Costa Rica defeated Japan 1 0 with Keysher Fuller scoring with Costa Rica s first shot on target of the tournament 190 Germany and Spain drew 1 1 with Alvaro Morata scoring for Spain and Niclas Fullkrug scoring for Germany 191 192 193 Morata scored the opening goal for Spain against Japan as they controlled the first half of the match 194 Japan equalised on Ritsu Doan before a second goal by Kaoru Mitoma was heavily investigated by VAR for the ball being out of play The goal was awarded and Japan won the group following a 2 1 win 195 Serge Gnabry scored on ten minutes for Germany against Costa Rica and they led until half time Germany required a win and for Japan to not win their match or for both teams to win their matches by a combined goal difference of at least 9 goals to qualify In the second half goals by Yeltsin Tejeda and Juan Vargas gave Costa Rica a 2 1 lead which would have qualified them into the knockout stages ahead of Spain Germany scored three further goals two by Kai Havertz and a goal by Niclas Fullkrug ending in a 4 2 win for Germany which was not enough to qualify them for the final stages 196 Japan won the group ahead of Spain 197 Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification1 Japan 3 2 0 1 4 3 1 6 Advanced to knockout stage2 Spain 3 1 1 1 9 3 6 43 Germany 3 1 1 1 6 5 1 44 Costa Rica 3 1 0 2 3 11 8 3Source FIFA 23 November 2022 2022 11 23 16 00Germany 1 2 JapanGundogan 33 pen Report Dōan 75 Asano 83 Khalifa International Stadium Al RayyanAttendance 42 608Referee Ivan Barton El Salvador 23 November 2022 2022 11 23 19 00Spain 7 0 Costa RicaOlmo 11 Asensio 21 F Torres 31 pen 54 Gavi 74 Soler 90 Morata 90 2 ReportAl Thumama Stadium DohaAttendance 40 013Referee Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed United Arab Emirates 27 November 2022 2022 11 27 13 00Japan 0 1 Costa RicaReport Fuller 81 Ahmad bin Ali Stadium Al RayyanAttendance 41 479Referee Michael Oliver England 27 November 2022 2022 11 27 22 00Spain 1 1 GermanyMorata 62 Report Fullkrug 83 Al Bayt Stadium Al KhorAttendance 68 895Referee Danny Makkelie Netherlands 1 December 2022 2022 12 01 22 00Japan 2 1 SpainDōan 48 Tanaka 51 Report Morata 11 Khalifa International Stadium Al RayyanAttendance 44 851Referee Victor Gomes South Africa 1 December 2022 2022 12 01 22 00Costa Rica 2 4 GermanyTejeda 58 Vargas 70 Report Gnabry 10 Havertz 73 85 Fullkrug 89 Al Bayt Stadium Al KhorAttendance 67 054Referee Stephanie Frappart France Group F Main article 2022 FIFA World Cup Group F Group F s first match was a goalless draw between Morocco and Croatia 198 Canada had a penalty kick in the first half of their match against Belgium which was saved by Thibaut Courtois Belgium won the match by a single goal by Michy Batshuayi 199 Belgium manager Roberto Martinez confirmed after the game that he believed Canada to have been the better team 200 Belgium lost 2 0 to Morocco despite Morocco having a long range direct free kick goal by Hakim Ziyech overturned for an offside on another player in the lead up to the goal Two second half goals from Zakaria Aboukhlal and Romain Saiss helped the Morocco win their first World Cup match since 1998 201 202 The match sparked riots in Belgium with residents fires and fireworks being set off 203 Alphonso Davies scored Canada s first World Cup goal to give Canada the lead over Croatia Goals by Marko Livaja Lovro Majer and two by Andrej Kramaric for Croatia completed a 4 1 victory 204 Morocco scored two early goals through Hakim Ziyech and Youssef En Nesyri in their game against Canada and qualified following a 2 1 victory Canada s only goal was an own goal