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2022 FIFA World Cup

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2022 FIFA World Cup
كأس العالم لكرة القدم 2022
Kaʾs al-ʿālam li-kurat al-qadam 2022
2022 FIFA World Cup.svg
الآن هو كل شيء
Al-ʾāna huwa kullu šayʾ
"Now Is All"[1]
Tournament details
Host countryQatar
Dates20 November 2022 (2022-11-20)–18 December 2022 (2022-12-18)
Teams32 (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 played64
Goals scored172 (2.69 per match)
Attendance3,404,252 (53,191 per match)
Top scorer(s)France Kylian Mbappé (8 goals)
Best player(s)Argentina Lionel Messi
Best young playerArgentina Enzo Fernández
Best goalkeeperArgentina Emiliano Martínez
Fair play award England
2018
2026

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]

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]

Discover more about 2022 FIFA World Cup related topics

Association football

Association football

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel a ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is to score more goals than the opposite team by moving the ball beyond the goal line into a rectangular-framed goal defended by the opposing side. Traditionally, the game has been played over two 45-minute halves, for a total match time of 90 minutes. With an estimated 250 million players active in over 200 countries and territories, it is considered the world's most popular sport.

Arab world

Arab world

The Arab world, formally the Arab homeland, also known as the Arab nation, the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western Asia and Northern Africa, that linguistically or culturally share an Arab identity. A majority of people in these countries are either ethnically Arab or are Arabized, speaking the Arabic language, which is used as the lingua franca throughout the Arab world.

2002 FIFA World Cup

2002 FIFA World Cup

The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea and Japan, with its final match hosted by Japan at International Stadium in Yokohama.

2026 FIFA World Cup

2026 FIFA World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the 23rd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international men's soccer championship contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, and will be jointly hosted by 16 cities in three North American countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The tournament will be the first hosted by three nations. Argentina are the defending champions.

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

The 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification was the qualifying process which decided the 31 teams that would join hosts Qatar, who received an automatic spot, at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Argentina national football team

Argentina national football team

The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in men's international football and is administered by the Argentine Football Association, the governing body for football in Argentina.

2022 FIFA World Cup final

2022 FIFA World Cup final

The 2022 FIFA World Cup final was the final match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the 22nd edition of FIFA's competition for men's national football teams. The match was played at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, on 18 December 2022, the Qatari National Day, and was contested by Argentina and defending champions France. The tournament comprised hosts Qatar and 31 other teams who emerged from the qualification phase, organised by the six FIFA confederations. The 32 teams competed in a group stage, from which 16 teams qualified for the knockout stage. En route to the final, Argentina finished first in Group C, with two wins and one loss, before defeating Australia in the round of 16, the Netherlands in the quarter-final through a penalty shoot-out and Croatia in the semi-final. France finished top of Group D with two wins and one loss, defeating Poland in the round of 16, England in the quarter-final and Morocco in the semi-final. The final took place in front of 88,966 spectators, with more than 1.5 billion people watching on television, and was refereed by Szymon Marciniak.

2018 FIFA World Cup final

2018 FIFA World Cup final

The 2018 FIFA World Cup final was the final match of the 2018 World Cup, the 21st edition of FIFA's competition for national football teams. The match was played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia, on 15 July 2018, and was contested by France and Croatia. The tournament comprised hosts Russia and 31 other teams who emerged from the qualification phase, organised by the six FIFA confederations. The 32 teams competed in a group stage, from which 16 teams qualified for the knockout stage. En route to the final, France finished first in Group C, with two wins and a draw, after which they defeated Argentina in the round of 16, Uruguay in the quarter-final and Belgium in the semi-final. Croatia finished top of Group D with three wins, before defeating Denmark in the round of 16 and Russia in the quarter-final – both through a penalty shoot-out – and then England in the semi-final. The final took place in front of 78,011 supporters, with more than a billion watching on television, and was refereed by Néstor Pitana from Argentina.

1986 FIFA World Cup

1986 FIFA World Cup

The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so, and resigned in 1982. Mexico was selected as the new host in May 1983, and became the first country to host the World Cup more than once, after previously hosting in 1970.

1966 FIFA World Cup

1966 FIFA World Cup

The 1966 FIFA World Cup was the eighth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in England from 11 July to 30 July 1966. England defeated West Germany 4–2 in the final to win its first and only World Cup title. The final had finished at 2–2 after 90 minutes and went to extra time, when Geoff Hurst scored two goals to complete his hat-trick, the first to be scored in a men's World Cup final. England were the fifth nation to win the event, and the third host nation to win after Uruguay in 1930 and Italy in 1934. World champions Brazil failed to go past the group stage, as they were defeated by Hungary and Portugal.

Emiliano Martínez

Emiliano Martínez

Damián Emiliano Martínez is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Aston Villa and the Argentina national team.

2015 FIFA corruption case

2015 FIFA corruption case

In 2015, United States federal prosecutors disclosed cases of corruption by officials and associates connected with the Fédération internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the governing body of association football, futsal and beach soccer.

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]

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]

Discover more about Overview related topics

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament has been held every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of the Second World War. The reigning champions are Argentina, who won their third title at the 2022 tournament.

FIFA

FIFA

The Fédération internationale de football association is the international governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded in 1904 to oversee international competition among the national associations of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, its membership now comprises 211 national associations. These national associations must each also be members of one of the six regional confederations into which the world is divided: CAF (Africa), AFC, UEFA (Europe), CONCACAF, OFC (Oceania) and CONMEBOL.

1930 FIFA World Cup

1930 FIFA World Cup

The 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national football teams. It took place in Uruguay from 13 to 30 July 1930. FIFA, football's international governing body, selected Uruguay as the host nation, as the country would be celebrating the centenary of its first constitution and the Uruguay national football team had successfully retained their football title at the 1928 Summer Olympics. All matches were played in the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo, the majority at the Estadio Centenario, which was built for the tournament.

1998 FIFA World Cup

1998 FIFA World Cup

The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for the second time in the history of the tournament, defeating Morocco in the bidding process. It was the second time that France staged the competition and the ninth time that it was held in Europe. Spanning 32 days, it is the longest World Cup tournament ever held.

France national football team

France national football team

The France national football team represents France in men's international football matches. It is governed by the French Football Federation, the governing body for football in France. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colors and imagery reference two national symbols: the French red-white-blue tricolour and Gallic rooster. The team is colloquially known as Les Bleus. They play home matches at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and train at INF Clairefontaine in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines.

Croatia national football team

Croatia national football team

The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colors reference two national symbols: the Croatian checkerboard and the country's tricolour. They are colloquially referred to as the Vatreni ('Blazers') and Kockasti.

Arab world

Arab world

The Arab world, formally the Arab homeland, also known as the Arab nation, the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western Asia and Northern Africa, that linguistically or culturally share an Arab identity. A majority of people in these countries are either ethnically Arab or are Arabized, speaking the Arabic language, which is used as the lingua franca throughout the Arab world.

COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified in an outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. Attempts to contain it there failed, allowing the virus to spread to other areas of Asia and later worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on 30 January 2020, and a pandemic on 11 March 2020. As of 10 March 2023, the pandemic had caused more than 676 million cases and 6.88 million confirmed deaths, making it one of the deadliest in history.

Al Bayt Stadium

Al Bayt Stadium

Al-Bayt Stadium is a retractable roof football stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, which was opened in time for matches in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which began on 20 November 2022. The stadium's construction contract was awarded to Qatari contractor Galfar Al Misnad, Webuild S.p.A. and Cimolai in 2015. In January 2020, the stadium received sustainability certificates of green design, construction management and energy efficiency. International observers have criticized the treatment of workers in the construction of the stadium.

Khalifa International Stadium

Khalifa International Stadium

Khalifa International Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Al Rayyan, Qatar, around 9 kilometres west from the centre of Doha. Its ground comprises a running track and a grass pitch. Opened in 1976, the stadium was named after then-Emir of Qatar Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, and under the ownership of the Qatar Football Association, it serves as the primary home ground of the Qatar men's national football team. Its current fully-roofed, 45,857-seat configuration was opened in 2017, following a previous reconfiguration in 2005 that incorporated the stadium into the Aspire Zone complex and added a roofed grandstand; boosting its capacity from 20,000 to 40,000.

Al Thumama Stadium

Al Thumama Stadium

Al-Thumama Stadium is a football stadium in Al Thumama, Qatar. It is a venue for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Ahmad bin Ali Stadium

Ahmad bin Ali Stadium

Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, popularly known as the Al-Rayyan Stadium, is an association football stadium located in the district of Rawdat Al Jahhaniya, Qatar, around 9 kilometres northwest from the centre of Al Rayyan. It is currently used mostly for football matches and it is the home to Al-Rayyan Sports Club. The stadium is named after Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar from 1960 to 1972. The former stadium, built in 2003, had a seating capacity of 21,282 and was demolished in 2015. The new Al Rayyan Stadium has a seating capacity of 45,000.

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]

2022 FIFA bidding (majority 12 votes)
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

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
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]

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2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bids

2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bids

The bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups was the process by which the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) selected locations for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups. The process began officially in March 2009; eleven bids from thirteen countries were received, including one which was withdrawn and one that was rejected before FIFA's executive committee voted in November 2010. Two of the remaining nine bids applied only to the 2022 World Cup, while the rest were initially applications for both. Over the course of the bidding, all non-European bids for the 2018 event were withdrawn, resulting in the exclusion of all European bids from consideration for the 2022 edition. By the time of the decision, bids for the 2018 World Cup included England, Russia, a joint bid from Belgium and Netherlands, and a joint bid from Portugal and Spain. Bids for the 2022 World Cup came from Australia, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, and the United States. Indonesia's bid was disqualified due to lack of governmental support, and Mexico withdrew its bid for financial reasons.

Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup bid

Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup bid

The Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup bid was a successful bid by Qatar to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. With a population of 2 million people, Qatar was the first Arab state to host the World Cup. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, son of Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani the then Emir of Qatar, was the chairman of the bid committee. Qatar promoted their hosting of the tournament as representing the Arab World, and has drawn support from across the member states of the Arab League. They also positioned their bid as an opportunity to bridge the gap between the Arab World and the West.

2018 FIFA World Cup

2018 FIFA World Cup

The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in 2010. It was the eleventh time the championships had been held in Europe, and the first time they were held in Eastern Europe. At an estimated cost of over $14.2 billion, it was the most expensive World Cup ever held until it was surpassed by the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Indonesia 2022 FIFA World Cup bid

Indonesia 2022 FIFA World Cup bid

The Indonesia 2022 FIFA World Cup bid was the first official bid from the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) to host the FIFA World Cup. FIFA rejected the bid for lack of government support on 19 March 2010. Indonesia was one of four Asian countries bidding to bring the tournament to Asia for a second time, the 2002 tournament having been played in Japan and South Korea. Indonesia, under the name of the Dutch East Indies, had been the first Asian nation to compete in the World Cup, when they participated in the 1938 event, and they lost to Hungary in the first round.

Government of Indonesia

Government of Indonesia

The term Government of the Republic of Indonesia can have a number of different meanings. At its widest, it can refer collectively to the three traditional branches of government – the executive branch, legislative branch and judicial branch. The term is also used colloquially to mean the executive and legislature together, as these are the branches of government responsible for day-to-day governance of the nation and lawmaking. At its narrowest, the term is used to refer to the executive branch in form of the Cabinet of Indonesia as this is the branch of government responsible for day-to-day governance.

Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani

Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is the Emir of Qatar.

Michael J. Garcia

Michael J. Garcia

Michael John Garcia is an American lawyer, judge and former Republican government official. Since February 2016, he has served as an Associate Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, that state's highest court. He is a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (2005–2008). Between his service as United States Attorney and his appointment to the Court of Appeals, Garcia was a partner at the law firm Kirkland & Ellis. He has also served as chairman of El Museo del Barrio.

2015 FIFA corruption case

2015 FIFA corruption case

In 2015, United States federal prosecutors disclosed cases of corruption by officials and associates connected with the Fédération internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the governing body of association football, futsal and beach soccer.

Sepp Blatter

Sepp Blatter

Joseph "Sepp" Blatter is a Swiss former football administrator who served as the eighth President of FIFA from 1998 to 2015. He has been banned from participating in FIFA activities since 2015 as a result of the FIFA corruption case made public that year, and will remain banned until 2027.

Central Intelligence Agency

Central Intelligence Agency

The Central Intelligence Agency, known informally as the Agency and historically as the company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information from around the world, primarily through the use of human intelligence (HUMINT) and conducting covert action. As a principal member of the United States Intelligence Community (IC), the CIA reports to the Director of National Intelligence and is primarily focused on providing intelligence for the President and Cabinet of the United States. Following the dissolution of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) at the end of World War II, President Harry S. Truman created the Central Intelligence Group under the direction of a Director of Central Intelligence by presidential directive on January 22, 1946, and this group was transformed into the Central Intelligence Agency by implementation of the National Security Act of 1947.

Amnesty International

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and supporters around the world. The stated mission of the organization is to campaign for "a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments." The organization has played a notable role on human rights issues due to its frequent citation in media and by world leaders.

Kafala system

Kafala system

The kafala system is a system used to monitor migrant laborers, working primarily in the construction and domestic sectors in Gulf Cooperation Council member states and a few neighboring countries, namely Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Venues

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.
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 & 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.
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

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

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List of football stadiums in Qatar

List of football stadiums in Qatar

The following is a list of multi-purpose stadiums in Qatar, used primarily for association football. The minimum capacity is 1,000.

Lusail Stadium

Lusail Stadium

Lusail Stadium, is a football stadium in Lusail, Qatar. Owned by the Qatar Football Association, it is the largest stadium in Qatar and the Middle East by capacity and one of eight stadiums built for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, during which it hosted the final game between Argentina and France on 18 December 2022. It is currently the fourth largest stadium in Asia but eventually will reduce its current capacity of 88,966 to 40,000 in the near future.

Global Sustainability Assessment System

Global Sustainability Assessment System

The Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) [Originally QSAS] is the first performance-based system in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, developed for assessing and rating buildings and infrastructure for their sustainability impacts. In 2016, FIFA officially endorsed GSAS as the sustainability assessment system for Qatar's eight stadiums set to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The primary objective of GSAS is to create a sustainable built environment that minimizes ecological impact and reduces resources consumption while addressing the local needs and environmental conditions specific to the region. GSAS adopts an integrated lifecycle approach for the assessment of the built environment including design, construction and operation phases.

Al Bayt Stadium

Al Bayt Stadium

Al-Bayt Stadium is a retractable roof football stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, which was opened in time for matches in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which began on 20 November 2022. The stadium's construction contract was awarded to Qatari contractor Galfar Al Misnad, Webuild S.p.A. and Cimolai in 2015. In January 2020, the stadium received sustainability certificates of green design, construction management and energy efficiency. International observers have criticized the treatment of workers in the construction of the stadium.

Bloomberg News

Bloomberg News

Bloomberg News is an international news agency headquartered in New York City and a division of Bloomberg L.P. Content produced by Bloomberg News is disseminated through Bloomberg Terminals, Bloomberg Television, Bloomberg Radio, Bloomberg Businessweek, Bloomberg Markets, Bloomberg.com, and Bloomberg's mobile platforms. Since 2015, John Micklethwait has served as editor-in-chief.

Doha

Doha

Doha is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the country's population. It is also Qatar's fastest growing city, with over 80% of the nation's population living in Doha or its surrounding suburbs.

Stadium 974

Stadium 974

Stadium 974 is a football stadium now slated for dismantlement in Ras Abu Aboud, Doha, Qatar, about 10 km east of Doha. Opened 30 November 2021, it is a temporary venue, made from 974 recycled shipping containers, that hosted matches during the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup and the 2022 FIFA World Cup, after which dismantlement began. It was the first temporary venue in FIFA World Cup history.

Khalifa International Stadium

Khalifa International Stadium

Khalifa International Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Al Rayyan, Qatar, around 9 kilometres west from the centre of Doha. Its ground comprises a running track and a grass pitch. Opened in 1976, the stadium was named after then-Emir of Qatar Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, and under the ownership of the Qatar Football Association, it serves as the primary home ground of the Qatar men's national football team. Its current fully-roofed, 45,857-seat configuration was opened in 2017, following a previous reconfiguration in 2005 that incorporated the stadium into the Aspire Zone complex and added a roofed grandstand; boosting its capacity from 20,000 to 40,000.

Ahmad bin Ali Stadium

Ahmad bin Ali Stadium

Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, popularly known as the Al-Rayyan Stadium, is an association football stadium located in the district of Rawdat Al Jahhaniya, Qatar, around 9 kilometres northwest from the centre of Al Rayyan. It is currently used mostly for football matches and it is the home to Al-Rayyan Sports Club. The stadium is named after Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar from 1960 to 1972. The former stadium, built in 2003, had a seating capacity of 21,282 and was demolished in 2015. The new Al Rayyan Stadium has a seating capacity of 45,000.

Education City Stadium

Education City Stadium

Education City Stadium is a football stadium which is located in Al Rayyan, Qatar, and was built as a venue in time for the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar. The stadium is located within several university campuses at the Qatar Foundation's Education City. Following the FIFA World Cup, the stadium will retain 25,000 seats for use by university athletic teams. On 3 September 2020, the stadium hosted its first official match, played in the 2020–21 Qatar Stars League season.

Al Thumama Stadium

Al Thumama Stadium

Al-Thumama Stadium is a football stadium in Al Thumama, Qatar. It is a venue for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Al Janoub Stadium

Al Janoub Stadium

Al-Janoub Stadium, formerly known as Al-Wakrah Stadium, is a retractable roof football stadium in Al-Wakrah, Qatar that was inaugurated on 16 May 2019. This was the second among the eight stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, after the renovation of Khalifa International Stadium. It was designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid (1950–2016) together with the firms AECOM and Jain and Partners of Dubai.

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]

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]

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2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

The 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification was the qualifying process which decided the 31 teams that would join hosts Qatar, who received an automatic spot, at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

FIFA World Cup qualification

FIFA World Cup qualification

The FIFA World Cup qualification is a set of competitive matches that a national association football team takes in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the men's FIFA World Cup.

Asian Football Confederation

Asian Football Confederation

The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football, beach football, and futsal in some countries/territories in Asia and Oceania. It has 47 member countries most of which are located in Asia. Australia, formerly in OFC, joined AFC in 2006. Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, both territories of the United States, are also AFC members that are geographically in Oceania. The Asian Ladies Football Confederation (ALFC) was the section of AFC who managed women's association football in Asia. The group was independently founded in April 1968 in a meeting involving Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. In 1986 ALFC merged with AFC.

2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification

2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification

The 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification was the qualification process organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to determine the participating teams for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, the 18th edition of the international men's football championship of Asia. Since 2019, the Asian Cup final tournament is contested by 24 teams, having been expanded from the 16-team format that was used from 2004 to 2015.

2023 AFC Asian Cup

2023 AFC Asian Cup

The 2023 AFC Asian Cup will be the 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It will involve 24 national teams after expansion in 2019, with Qatar as the defending champions.

Lebanon national football team

Lebanon national football team

The Lebanon national football team, controlled by the Lebanese Football Association (LFA), have represented Lebanon in association football since their inception in 1933. The squad is governed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) continentally, and FIFA worldwide. While Lebanon have yet to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, they have qualified three times to the AFC Asian Cup: they first participated in 2000, when they hosted the event. Lebanon's main venue is the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in Beirut; however they also play in other locations such as the Saida Municipal Stadium in Sidon.

France national football team

France national football team

The France national football team represents France in men's international football matches. It is governed by the French Football Federation, the governing body for football in France. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colors and imagery reference two national symbols: the French red-white-blue tricolour and Gallic rooster. The team is colloquially known as Les Bleus. They play home matches at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and train at INF Clairefontaine in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines.

List of FIFA World Cup finals

List of FIFA World Cup finals

The FIFA World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since 1930, except in 1942 and 1946, when it was not held because of World War II.

North Korea national football team

North Korea national football team

The North Korea national football team represents North Korea in men's international football and it is controlled by the DPR Korea Football Association, the governing body for Football in North Korea. The team represents both FIFA and Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

COVID-19 pandemic in Asia

COVID-19 pandemic in Asia

The COVID-19 pandemic began in Asia in Wuhan, Hubei, China, and has spread widely through the continent. As of 15 March 2023, at least one case of COVID-19 had been reported in every country in Asia except Turkmenistan.

American Samoa national football team

American Samoa national football team

The American Samoa national football team represents American Samoa in men's international association football and is controlled by the Football Federation American Samoa, the governing body of the sport in the territory. American Samoa's home ground is the Pago Park Soccer Stadium in Pago Pago and their head coach is Tunoa Lui.

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)

The Oceanian section of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification acted as qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, to be held in Qatar, for national teams which are members of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). A total of 0.5 slots in the final tournament were available for OFC teams, which equated to one inter-confederation play-off slot.

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]

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2022 FIFA World Cup squads

2022 FIFA World Cup squads

The 2022 FIFA World Cup was an international football tournament held in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022. The 32 national teams involved in the tournament were required to register a squad of up to 26 players, including three goalkeepers. Only players in these squads were eligible to take part in the tournament.