by Nayef Aguerd 205 Croatia and Belgium played a goalless draw which eliminated Belgium whose team was ranked second in the world from the tournament 206 Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification1 Morocco 3 2 1 0 4 1 3 7 Advanced to knockout stage2 Croatia 3 1 2 0 4 1 3 53 Belgium 3 1 1 1 1 2 1 44 Canada 3 0 0 3 2 7 5 0Source FIFA 23 November 2022 2022 11 23 13 00Morocco 0 0 CroatiaReportAl Bayt Stadium Al KhorAttendance 59 407Referee Fernando Rapallini Argentina 23 November 2022 2022 11 23 22 00Belgium 1 0 CanadaBatshuayi 44 ReportAhmad bin Ali Stadium Al RayyanAttendance 40 432Referee Janny Sikazwe Zambia 27 November 2022 2022 11 27 16 00Belgium 0 2 MoroccoReport Saiss 73 Aboukhlal 90 2 Al Thumama Stadium DohaAttendance 43 738Referee Cesar Arturo Ramos Mexico 27 November 2022 2022 11 27 19 00Croatia 4 1 CanadaKramaric 36 70 Livaja 44 Majer 90 4 Report Davies 2 Khalifa International Stadium Al RayyanAttendance 44 374Referee Andres Matonte Uruguay 1 December 2022 2022 12 01 18 00Croatia 0 0 BelgiumReportAhmad bin Ali Stadium Al RayyanAttendance 43 984Referee Anthony Taylor England 1 December 2022 2022 12 01 18 00Canada 1 2 MoroccoAguerd 40 o g Report Ziyech 4 En Nesyri 23 Al Thumama Stadium DohaAttendance 43 102Referee Raphael Claus Brazil Group G Main article 2022 FIFA World Cup Group G Breel Embolo scored the only goal in Switzerland s 1 0 defeat of Cameroon 207 Richarlison scored two goals as Brazil won against Serbia with star player Neymar receiving an ankle injury 208 Cameroon s Jean Charles Castelletto scored the opening goal against Serbia but they were quickly behind as Serbia scored three goals by Strahinja Pavlovic Sergej Milinkovic Savic and Aleksandar Mitrovic either side of half time Cameroon however scored goals through Vincent Aboubakar and Eric Maxim Choupo Moting completing a 3 3 draw 209 An 83rd minute winner by Casemiro for Brazil over Switzerland was enough for them to qualify for the knockout stage 210 Having already qualified Brazil were unable to win their final group game as they were defeated by Cameroon 1 0 following a goal by Vincent Aboubakar He was later sent off for removing his shirt in celebrating the goal 211 Cameroon however did not qualify as Switzerland defeated Serbia 3 2 212 Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification1 Brazil 3 2 0 1 3 1 2 6 Advanced to knockout stage2 Switzerland 3 2 0 1 4 3 1 63 Cameroon 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 44 Serbia 3 0 1 2 5 8 3 1Source FIFA 24 November 2022 2022 11 24 13 00Switzerland 1 0 CameroonEmbolo 48 ReportAl Janoub Stadium Al WakrahAttendance 39 089Referee Facundo Tello Argentina 24 November 2022 2022 11 24 22 00Brazil 2 0 SerbiaRicharlison 62 73 ReportLusail Stadium LusailAttendance 88 103Referee Alireza Faghani Iran 28 November 2022 2022 11 28 13 00Cameroon 3 3 SerbiaCastelletto 29 Aboubakar 63 Choupo Moting 66 Report Pavlovic 45 1 S Milinkovic Savic 45 3 A Mitrovic 53 Al Janoub Stadium Al WakrahAttendance 39 789Referee Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed United Arab Emirates 28 November 2022 2022 11 28 19 00Brazil 1 0 SwitzerlandCasemiro 83 ReportStadium 974 DohaAttendance 43 649Referee Ivan Barton El Salvador 2 December 2022 2022 12 02 22 00Serbia 2 3 SwitzerlandA Mitrovic 26 Vlahovic 35 Report Shaqiri 20 Embolo 44 Freuler 48 Stadium 974 DohaAttendance 41 378Referee Fernando Rapallini Argentina 2 December 2022 2022 12 02 22 00Cameroon 1 0 BrazilAboubakar 90 2 ReportLusail Stadium LusailAttendance 85 986Referee Ismail Elfath United States Group H Main article 2022 FIFA World Cup Group H Uruguay and South