2018 FIFA World Cup

2018 FIFA World Cup

The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in 2010. It was the eleventh time the championships had been held in Europe, and the first time they were held in Eastern Europe. At an estimated cost of over $14.2 billion, it was the most expensive World Cup ever held until it was surpassed by the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

France national football team

France national football team

The France national football team represents France in men's international football matches. It is governed by the French Football Federation, the governing body for football in France. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colors and imagery reference two national symbols: the French red-white-blue tricolour and Gallic rooster. The team is colloquially known as Les Bleus. They play home matches at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and train at INF Clairefontaine in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines.

Karim Benzema

Karim Benzema

Karim Mostafa Benzema is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for and captains La Liga club Real Madrid. A creative and prolific forward, Benzema is regarded as one of the best strikers of all time. He is Real Madrid's all-time second-highest goalscorer and top assist provider. Benzema has won 24 trophies with Real Madrid, including four La Liga, two Copa del Rey and five UEFA Champions League titles.

Iran national football team

Iran national football team

The Iran national football team, recognised by FIFA as IR Iran, represents Iran in international football and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI).

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]

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2022 FIFA World Cup officials

2022 FIFA World Cup officials

The following is a list of match officials who officiated at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Stéphanie Frappart

Stéphanie Frappart

Stéphanie Frappart is a French football referee. She has been on the FIFA International Referees List since 2009, and has refereed several high-profile matches. She became the first woman to referee a major men's European match and a French Ligue 1 match, both in 2019, and the first woman to officiate a UEFA Champions League match in 2020. In 2021, Frappart became the first woman to take charge of a men's World Cup qualifying match. In 2022, she was one of the three women referees selected to officiate at the men's World Cup, before she became the first woman to referee a men's World Cup match in an all-female referee team.

Salima Mukansanga

Salima Mukansanga

Salima Mukansanga is an international football referee from Rwanda who is a listed international referee for FIFA since 2012. She was an official at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France. In 2022, Mukansanga became the first woman to referee at the African Cup of Nations, leading out an all-woman officiating team of Fatiha Jermoumi (Morocco), Carine Atemzabong (Cameroon), and Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco) as the VAR. She has officiated at the Olympics, FIFA Women's World Cup, Africa Women Cup of Nations and CAF Women's Champions League. In 2022 she was one of three women referees selected to officiate at the FIFA World Cup to be hosted in Qatar. Mukansanga became the first female African to officiate at the men's top football event on 22 November 2022. She was the fourth official when France, the defending champions, defeated Australia 4–1. She was recognized as one of the BBC 100 Women in December 2022.

Yoshimi Yamashita

Yoshimi Yamashita

Yoshimi Yamashita is an international football referee from Japan. She was an official at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France. She also refereed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in the match between the United States and Sweden. In 2022 she was one of the three women referees selected to officiate at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.For the first time, a female referee was elected for the FIFA World Cup. The number of people was 6 people.

2022 FIFA World Cup Group E

2022 FIFA World Cup Group E

Group E of the 2022 FIFA World Cup took place from 23 November to 1 December 2022. The group consisted of Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, and Japan. The top two teams, Japan and Spain advanced to the round of 16. Japan became the first Asian team to win a World Cup group since themselves in Group H and South Korea in Group D, both in 2002, a tournament both countries co-hosted and the first country to defeat 2 former World Cup teams which became a big upset. Germany was eliminated from the group stage for the second consecutive tournament after going out as defending champions in 2018. They became the second reigning world champions to be eliminated in the group stage of the two subsequent tournaments, following the 2006 winners Italy.

Bakary Gassama

Bakary Gassama

Bakary Papa Gassama is a Gambian football referee. He became a FIFA referee in 2007. He officiated at the 2012 Olympic tournament, in which he was the fourth official for the gold medal match between Mexico and Brazil. He also served as a referee at the 2012 and 2013 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, as well as the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

César Arturo Ramos

César Arturo Ramos

César Arturo Ramos Palazuelos is a Mexican professional football referee. He has been a full international for FIFA since 2014. He refereed matches in CONCACAF Champions League, in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, and in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Janny Sikazwe

Janny Sikazwe

Janny Sikazwe is a former Zambian international football referee. He got his big break in 2008 at COSAFA U-20 Challenge Cup in South Africa when he was called to replace another referee who had failed a fitness test.

Mohammadreza Mansouri

Mohammadreza Mansouri

Mohammadreza Mansouri is an Iranian football referee.

Polish Football Association

Polish Football Association

The Polish Football Association is the governing body of association football in Poland. It organizes the Polish football leagues, the Polish Cup and the Polish national football team. It is based in the Polish capital of Warsaw.

Szymon Marciniak

Szymon Marciniak

Szymon Marciniak is a Polish professional football referee. He is considered one of the most highly rated international referees of his generation. He refereed the 2022 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and France on 18 December 2022 in Lusail, Qatar, as well as the 2018 UEFA Super Cup between Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid. In 2023, he was named "The World's Best Referee" by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).

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]

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2022 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony

2022 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony

The 2022 FIFA World Cup 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. It included appearances by Morgan Freeman and Ghanim Al-Muftah, and a performance by South Korean singer Jungkook of BTS.

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He is the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honor in 2008, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2011, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2012, and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2018.

Ghanim Al-Muftah

Ghanim Al-Muftah

Ghanim Muhammad Al-Muftah is a Qatari YouTuber and philanthropist with caudal regression syndrome. In 2017, he was Qatar's youngest entrepreneur at 15.

BTS

BTS

BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. The band consists of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, who co-write and co-produce the majority of their material. Originally a hip hop group, their musical style has evolved to incorporate a wide range of genres, while their lyrics have focused on subjects including mental health, the troubles of school-age youth and coming of age, loss, the journey towards self-love, individualism, and the consequences of fame and recognition. Their discography and adjacent work has also referenced literature, philosophy and psychological concepts, and includes an alternate universe storyline.

Jungkook

Jungkook

Jeon Jung-kook, known mononymously as Jungkook, is a South Korean singer. He is a member and vocalist of the South Korean boy band BTS.

Fahad Al Kubaisi

Fahad Al Kubaisi

Fahad Al Kubaisi is a Qatari singer, record producer, human rights activist, and fashion model. His voice has been described as a "tender" baritone. He became successful in Arab Gulf states and Maghreb. He is also famous for producing a sophisticated genre of Khaliji music.

Quran

Quran

The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters, which consist of verses. In addition to its religious significance, it is widely regarded as the finest work in Arabic literature, and has significantly influenced the Arabic language.

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.

Result of countries participating in the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Result of countries participating in the 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 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
Source: FIFA
(H) Host
Qatar 0–2 Ecuador
Report
  • Valencia 16' (pen.), 31'
Attendance: 67,372
Senegal 0–2 Netherlands
Report
Attendance: 41,721

Qatar 1–3 Senegal
Report
Attendance: 41,797
Netherlands 1–1 Ecuador
Report

Ecuador 1–2 Senegal
Report
Netherlands 2–0 Qatar
Report
Attendance: 66,784

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
Source: FIFA
England 6–2 Iran
Report
United States 1–1 Wales
Report

Wales 0–2 Iran
Report
England 0–0 United States
Report
Attendance: 68,463

Wales 0–3 England
Report
Iran 0–1 United States
Report
Attendance: 42,127

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
Source: FIFA
Argentina 1–2 Saudi Arabia
Report
Attendance: 88,012
Mexico 0–0 Poland
Report
Attendance: 39,369

Poland 2–0 Saudi Arabia
Report
Argentina 2–0 Mexico
Report
Attendance: 88,966

Poland 0–2 Argentina
Report
Attendance: 44,089
Saudi Arabia 1–2 Mexico
Report
Attendance: 84,985

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
Source: FIFA
Denmark 0–0 Tunisia
Report
France 4–1 Australia
Report

Tunisia 0–1 Australia
Report
Attendance: 41,823
France 2–1 Denmark
Report
Attendance: 42,860

Australia 1–0 Denmark
Report
Tunisia 1–0 France
Report

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
Source: FIFA
Germany 1–2 Japan
Report
Spain 7–0 Costa Rica
Report

Japan 0–1 Costa Rica
Report
Spain 1–1 Germany
Report
Attendance: 68,895

Japan 2–1 Spain
Report
Costa Rica 2–4 Germany
Report
Attendance: 67,054

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
Source: FIFA
Morocco 0–0 Croatia
Report
Belgium 1–0 Canada
Report

Belgium 0–2 Morocco
Report
Attendance: 43,738
Croatia 4–1 Canada
Report

Croatia 0–0 Belgium
Report
Canada 1–2 Morocco
Report
Attendance: 43,102

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
Source: FIFA
Switzerland 1–0 Cameroon
Report
Attendance: 39,089
Brazil 2–0 Serbia
Report
Attendance: 88,103

Brazil 1–0 Switzerland
Report
Attendance: 43,649

Serbia 2–3 Switzerland
Report
Attendance: 41,378
Cameroon 1–0 Brazil
Report
Attendance: 85,986

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
Source: FIFA
Uruguay 0–0 South Korea
Report
Portugal 3–2 Ghana
Report
Attendance: 42,662

South Korea 2–3 Ghana
Report
Portugal 2–0 Uruguay
Report
Attendance: 88,668

Ghana 0–2 Uruguay
Report
Attendance: 43,443
South Korea 2–1 Portugal
Report

Discover more about Group stage related topics

2022 FIFA World Cup Group A

2022 FIFA World Cup Group A

Group A of the 2022 FIFA World Cup took place from 20 to 29 November 2022. The group consisted of host nation Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal and the Netherlands. The top two teams, the Netherlands and Senegal, advanced to the round of 16. Qatar became the first host nation to lose every group game in the World Cup history, becoming the worst performing host.

Enner Valencia

Enner Valencia

Enner Remberto Valencia Lastra is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe and captains the Ecuador national team.

ESPN

ESPN

ESPN is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The company was founded in 1979 by Bill Rasmussen along with his son Scott Rasmussen and Ed Eagan.

Cody Gakpo

Cody Gakpo

Cody Mathès Gakpo is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Liverpool and the Netherlands national team.

Davy Klaassen

Davy Klaassen

Davy Klaassen is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eredivisie club Ajax and the Netherlands national team.

Boulaye Dia

Boulaye Dia

Boulaye Dia is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Italian Serie A club Salernitana, on loan from La Liga club Villarreal. Born in France, he plays for the Senegal national team.

Boualem Khoukhi

Boualem Khoukhi

Boualem Khoukhi is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Al Sadd in the Qatar Stars League. Born in Algeria, he is naturalized to represent the Qatar national team.

Famara Diédhiou

Famara Diédhiou

Famara Diédhiou is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a striker for Granada CF on loan from Süper Lig club Alanyaspor and Senegal national team.

Bamba Dieng

Bamba Dieng

Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacke Dieng is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Lorient and the Senegal national team.

Frenkie de Jong

Frenkie de Jong

Frenkie de Jong is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Barcelona and the Netherlands national team. A versatile midfielder, he is known for his vision, passing, dribbling, technique, along with strong defensive abilities and attacking prowess. De Jong has frequently been ranked among the best midfielders in world football.

Ismaïla Sarr

Ismaïla Sarr

Ismaïla Sarr is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a winger for EFL Championship club Watford and the Senegal national team.

2022 FIFA World Cup knockout stage

2022 FIFA World Cup knockout stage

The knockout stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup was the second and final stage of the competition, following the group stage. Played from 3 to 18 December, the knockout stage ended with the final, held at Lusail Stadium in Lusail. The top two teams from each group advanced to the knockout stage to compete in a single-elimination tournament. There were 16 matches in the knockout stage, including a third-place play-off played between the two losing teams of the semi-finals.

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 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
 
 Croatia0
 
 Japan1 (1)
 
9 December – Al Rayyan (Education)
 
 Croatia (p)1 (3)
 
 Croatia (p)1 (4)
 
5 December – Doha (974)
 
 Brazil1 (2)
 
 Brazil4
 
18 December – Lusail
 
 South Korea1
 
 Argentina (p)3 (4)
 
4 December – Al Khor
 
 France3 (2)
 
 England3
 
10 December – Al Khor
 
 Senegal0
 
 England1
 
4 December – Doha (Al Thumama)
 
 France2
 
 France3
 
14 December – Al Khor
 
 Poland1
 
 France2
 
6 December – Al Rayyan (Education)
 
 Morocco0 Third place play-off
 
 Morocco (p)0 (3)
 
10 December – Doha (Al Thumama)17 December – Al Rayyan (Khalifa)
 
 Spain0 (0)
 
 Morocco1 Croatia2
 
6 December – Lusail
 
 Portugal0  Morocco1
 
 Portugal6
 
 
 Switzerland1
 

Round of 16

The round of 16 was played from 3 to 7 December,[31] which for the first time ever included teams from all five continents.[225] Group A winners Netherlands scored goals through Memphis Depay, Daley Blind, and Denzel Dumfries as they defeated the United States 3–1, with Haji Wright scoring for the United States.[226] Messi scored his third of the tournament alongside Julián Álvarez to give Argentina a two-goal lead over Australia, and despite an Enzo Fernández own goal from a Craig Goodwin shot, Argentina won 2–1.[227] Olivier Giroud's goal and Mbappé's brace enabled France to have a 3–1 victory over Poland, with Robert Lewandowski scoring the lone goal for Poland from a penalty.[228] England beat Senegal 3–0, with goals coming from Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane, and Bukayo Saka.[229] Daizen Maeda scored for Japan against Croatia in the first half before a leveller from Ivan Perišić in the second. Neither team could find the winner, with Croatia defeating Japan 3–1 in a penalty shoot-out.[230] Vinícius Júnior, Neymar, Richarlison, and Lucas Paquetá all scored for Brazil, but a volley from South Korean Paik Seung-ho reduced the deficit to 4–1.[231] The match between Morocco and Spain finished as a goalless draw after 90 minutes, sending the match to extra time. Neither team could score a goal in extra time; Morocco won the match 3–0 on penalties.[232] A hat-trick by Gonçalo Ramos led Portugal to defeat Switzerland 6–1, with goals from Portugal's Pepe, Raphaël Guerreiro, and Rafael Leão and from Switzerland's Manuel Akanji.[233]

Netherlands 3–1 United States
Report

Argentina 2–1 Australia
Report

France 3–1 Poland
Report
Attendance: 40,989

England 3–0 Senegal
Report
Attendance: 65,985


Brazil 4–1 South Korea
Report
Attendance: 43,847


Portugal 6–1 Switzerland
Report
Attendance: 83,720

Quarter-finals

The quarter-finals were played on 9 and 10 December.[31] Croatia and Brazil ended 0–0 after 90 minutes and went to extra time. Neymar scored for Brazil in the 15th minute of extra time. Croatia, however, equalised through Bruno Petković in the second period of extra time. With the match tied, a penalty shootout decided the contest, with Croatia winning the shootout 4–2.[234][235] In the second quarter-final match, Nahuel Molina and Messi scored for Argentina before Wout Weghorst equalised with two goals shortly before the end of the game. The match went to extra time and then penalties, where Argentina would go on to win 4–3.[236] Morocco defeated Portugal 1–0, with Youssef En-Nesyri scoring at the end of the first half. Morocco became the first African and the first Arab nation to advance as far as the semi-finals of the competition.[237] Despite Harry Kane scoring a penalty for England, it was not enough to beat France, who won 2–1 by virtue of goals from Aurélien Tchouaméni and Olivier Giroud and a late missed penalty by Kane, sending them to their second consecutive World Cup semi-final and becoming the first defending champions to reach this stage since Brazil in 1998.[238][239]



Morocco 1–0 Portugal
Report
Attendance: 44,198

England 1–2 France
Report
Attendance: 68,895

Semi-finals

The semi-finals were played on 13 and 14 December.[31] Messi scored a penalty kick before Julián Álvarez scored twice to give Argentina a 3–0 victory over Croatia, their biggest win margin in the 2022 tournament, reaching their sixth final and first since 2014.[240] Théo Hernandez scored after five minutes as France led Morocco for most of the game. Randal Kolo Muani scored in the 78th minute to complete a 2–0 victory for France over Morocco as they reached their second consecutive final.[241]

Argentina 3–0 Croatia
Report
Attendance: 88,966

France 2–0 Morocco
Report
Attendance: 68,294

Third place play-off

The third place play-off was played on 17 December. Joško Gvardiol promptly scored for Croatia, with Achraf Dari equalising just 2 minutes later. Mislav Oršić scored the winner for Croatia as the match finished 2–1.[242] Morocco earned 4th place, a record for the team and the best World Cup finish of any African or Arab nation.[243]

Croatia 2–1 Morocco
Report

Final

The final was played on 18 December between Argentina and France. Both teams had won the event twice previously.[244] Early goals from Lionel Messi and Ángel Di María gave Argentina, leading 2–0, a head start against the French.[244][245] Despite multiple substitutions in the first half, France did not record a shot until after the 70th minute but were energised by additional substitutions in the 71st. A few minutes later, France were awarded a penalty as Randal Kolo Muani was brought down in the penalty area by Nicolás Otamendi. Mbappé scored the penalty and added a second goal less than two minutes later to equalise the scores.[245] With the score tied at two goals apiece, the match went to extra time. Messi scored his second goal in the 108th minute, once again giving Argentina the lead. However, Mbappé was awarded a second penalty in the 115th minute after his shot hit the arm of Gonzalo Montiel. Mbappé scored his third goal, becoming the second player ever to complete a hat-trick in the final of a World Cup after Geoff Hurst for England in 1966.[245] With the score tied at 3–3, the match was determined via a penalty shootout. Argentina won the final after scoring all of their penalties, winning 4–2.[245] This marked their third World Cup win and their first since 1986. It also marked the first time that a South American team won the World Cup in 20 years and as Copa América champions.

Argentina 3–3 (a.e.t.) France
Report
Penalties
4-2
Attendance: 88,966

Discover more about Knockout stage related topics

2022 FIFA World Cup knockout stage

2022 FIFA World Cup knockout stage

The knockout stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup was the second and final stage of the competition, following the group stage. Played from 3 to 18 December, the knockout stage ended with the final, held at Lusail Stadium in Lusail. The top two teams from each group advanced to the knockout stage to compete in a single-elimination tournament. There were 16 matches in the knockout stage, including a third-place play-off played between the two losing teams of the semi-finals.

Penalty shoot-out (association football)

Penalty shoot-out (association football)

A penalty shoot-out is a tie-breaking method in association football to determine which team is awarded victory in a match that cannot end in a draw, when the score is tied after the normal time as well as extra time have expired. In a penalty shoot-out, each team takes turns shooting at goal from the penalty mark, with the goal defended only by the opposing team's goalkeeper. Each team has five shots which must be taken by different kickers; the team that makes more successful kicks is declared the victor. Shoot-outs finish as soon as one team has an insurmountable lead. If scores are level after five pairs of shots, the shootout progresses into additional "sudden-death" rounds. Balls successfully kicked into the goal during a shoot-out do not count as goals for the individual kickers or the team, and are tallied separately from the goals scored during normal play. Although the procedure for each individual kick in the shoot-out resembles that of a penalty kick, there are some differences. Most notably, neither the kicker nor any player other than the goalkeeper may play the ball again once it has been kicked.

UTC+03:00

UTC+03:00

UTC+03:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +03:00. In areas using this time offset, the time is three hours later than the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Following the ISO 8601 standard, a time with this offset would be written as, for example, 2019-02-08T23:36:06+03:00.

Khalifa International Stadium

Khalifa International Stadium

Khalifa International Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Al Rayyan, Qatar, around 9 kilometres west from the centre of Doha. Its ground comprises a running track and a grass pitch. Opened in 1976, the stadium was named after then-Emir of Qatar Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, and under the ownership of the Qatar Football Association, it serves as the primary home ground of the Qatar men's national football team. Its current fully-roofed, 45,857-seat configuration was opened in 2017, following a previous reconfiguration in 2005 that incorporated the stadium into the Aspire Zone complex and added a roofed grandstand; boosting its capacity from 20,000 to 40,000.

Netherlands national football team

Netherlands national football team

The Netherlands national football team has represented the Netherlands in international men's football matches since 1905. The men's national team is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), the governing body for football in the Netherlands, which is a part of UEFA, under the jurisdiction of FIFA. They were sometimes regarded as the greatest national team of the respective generations. Most of the Netherlands home matches are played at the Johan Cruyff Arena, De Kuip, Philips Stadion and De Grolsch Veste.

Lusail Stadium

Lusail Stadium

Lusail Stadium, is a football stadium in Lusail, Qatar. Owned by the Qatar Football Association, it is the largest stadium in Qatar and the Middle East by capacity and one of eight stadiums built for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, during which it hosted the final game between Argentina and France on 18 December 2022. It is currently the fourth largest stadium in Asia but eventually will reduce its current capacity of 88,966 to 40,000 in the near future.

Ahmad bin Ali Stadium

Ahmad bin Ali Stadium

Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, popularly known as the Al-Rayyan Stadium, is an association football stadium located in the district of Rawdat Al Jahhaniya, Qatar, around 9 kilometres northwest from the centre of Al Rayyan. It is currently used mostly for football matches and it is the home to Al-Rayyan Sports Club. The stadium is named after Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar from 1960 to 1972. The former stadium, built in 2003, had a seating capacity of 21,282 and was demolished in 2015. The new Al Rayyan Stadium has a seating capacity of 45,000.

Argentina national football team

Argentina national football team

The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in men's international football and is administered by the Argentine Football Association, the governing body for football in Argentina.