Korea played to a goalless draw 213 A goalless first half between Portugal and Ghana preceded a penalty converted by Cristiano Ronaldo to give Portugal the lead In scoring the goal Ronaldo became the first man to score in five World Cups Ghana responded with a goal by Andre Ayew before goals by Joao Felix and Rafael Leao by Portugal put them 3 1 ahead Osman Bukari scored in the 89th minute to trail by a single goal while Inaki Williams had a chance to equalise for Ghana ten minutes into stoppage time but slipped before shooting The match finished 3 2 to Portugal 214 Ghanaian Mohammed Salisu opened the scoring against South Korea with Mohammed Kudus following it up In the second half Cho Gue sung scored a brace for South Korea levelling the score Mohammed Kudus scored again in the 68th minute winning the match 3 2 for Ghana 215 Portugal defeated Uruguay 2 0 with two goals from Bruno Fernandes advancing them to the knockout stage 216 The game s first goal appeared to have been headed in by Ronaldo but the ball just missed his head A controversial penalty decision was called late in the game with a suspected handball from Jose Maria Gimenez 217 218 Portugal led South Korea through Ricardo Horta after 10 minutes However goals by Kim Young gwon and Hwang Hee chan won the match 2 1 for South Korea 219 Giorgian de Arrascaeta scored two goals as Uruguay defeated Ghana 2 0 220 However with South Korea winning Uruguay required another goal to progress as they finished third on goals scored 221 Several Uruguay players left the pitch after the game surrounding the referees and followed them off the pitch 222 223 224 Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification1 Portugal 3 2 0 1 6 4 2 6 Advanced to knockout stage2 South Korea 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 43 Uruguay 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 44 Ghana 3 1 0 2 5 7 2 3Source FIFA 24 November 2022 2022 11 24 16 00Uruguay 0 0 South KoreaReportEducation City Stadium Al RayyanAttendance 41 663Referee Clement Turpin France 24 November 2022 2022 11 24 19 00Portugal 3 2 GhanaRonaldo 65 pen Felix 78 Leao 80 Report A Ayew 73 Bukari 89 Stadium 974 DohaAttendance 42 662Referee Ismail Elfath United States 28 November 2022 2022 11 28 16 00South Korea 2 3 GhanaCho Gue sung 58 61 Report Salisu 24 Kudus 34 68 Education City Stadium Al RayyanAttendance 43 983Referee Anthony Taylor England 28 November 2022 2022 11 28 22 00Portugal 2 0 UruguayFernandes 54 90 3 pen ReportLusail Stadium LusailAttendance 88 668Referee Alireza Faghani Iran 2 December 2022 2022 12 02 18 00Ghana 0 2 UruguayReport De Arrascaeta 26 32 Al Janoub Stadium Al WakrahAttendance 43 443Referee Daniel Siebert Germany 2 December 2022 2022 12 02 18 00South Korea 2 1 PortugalKim Young gwon 27 Hwang Hee chan 90 1 Report Horta 5 Education City Stadium Al RayyanAttendance 44 097Referee Facundo Tello Argentina Knockout stageMain article 2022 FIFA World Cup knockout stage In the knockout stage if the scores were equal when normal playing time expired extra time was played for two periods of 15 minutes each This was followed if required by a penalty shoot out to determine the winners 150 All times are local AST UTC 3 Bracket Round of 16Quarter finalsSemi finalsFinal 3 December Al Rayyan Khalifa Netherlands3 9 December Lusail United States1 Netherlands2 3 3 December Al Rayyan Ahmad bin Ali Argentina p 2 4 Argentina2 13 December Lusail Australia1 Argentina3 5 December Al Wakrah span, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library, article, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games. | ||||||||||||||