Australia men's national soccer team

Australia men's national soccer team

The Australia men's national soccer team represents Australia in international men's soccer. Officially nicknamed the Socceroos, the team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the regional ASEAN Football Federation (AFF).

Al Janoub Stadium

Al Janoub Stadium

Al-Janoub Stadium, formerly known as Al-Wakrah Stadium, is a retractable roof football stadium in Al-Wakrah, Qatar that was inaugurated on 16 May 2019. This was the second among the eight stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, after the renovation of Khalifa International Stadium. It was designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid (1950–2016) together with the firms AECOM and Jain and Partners of Dubai.

Croatia national football team

Croatia national football team

The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colors reference two national symbols: the Croatian checkerboard and the country's tricolour. They are colloquially referred to as the Vatreni ('Blazers') and Kockasti.

Japan national football team

Japan national football team

The Japan national football team , nicknamed the Samurai Blue , represents Japan in men's international football. It is controlled by the Japan Football Association (JFA), the governing body for football in Japan.

Statistics

Goalscorers

There were 172 goals scored in 64 matches, for an average of 2.69 goals per match.

8 goals

7 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Discipline

A player or team official is automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:[150]

  • Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious offences)
  • Receiving two yellow cards in two matches; yellow cards expire after the completion of the quarter-finals (yellow card suspensions are not carried forward to any other future international matches)

The following suspensions were served during the tournament:

Player/Official Offence(s) Suspension(s)
Wales Wayne Hennessey Red card in Group B vs Iran (matchday 2; 25 November) Group B vs England (matchday 3; 29 November)
Iran Alireza Jahanbakhsh Yellow card in Group B vs England (matchday 1; 21 November)
Yellow card in Group B vs Wales (matchday 2; 25 November)
Group B vs United States (matchday 3; 29 November)
Ecuador Sebas Méndez Yellow card in Group A vs Qatar (matchday 1; 20 November)
Yellow card in Group A vs Netherlands (matchday 2; 25 November)
Group A vs Senegal (matchday 3; 29 November)
Saudi Arabia Abdulellah Al-Malki Yellow card in Group C vs Argentina (matchday 1; 22 November)
Yellow card in Group C vs Poland (matchday 2; 26 November)
Group C vs Mexico (matchday 3; 30 November)
Costa Rica Francisco Calvo Yellow card in Group E vs Spain (matchday 1; 23 November)
Yellow card in Group E vs Japan (matchday 2; 27 November)
Group E vs Germany (matchday 3; 1 December)
Belgium Amadou Onana Yellow card in Group F vs Canada (matchday 1; 23 November)
Yellow card in Group F vs Morocco (matchday 2; 27 November)
Group F vs Croatia (matchday 3; 1 December)
South Korea Paulo Bento (manager) Red card in Group H vs Ghana (matchday 2; 28 November) Group H vs Portugal (matchday 3; 2 December)
Senegal Idrissa Gueye Yellow card in Group A vs Netherlands (matchday 1; 21 November)
Yellow card in Group A vs Ecuador (matchday 3; 29 November)
Round of 16 vs England (4 December)
Japan Ko Itakura Yellow card in Group E vs Costa Rica (matchday 2; 27 November)
Yellow card in Group E vs Spain (matchday 3; 1 December)
Round of 16 vs Croatia (5 December)
Cameroon Vincent Aboubakar Yellow card Yellow-red card in Group G vs Brazil (matchday 3; 2 December) Suspension served outside tournament
Argentina Marcos Acuña Yellow card in Group C vs Poland (matchday 3; 30 November)
Yellow card in Quarter-finals vs Netherlands (9 December)
Semi-finals vs Croatia (13 December)
Argentina Gonzalo Montiel Yellow card in Group C vs Mexico (matchday 2; 26 November)
Yellow card in Quarter-finals vs Netherlands (9 December)
Semi-finals vs Croatia (13 December)
Netherlands Denzel Dumfries Yellow card Yellow-red card in Quarter-finals vs Argentina (9 December) Suspension served outside tournament
Morocco Walid Cheddira Yellow card Yellow-red card in Quarter-finals vs Portugal (10 December) Semi-finals vs France (14 December)
Croatia Mario Mandžukić (assistant manager) Red card in Semi-finals vs Argentina (13 December) Third place play-off vs Morocco (17 December)

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FIFA World Cup records and statistics

FIFA World Cup records and statistics

As of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, 80 national teams have competed at the finals of the FIFA World Cup. Brazil is the only team to have appeared in all 22 tournaments to date, with Germany having participated in 20, Italy and Argentina in 18 and Mexico in 17. Eight nations have won the tournament. The inaugural winners in 1930 were Uruguay; the current champions are Argentina. The most successful nation is Brazil, which has won the cup on five occasions. Five teams have appeared in FIFA World Cup finals without winning, while twelve more have appeared in the semi-finals.

France national football team

France national football team

The France national football team represents France in men's international football matches. It is governed by the French Football Federation, the governing body for football in France. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colors and imagery reference two national symbols: the French red-white-blue tricolour and Gallic rooster. The team is colloquially known as Les Bleus. They play home matches at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and train at INF Clairefontaine in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines.

Kylian Mbappé

Kylian Mbappé

Kylian Mbappé Lottin is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the France national team. Regarded as one of the best players in the world, he is renowned for his dribbling abilities, exceptional speed, and finishing.

Argentina national football team

Argentina national football team

The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in men's international football and is administered by the Argentine Football Association, the governing body for football in Argentina.

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi

Lionel Andrés Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record seven Ballon d'Or awards, a record six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020 was named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team. Until leaving the club in 2021, he had spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he won a club-record 34 trophies, including 10 La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues. With his country, he won the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. A prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga (474), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (eight), and most assists in La Liga (192) and the Copa América (17). He also has the most international goals by a South American male (98). Messi has scored over 795 senior career goals for club and country, and has the most goals by a player for a single club (672).

Julián Álvarez (footballer)

Julián Álvarez (footballer)

Julián Álvarez is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester City and the Argentina national team. Nicknamed La Araña, he is known for his aggressive pressing, dynamic scoring ability, and link-up play.

Brazil national football team

Brazil national football team

The Brazil national football team, nicknamed Seleção Canarinha, represents Brazil in men's international football and is administered by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), the governing body for football in Brazil. They have been a member of FIFA since 1923 and a member of CONMEBOL since 1916.

Ecuador national football team

Ecuador national football team

The Ecuador national football team represents Ecuador in men's international football and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF). They joined FIFA in 1926 and CONMEBOL a year later.

Enner Valencia

Enner Valencia

Enner Remberto Valencia Lastra is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe and captains the Ecuador national team.

England national football team

England national football team

The England national football team has represented England in international football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by The Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in England, which is affiliated with UEFA and comes under the global jurisdiction of world football's governing body FIFA. England competes in the three major international tournament contested by European nations: the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA European Championship, and the UEFA Nations League.

Bukayo Saka

Bukayo Saka

Bukayo Ayoyinka T. M. Saka is an English professional footballer who plays as a right winger, right-back or midfielder for Premier League club Arsenal and the England national team. Saka is known for his attacking incisiveness and creativity, and is often considered one of the best young football players in the world.

Cody Gakpo

Cody Gakpo

Cody Mathès Gakpo is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Liverpool and the Netherlands national team.

Awards

Argentina captain Lionel Messi (left) won the Golden Ball award, becoming the first player to win it twice. France's Kylian Mbappé (right) won the Golden Boot award after scoring eight goals in the tournament, the most since Ronaldo in 2002.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi (left) won the Golden Ball award, becoming the first player to win it twice. France's Kylian Mbappé (right) won the Golden Boot award after scoring eight goals in the tournament, the most since Ronaldo in 2002.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi (left) won the Golden Ball award, becoming the first player to win it twice. France's Kylian Mbappé (right) won the Golden Boot award after scoring eight goals in the tournament, the most since Ronaldo in 2002.

The following World Cup awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament: the Golden Boot (top scorer), Golden Ball (best overall player) and Golden Glove (best goalkeeper).[246][247][248][249][250]

Golden Ball Silver Ball Bronze Ball
Argentina Lionel Messi France Kylian Mbappé Croatia Luka Modrić
Golden Boot Silver Boot Bronze Boot
France Kylian Mbappé Argentina Lionel Messi France Olivier Giroud
8 goals, 2 assists
597 minutes played
7 goals, 3 assists
690 minutes played
4 goals, 0 assists
423 minutes played
Golden Glove
Argentina Emiliano Martínez
FIFA Young Player Award
Argentina Enzo Fernández
FIFA Fair Play Trophy
 England

Additionally, FIFA.com shortlisted 10 goals for users to vote on as the tournament's best.[251] The award was won by Richarlison for his goal in the group stage match against Serbia.

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Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi

Lionel Andrés Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record seven Ballon d'Or awards, a record six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020 was named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team. Until leaving the club in 2021, he had spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he won a club-record 34 trophies, including 10 La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues. With his country, he won the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. A prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga (474), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (eight), and most assists in La Liga (192) and the Copa América (17). He also has the most international goals by a South American male (98). Messi has scored over 795 senior career goals for club and country, and has the most goals by a player for a single club (672).

Kylian Mbappé

Kylian Mbappé

Kylian Mbappé Lottin is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the France national team. Regarded as one of the best players in the world, he is renowned for his dribbling abilities, exceptional speed, and finishing.

Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)

Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)

Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, commonly known as Ronaldo or Ronaldo Nazário, is a Brazilian business owner and president of La Liga club Real Valladolid, owner of Brasileiro Série A club Cruzeiro, and a former professional footballer who played as a striker. Nicknamed O Fenômeno and R9, he is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time. As a multi-functional striker who brought a new dimension to the position, Ronaldo has been an influence for a generation of strikers that have followed. His individual accolades include being named FIFA World Player of the Year three times and winning two Ballon d'Or awards.

2002 FIFA World Cup

2002 FIFA World Cup

The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea and Japan, with its final match hosted by Japan at International Stadium in Yokohama.

FIFA World Cup awards

FIFA World Cup awards

At the end of each FIFA World Cup final tournament, several awards are presented to the players and teams who have distinguished themselves in various aspects of the game.

Argentina national football team

Argentina national football team

The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in men's international football and is administered by the Argentine Football Association, the governing body for football in Argentina.

France national football team

France national football team

The France national football team represents France in men's international football matches. It is governed by the French Football Federation, the governing body for football in France. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colors and imagery reference two national symbols: the French red-white-blue tricolour and Gallic rooster. The team is colloquially known as Les Bleus. They play home matches at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and train at INF Clairefontaine in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines.

Croatia national football team

Croatia national football team

The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colors reference two national symbols: the Croatian checkerboard and the country's tricolour. They are colloquially referred to as the Vatreni ('Blazers') and Kockasti.

Luka Modrić

Luka Modrić

Luka Modrić is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and captains the Croatia national team. He plays mainly as a central midfielder, but can also play as an attacking midfielder or as a defensive midfielder. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, and as the greatest ever Croatian footballer.

Marketing

Branding

The official emblem was designed by Lisbon-based Brandia Central branding agency and unveiled in September 2019, during simultaneous events at the Doha Tower, Katara Cultural Village amphitheatre, Msheireb Downtown Doha, and Zubarah. It was designed to resemble the tournament trophy, the infinity symbol, and the number "8", reflecting upon the "interconnected" event and the eight host stadiums. It also evoked imagery of shawls to signify the tournament's late fall scheduling, and contained waves resembling desert dunes. The typography of the emblem's wordmark incorporated kashida—the practice of elongating certain parts of characters in Arabic script to provide typographical emphasis.[252][253][254]

Qatar has also used the tournament as an opportunity to promote its culture and heritage, featuring a range of activities and events to celebrate Qatari culture and traditions, as well as to promote its history and achievements during the sport event.[255] H.E Ambassador Dr. Hend Al-Muftah, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Office at Geneva, explained to WIPO Magazine that Qatar is using the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ to strengthen its national brand and international profile, strengthening its capabilities and build its reputation as a reliable international player and partner.[256]

Merchandise

Electronic Arts released the 2022 FIFA World Cup DLC in their video game FIFA 23 on 9 November 2022. The expansion includes a World Cup tournament mode with all teams from the event, some theming, and a multiplayer online tournament mode.[257] Instead of being connected to FIFA Ultimate Team, the DLC includes a "World Cup Live" mode, which lets players emulate that day's matches. Google released a mobile mini-game called "Mini Cup". For every live match of the World Cup, players could score penalties for their team, adding to the nation's total tally.[258]

On 24 August 2022, the Panini Group produced themed stickers and a sticker album for a 14th consecutive World Cup.[259] Collectors were meant to open player packs and use them to fill their sticker book with all 32 participating teams. This year, rare cards with coloured borders "parallels" could be found, and could be collected, traded, or sold.[260]

On 12 April 2022, FIFA released an over-the-top media service and app revolving around the World Cup called FIFA+, where fans could play games, predict matches, and compete with others.[261]

Broadcasting rights

In May 2022, Infantino projected that the 2022 FIFA World Cup could be the most-watched in its history, with a global audience of at least 5 billion. The 2018 tournament was seen by 3.57 billion across the tournament.[262] The various controversies surrounding the World Cup in Qatar led to questions over how the tournament would be covered in the media, and whether they would be discussed or addressed during coverage.[263][264] David Neal, executive producer for U.S. English rightsholder Fox Sports, stated that the broadcaster did not plan to cover issues that were "ancillary" to the tournament unless they "become prevalent and apparent", saying that "[viewers] don't come to us expecting us to be Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, or E:60".[264] This approach received a polarizing response from viewers, with some taking to social media to criticize the lack of focus on controversies, with others praising the sports-focused approach.[265][266]

In February 2015, FIFA extended its media rights contracts in Canada and the United States with Bell Media (Canada), Fox (U.S. English), and NBCUniversal (U.S. Spanish) to last through 2026, without taking any competing offers. The New York Times reported that this decision was likely intended as compensation for the rescheduling of the 2022 World Cup, as the new scheduling placed the tournament in competition with major professional sports leagues in North America, such as the National Football League.[267][268][269] The group stage did benefit from matches occurring during the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend (competing with traditional fixtures of American football), when the England–U.S. group stage match was seen by approximately 20 million viewers across both Fox and Telemundo, ranking among the highest-rated associated football broadcasts in U.S. history (the highest was a 2014 World Cup match that drew 24.7 million).[270][271]

Sponsorship

FIFA partners FIFA World Cup sponsors African and Middle Eastern supporters Asian supporters European supporters North American supporters South American supporters

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Lisbon

Lisbon

Lisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits with a population of around 2.7 million people, being the 11th-most populous urban area in the European Union. About 3 million people live in the Lisbon metropolitan area, making it the third largest metropolitan area in the Iberian Peninsula, after Madrid and Barcelona. It represents approximately 27% of the country's population. It is mainland Europe's westernmost capital city and the only one along the Atlantic coast. Lisbon lies in the western Iberian Peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean and the River Tagus. The westernmost portions of its metro area, the Portuguese Riviera, form the westernmost point of Continental Europe, culminating at Cabo da Roca.

Doha Tower

Doha Tower

Doha Tower, also known as Burj Doha, and previously named as Burj Qatar and Doha High Rise Office Building, is a high rise tower in West Bay, Doha, Qatar. On October 18, 2012, the building received the CTBUH Skyscraper Award for the Best Tall Building Worldwide from the CTBUH. The $125-million office building, designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, has a height of 238 metres (781 ft), with 46 stories.

Katara Cultural Village

Katara Cultural Village

Katara Cultural Village, also called Katara, is a cultural and commercial complex in Doha, Qatar, located on the eastern coast between West Bay and the Pearl.

FIFA World Cup Trophy

FIFA World Cup Trophy

The World Cup is a solid gold trophy that is awarded to the winners of the FIFA World Cup association football tournament. Since the advent of the World Cup in 1930, two trophies have been used: the Jules Rimet Trophy from 1930 to 1970, before the FIFA World Cup Trophy from 1974 to the present day. It is one of the most expensive trophies in sporting history, valued at $250,000.

Infinity symbol

Infinity symbol

The infinity symbol is a mathematical symbol representing the concept of infinity. This symbol is also called a lemniscate, after the lemniscate curves of a similar shape studied in algebraic geometry, or "lazy eight", in the terminology of livestock branding.

Dune

Dune

A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat regions covered with wind-swept sand or dunes with little or no vegetation are called ergs or sand seas. Dunes occur in different shapes and sizes, but most kinds of dunes are longer on the stoss (upflow) side, where the sand is pushed up the dune, and have a shorter slip face in the lee side. The valley or trough between dunes is called a dune slack.

Kashida

Kashida

Kashida or Kasheeda is a type of justification in the Arabic language and in some descendant cursive scripts. In contrast to white-space justification, which increases the length of a line of text by expanding spaces between words or individual letters, kasheeda creates justification by elongating characters at certain points. Kasheeda justification can be combined with white-space justification.

Arabic script

Arabic script

The Arabic script is the writing system used for Arabic and several other languages of Asia and Africa. It is the second-most widely used writing system in the world by number of countries using it or a script directly derived from it, and the third-most by number of users.

FIFA World Cup video games

FIFA World Cup video games

FIFA has licensed FIFA World Cup video games since 1986, of which only a few were received positively by the critics, but given the popularity of the competition, they all did positively on the market, and the license is one of the most sought-after. Originally in the hands of U.S. Gold, Electronic Arts acquired it in 1997 and is the current holder.

Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the designers and programmers responsible for its games as "software artists." EA published numerous games and some productivity software for personal computers, all of which were developed by external individuals or groups until 1987's Skate or Die!. The company shifted toward internal game studios, often through acquisitions, such as Distinctive Software becoming EA Canada in 1991.

Expansion pack

Expansion pack

An expansion pack, expansion set, supplement, or simply expansion is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game, video game or collectible card game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, characters, or an extended storyline to an already-released game.

FIFA 23

FIFA 23

FIFA 23 is a football video game published by Electronic Arts. It is the 29th and final installment in the FIFA series that is developed by EA Sports, and the final installment under the FIFA banner, and released worldwide on 30 September 2022 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

Symbols

Mascot

The tournament's official mascot was unveiled on 1 April 2022, during the group stage draw. Its name is Laʼeeb (Arabic: لعيب, romanizedLaʿīb), which is an Arabic word meaning "super-skilled player". The official website of FIFA says: "Laʼeeb will be known for his youthful spirit; spreading joy and confidence everywhere he goes", and the official backstory of the character, published there, claims that it comes from a parallel world where tournament mascots live, "a world where ideas and creativity form the basis of characters that live in the minds of everyone".[304] Social media commentary compared La'eeb's appearance to Casper the Friendly Ghost or the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, or even the ghost of the construction workers who died building the stadiums and infrastructure.[305][306][307][308]

Match ball

The adidas Al Rihla
The adidas Al Rihla

The official match ball, "Al Rihla", was unveiled on 30 March 2022. It was mainly inspired by the culture, architecture, iconic boats and flag of Qatar. In Arabic, the word Al Rihla (الْرِّحْلَة ar-riḥla) means "the journey". The ball was designed with sustainability as a priority, making it the first ever official match ball created with water-based glues and inks. As "the game is getting faster" and "speeds up", the Adidas ball has internal electronic sensors, allowing detection of its speed and position, updated 500 times per second[309] and it has to be charged before each game.[310] Two of the match balls were sent and returned from space by FIFA and Qatar Airways on a SpaceX falcon 9 suborbital mission for promoting the world cup.[311]

The match ball for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final was announced on 11 December 2022. It is a variation of the Al Rihla named the Adidas Al Hilm (Arabic: الحلم, romanizedal-ḥulm, lit.'the dream', a reference to "every nation's dream of lifting the FIFA World Cup").[312] Whilst the technical aspects of the ball are the same, the colour is different from the Al-Rihla balls used in the group stages and preceding knockout games, with a Gold Metallic, maroon, Collegiate Burgundy, and red design,[313] a reference to the national colors of host nation Qatar and the golden colors shared by the Final's venue and the FIFA World Cup Trophy. It is the fifth special ball for FIFA World Cup final matches, after the +Teamgeist Berlin (2006), Jo'bulani (2010), Brazuca Final Rio (2014), and Telstar Mechta (2018).

Music

For the first time, a multi-song FIFA World Cup official soundtrack has been released, instead of one official song.[314] The first song of the album is "Hayya Hayya (Better Together)", performed by Trinidad Cardona, Davido and AISHA, released on 1 April 2022 along with the music video.[315] The second song is "Arhbo", performed by Gims and Ozuna, released on 19 August 2022 along with the music video.[316] The third song is "The World Is Yours to Take" performed by American rapper Lil Baby, teamed up with Budweiser, released on 23 September 2022 along with the music video.[317] The fourth song is "Light The Sky" performed by Nora Fatehi, Manal, Rahma Riad and Balqees, composed by RedOne and released on 7 October 2022 along with the music video.[318] A fifth song, "Tukoh Taka", performed by Nicki Minaj, Maluma and Myriam Fares, was released on 17 November 2022 along with the music video, serving as the official song of the FIFA Fan Festival.[319] The final song is "Dreamers" by Jungkook of BTS released on 20 November 2022. It was performed with Fahad Al-Kubaisi during the tournament's opening ceremony.[320][321]

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Romanization of Arabic

Romanization of Arabic

The romanization of Arabic is the systematic rendering of written and spoken Arabic in the Latin script. Romanized Arabic is used for various purposes, among them transcription of names and titles, cataloging Arabic language works, language education when used instead of or alongside the Arabic script, and representation of the language in scientific publications by linguists. These formal systems, which often make use of diacritics and non-standard Latin characters and are used in academic settings or for the benefit of non-speakers, contrast with informal means of written communication used by speakers such as the Latin-based Arabic chat alphabet.

Casper the Friendly Ghost

Casper the Friendly Ghost

Casper the Friendly Ghost is the protagonist of the Famous Studios theatrical animated cartoon series of the same name. He is a pleasant, personable and translucent ghost, but often criticized by his three wicked uncles, the Ghostly Trio.

Ghost

Ghost

A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes to realistic, lifelike forms. The deliberate attempt to contact the spirit of a deceased person is known as necromancy, or in spiritism as a séance. Other terms associated with it are apparition, haunt, phantom, poltergeist, shade, specter, spirit, spook, wraith, demon, and ghoul.

Adidas Al Rihla

Adidas Al Rihla

The Adidas Al Rihla is a ball for association football produced by Adidas. It was the official match ball of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The ball contains a suspended inertial measurement unit inside its bladder that supplies the video assistant referee with instantaneous highly detailed ball movement data. The ball was designed for sustainability, being the first FIFA World Cup official match ball to be produced with environmentally-friendly inks and adhesives.

Adidas

Adidas

Adidas AG is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the world, after Nike. It is the holding company for the Adidas Group, which consists 8.33% stake of the football club Bayern München, and Runtastic, an Austrian fitness technology company. Adidas's revenue for 2018 was listed at €21.915 billion.

Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways Company Q.C.S.C., operating as Qatar Airways, is the state-owned flag carrier airline of Qatar. Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha, the airline operates a hub-and-spoke network, flying to over 150 international destinations across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania from its base at Hamad International Airport, using a fleet of more than 200 aircraft. Qatar Airways Group employs more than 43,000 people. The carrier has been a member of the Oneworld alliance since October 2013, the first Persian Gulf carrier to sign with one of the three major airline alliances.

SpaceX

SpaceX

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal of reducing space transportation costs to enable the colonization of Mars. The company manufactures the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Starship launch vehicles, several rocket engines, Cargo Dragon and Crew Dragon spacecraft, and Starlink communications satellites.

Falcon 9

Falcon 9

Falcon 9 is a partially reusable Heavy-lift launch vehicle that can carry cargo and crew into Earth orbit, produced by American aerospace company SpaceX.

Literal translation

Literal translation

Literal translation, direct translation or word-for-word translation, is a translation of a text done by translating each word separately, without looking at how the words are used together in a phrase or sentence.

Flag of Qatar

Flag of Qatar

The national flag of Qatar is in the ratio of 11:28. It is maroon with a broad white serrated band on the hoist side. It was adopted shortly before the country declared independence from Britain on 3 September 1971.

Qatar

Qatar

Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares its sole land border with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. The Gulf of Bahrain, an inlet of the Persian Gulf, separates Qatar from nearby Bahrain. The capital is Doha, home to over 80% of the country's inhabitants, and the land area is mostly made up of flat, low-lying desert.

Lusail Stadium

Lusail Stadium

Lusail Stadium, is a football stadium in Lusail, Qatar. Owned by the Qatar Football Association, it is the largest stadium in Qatar and the Middle East by capacity and one of eight stadiums built for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, during which it hosted the final game between Argentina and France on 18 December 2022. It is currently the fourth largest stadium in Asia but eventually will reduce its current capacity of 88,966 to 40,000 in the near future.

Controversies

Criticism of the 2022 FIFA World Cup focused on Qatar's human-rights record,[322] namely their treatment of migrant workers,[322] women, and position on LGBT rights,[323] leading to allegations of sportswashing.[P] Others cited Qatar's climate, lack of a strong football culture, and allegations of bribery for hosting rights and wider FIFA corruption.[327][6] Boycotts of the event were declared by several countries, clubs, and individual players,[325][326] with former FIFA president Sepp Blatter twice stating that giving Qatar hosting rights was a "mistake".[328][329]

The selection of Qatar as the host country was controversial.[5][6][8] The controversies surrounding the World Cup in Qatar were described as a cultural conflict or "Clash of Civilizations" between authoritarian Islamic regimes and secular liberal democracies.[5][8][323] Charlie Campbell of Time Magazine additionally noted the dispute as dually representative of the declining influence of the West in both football and geopolitics.[67] The Economist provided a defence for FIFA's choice, stating that Qatar was "a more suitable country to host a big sporting event" than both China and Russia, who hosted the 2022 Winter Olympics and the 2018 World Cup respectively, and both of whom arguably had worse human rights records. Moreover, it added that "Western criticism" failed to "distinguish between truly repugnant regimes and merely flawed ones", and that many "indignant pundits" simply sounded as if they did "not like Muslims or rich people".[330] The Qatari state-owned Al Jazeera news organization commented that Qatar's human rights positions had received selected, heightened criticism compared to other countries who had hosted similar events (such as Russia, China, and the United States), deeming the controversy to be hypocritical.[331][332] Incumbent FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended the hosting.[333]

A number of groups and media outlets expressed concern over the suitability of Qatar to host the event.[334][335] Issues regarding from human rights,[8][323] worker conditions ,the rights of LGBT fans,[323] and the illegality of homosexuality in Qatar.[336][337][338] In December 2020, Qatar said rainbow flags would be allowed at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[339] Qatari officials initially stated that they would not prohibit the display of pride flags at tournament venues, in accordance with FIFA's inclusivity policies, although the country still advised LGBT attendees to comply with the country's modesty and avoid public displays of affection.[340][341] Hassan Abdulla al-Thawadi, chief executive of the country's 2022 World Cup bid, said that Qatar would permit alcohol consumption during the event,[342][343] even though drinking in public was not permitted, as the country's legal system is based on Islamic law (sharīʿa).[344] There were plans to allow the sale of alcohol inside stadiums and at fan villages.[345] Normally, the sale of alcohol is restricted to non-Muslim guests at selected luxury hotels only.[346]

However, in the months preceding the tournament, Qatar walked back on both commitments: security officials warned in April 2022 that pride flags could be confiscated to protect attendees from potential conflicts with attendees who do not support LGBT rights,[347][348] and the sale of alcohol to fans within the stadiums was prohibited just days before the opening match.[349][345] This also led to concerns about what other commitments may be rolled back.[349][350] Also in the days preceding the opening of the competition, controversy arose around the change of rules surrounding the paid-for fans.[351]

The climate conditions caused some to call hosting the tournament in Qatar infeasible, with initial plans for air-conditioned stadiums giving way to a potential date switch from summer to November and December.[5] In May 2014, Sepp Blatter, who was FIFA president at the time of the selection but later banned for illegal payments, remarked that awarding the World Cup to Qatar was a "mistake" because of the extreme heat.[5][352][353] While addressing delegates from African and Asian confederations, Blatter said allegations of corruption and some of the criticism, including those from sponsors, were "very much linked to racism and discrimination".[354] The attendance figures at the matches also came under scrutiny as the reported crowd attendance was more than the stadium capacities despite games having visible empty seats.[355]

Prior to the tournament, a reporter for Denmark's TV 2 was threatened by security during a live report from the Katara Cultural Village; the organising committee apologised, stating that they were "mistakenly interrupted".[356] Tony O'Donoghue of Ireland's RTÉ also accused Qatari police of interrupting him while filming.[357]

On 5 November 2022, The Sunday Times and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism published an investigation reporting that a "hack-for-hire" group from Indian hacking company "WhiteInt" based in Gurgaon had compromised the email accounts and other private communications channels of various politicians, reporters, and other prominent individuals that had been critical of Qatar's hosting of the World Cup. It was also reported that the group had been hired by Jonas Rey, private investigators based in Switzerland, which were in turn hired by Qatari officials.[358]

In November 2022, just before the tournament kicked off, Blatter again stated that awarding the tournament to Qatar was a "mistake". He remarked that the nation was "too small of a country" to host the tournament and that "football and the World Cup are too big for it".[359]

Migrant workers

There were criticisms of perceived human rights violations related to the organisation and hosting of the World Cup in Qatar. There had long been concerns for the state of human rights in Qatar, with the state accused of sportswashing in hosting the World Cup. A large concern in Qatar's hosting of the World Cup was the conditions of migrant workers brought in to build the required infrastructure, including indentured servitude and working conditions leading to deaths.[360][361][322][362][326]

Move to November and December

Owing to the climate in Qatar, concerns were expressed over holding the World Cup in its traditional time frame of June and July.[5] In October 2013, a task force was commissioned to consider alternative dates and report after the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.[363] On 24 February 2015, the FIFA Task Force proposed that the tournament be played from late November to late December 2022,[364] to avoid the summer heat between May and September and also avoid clashing with the 2022 Winter Olympics in February, the 2022 Winter Paralympics in March and Ramadan in April.[365][366]

The notion of staging the tournament in November was controversial because it would interfere with the regular season schedules of some domestic leagues around the world. Commentators noted the clash with the Christian Christmas season was likely to cause disruption, whilst there was concern about how short the tournament was intended to be.[367] FIFA executive committee member Theo Zwanziger said that awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar was a "blatant mistake".[368]

Frank Lowy, chairman of Football Federation Australia, said that if the 2022 World Cup were moved to November and thus upset the schedule of the A-League, they would seek compensation from FIFA.[369] Richard Scudamore, chief executive of the Premier League, stated that they would consider legal action against FIFA because a move would interfere with the Premier League's popular Christmas and New Year fixture programme.[370] On 19 March 2015, FIFA sources confirmed that the final would be played on 18 December.[371]

Critics condemned the Euro-centrism of these allegations, and questioned why global sporting events must be held within the traditional European summer season.[372]

Bidding corruption allegations, 2014

Qatar faced growing pressure over its hosting of the World Cup in relation to allegations over the role of former top football official Mohammed bin Hammam played in securing the bid.[373] A former employee of the Qatar bid team alleged that several African officials were paid $1.5 million by Qatar.[374] She retracted her claims, but later said that she was coerced to do so by Qatari bid officials.[375][376] In March 2014, it was discovered that disgraced former CONCACAF president Jack Warner and his family were paid almost $2 million from a firm linked to Qatar's successful campaign. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating Warner and his alleged links to the Qatari bid.[377]

The Sunday Times published bribery allegations based on a leak of millions of secret documents.[378] Five of FIFA's six primary sponsors, Sony, Adidas, Visa, Hyundai, and Coca-Cola, called upon FIFA to investigate the claims.[379][380] Jim Boyce, vice-president of FIFA, stated he would support a re-vote to find a new host if the corruption allegations are proven.[381][382] FIFA completed a lengthy investigation into these allegations and a report cleared Qatar of any wrongdoing. Despite the claims, the Qataris insisted that the corruption allegations were being driven by envy and mistrust while Sepp Blatter said it was fueled by racism in the British media.[383][384]

In the 2015 FIFA corruption case, Swiss officials, operating under information from the United States Department of Justice, arrested many senior FIFA officials in Zürich, Switzerland and seized physical and electronic records from FIFA's main headquarters. The arrests continued in the United States, where several FIFA officers were arrested, and FIFA buildings were raided. The arrests were made on the information of at least a $150 million (USD) corruption and bribery scandal.[385]

On 7 June 2015, Phaedra Almajid, the former media officer for the Qatar bid team, claimed that the allegations would result in Qatar not hosting the World Cup.[386] In an interview published on the same day, Domenico Scala, the head of FIFA's Audit and Compliance Committee, stated that "should there be evidence that the awards to Qatar and Russia came only because of bought votes, then the awards could be cancelled."[387][388]

Qatar diplomatic crisis in 2017

On 5 June 2017, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of destabilizing the region and supporting terrorist groups. Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Mauritania, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt, in a letter, asked FIFA to replace Qatar as World Cup host, calling the country a "base of terrorism".[389] In October 2017, Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, deputy head of Dubai Police and General Security, wrote about the crisis on Twitter in Arabic: "If the World Cup leaves Qatar, Qatar's crisis will be over...because the crisis is created to get away from it". According to media reports, the message appeared to imply that the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar was only enacted due to Qatar hosting the world's biggest football event.[390]

In reaction to media coverage of his tweet, Dhahi Khalfan tweeted: "I said Qatar is faking a crisis and claims it's besieged so it could get away from the burdens of building expensive sports facilities for the World Cup".[391] UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said Dhahi Khalfan had been misunderstood in media coverage. In response, Gargash clarified that Qatar's hosting of the World Cup "should include a repudiation of policies supporting extremism & terrorism".[392]

Russian participation

On 9 December 2019, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) handed Russia a four-year ban from all major sporting events, after RUSADA was found non-compliant for handing over manipulated lab data to investigators.[393] The Russian national team were still permitted to enter qualification, as the ban only applied to the final tournament to decide the world champions. A team representing Russia, which used the Russian flag and anthem, could not participate under the WADA decision whilst the ban was active.[394] The decision was appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport,[395] and on 17 December 2020, Russian teams were banned from competing at world championships organized or sanctioned by a WADA signatory until 16 December 2022, the day before the third place play-off.[396]

After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia's participation was further thrown into doubt. On 24 February, the three teams in Russia's qualifying pathCzech Republic, Poland, and Sweden — announced their unwillingness to play any matches in Russian territory.[397] Poland and Sweden extended the boycott on 26 February to any qualifying games, and the Czech Republic made the same decision one day later.[398][399][400]

On 27 February 2022, FIFA announced a number of sanctions impacting Russia's participation in international football. Russia was prohibited from hosting international competitions, and the national team was ordered to play all home matches behind closed doors in neutral countries. Under these sanctions, Russia would not be allowed to compete under the country's name, flag, or national anthem; similarly to the Russian athletes' participation in events such as the Olympics,[401] the team would compete under the abbreviation of their national federation, the Russian Football Union ("RFU"), rather than "Russia".[402] The next day, FIFA decided to suspend Russia from international competitions "until further notice", including its participation in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[403]

LGBT rights

There are no LGBT rights in Qatar, with homosexuality as well as campaigning for LGBT rights criminalized. As such, when Qatar was selected to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the choice to do so in a restrictive nation saw much criticism, with several topics becoming the subject of controversy. The security of fans,[404] as well as the homophobic football chants of certain nations, were points of discussion.[405]

The main controversy came from a last-minute FIFA decision to hand out player punishments to European captains who had months earlier announced their intention to continue wearing rainbow-colored armbands (which began in 2020) in support of anti-discrimination; though not specifically in support of LGBT+ rights, nor targeting Qatar's lack, the rainbow symbol was deemed offensive to the hosts. Typically, kit violations incur a fine, which the teams had said they would pay; on the day of the first match involving one of the European teams, FIFA reportedly told the teams that they would receive a yellow card as a minimum.[406]

Security officials at stadiums also confiscated items of rainbow clothing, flags featuring rainbows, whether Pride-related or not,[407][408] and reportedly intimidated fans.[409] American journalist Grant Wahl was briefly detained for wearing a t-shirt with a rainbow on it.[410]

However many officials have stated that all people are welcome as long as they follow the public display of affection laws which apply to all people.[411][412]

Women's rights

An Iranian fan showing a banner with "Woman, Life, Freedom" slogan
An Iranian fan showing a banner with "Woman, Life, Freedom" slogan

Discrimination against women was also criticized.[413][414] Women in Qatar have few freedoms.[415] The case of a female Mexican World Cup employee facing punishment for extramarital sex after reporting being sexually assaulted to Qatari authorities was also criticised,[416] although many eyewitnesses have attested to the safety of women in Qatar.[417]

Influence of Iran

In November 2022, there were reports suggesting that the government of Iran were working with Qatari officials to suppress anti-government protests at the 2022 FIFA World Cup,[418] in light of the Mahsa Amini protests. Leaked documents and audio clips suggested that Iranian government officials were in correspondence with Qatari authorities in order to handle possible protesters.[419]

In November 2022, the Qatari government revoked the visas of journalists from a London-based Iranian news channel, Iran International, known for being critical of the regime, who were seeking to cover the World Cup.[420] On 21 November 2022, during the first group stage match from Group B, between Iran and England, attempts were reportedly made by the stadium's security forces to block Iranian fans who wore clothing or carried items bearing slogans that were deemed unsympathetic to the Islamic government of Iran.[421] These included t-shirts and signs with "Woman, Life, Freedom" embedded onto them, Iran's previous flags, or any slogans containing the name of Mahsa Amini.[422] This crackdown continued throughout all of Iran's matches at the World Cup.[418] In addition to removing fans from stadiums, reports showed that officials tried to suppress any filming or photography of possible protests. In one case, Qatari police detained Danish TV presenter, Rasmus Tantholdt, for filming fans with "Woman, Life, Freedom" slogans, some of whom who had been earlier abused by a group of pro-government supporters.[423]

Alcohol ban

As part of the Qatari bid, alcohol was to be permitted to be consumed around the stadiums. This was in contradiction to Qatari law which prohibits public consumption of alcohol and limits its consumption to high-end hotels. It was agreed that Budweiser, FIFA's largest sponsor, would be permitted to sell their beer in designated areas in the stadium. Eight days before the tournament Qatari officials informed AB InBev, the owners of Budweiser, that the beer tents were to be moved to less prominent areas and were no longer authorized inside the stadiums but still within the stadium perimeter.[424]

Two days before the tournament, on 18 November 2022, FIFA released a statement that sale points of beer would be removed from stadium perimeters in contradiction to both the Qatari bid and the earlier commitment when the sales were moved outside of the stadiums. FIFA's response was questioned as FIFA had forced recent World Cup hosts, such as Brazil, to change their laws to allow alcohol consumption at matches in line with sponsorship commitments.[345] Alcohol was still permitted, however, inside the fan villages and inside the stadiums in the corporate hospitality boxes, leading to claims of double standards.[349]

Regarding the last-minute Qatari ban on the sale of beer at the stadiums, Infantino proclaimed in his press conference: "I think personally, if for three hours a day you cannot drink a beer, you will survive."[425]

Treatment of Jewish and Israeli visitors

Qatar had previously promised to provide Jewish tourists with cooked kosher food and public Jewish prayer services at the 2022 World Cup. However, shortly before the World Cup began, both were banned by Qatar, who claimed it could not secure the safety of Jews.[426][427]

Qatar alleged that they could not "secure" the safety of publicly praying Jewish tourists, whilst many foreign Jews complained that they subsequently had no food available to eat. It was estimated that 10,000 religious Jews from Israel and around the world arrived to watch the World Cup in Qatar.[428]

Whilst Jewish organisations complained of being unable to find cooked kosher food,[428] the Israeli government said it was happy with the efforts made by Qatar to meet its requests, including kosher food, direct flights from Israel to Qatar, and temporary diplomatic representation in the country. A kosher kitchen under the supervision of Rabbi Mendy Chitrik was open in time for the first match. Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, said he had never asked the Qatari government for cooked food, and he had been the only person in communication with the Qataris regarding making the World Cup experience inclusive for Jews.[429]

Multiple Israeli reporters at the tournament reported fans from Arab nations waving Palestinian flags and chanting anti-Israeli slogans.[323][430][431] Some Israelis reported that they had been escorted out of restaurants when their nationality was revealed.[432] The Israeli government warned its citizens traveling to the tournament to hide their Israeli identity out of safety concerns.[433]

Accommodation

The Rawdat Al Jahhaniya fan village was criticised for its overpriced "night cabins" (£185 per night) made out of shipping containers. Tourists complained that the air conditioners in the cabins did not function well, facilities were falling apart, and the sleeping experience did not match their expectations.[434] The BBC reported that the tent accommodation at the Qetaifan Island fan village got criticism for having brown-colored tap water and no air conditioning other than a standing fan.[435][436] The tent village in Al Khor was criticized for having inconvenient transportation, a lack of alcohol, long waits to check in, and no locks on the tents.[437][438] The lack of suitable and affordable accommodation raised demand for daily shuttle flights from neighboring areas, such as Dubai, that had adequate numbers of hotel rooms.[439]

Discover more about Controversies related topics

List of 2022 FIFA World Cup controversies

List of 2022 FIFA World Cup controversies

The decision for Qatar to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup created a number of concerns and controversies regarding both Qatar's suitability as a host country and the fairness of the FIFA World Cup bidding process. Some media outlets, sporting experts, and human rights groups have criticised Qatar's record of human rights violations; Qatar's limited football history; the high expected cost; the local climate; and alleged bribery in the bidding process. Not all nations competing have put focus on concerns.

Human rights in Qatar

Human rights in Qatar

The state of human rights in Qatar is a concern for several non-governmental organisations, such as Human Rights Watch, which reported in 2012 that hundreds of thousands of mostly South Asian migrant workers in construction in Qatar risk serious exploitation and abuse, sometimes amounting to forced labour. Awareness grew internationally after Qatar's selection to stage the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and some reforms have since taken place, including two sweeping changes in 2020.

LGBT rights in Qatar

LGBT rights in Qatar

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Qatar face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Sexual acts of male homosexuality are illegal in Qatar, with a punishment for all convicts of up to three years in prison and a fine, and for Muslims duly convicted in a court under sharia law the possibility of a judicially sanctioned capital punishment for homosexuality; however, there are no known cases where the death penalty was judicially enforced for homosexuality, though extra-judicial murders of LGBT people are unverified.

2015 FIFA corruption case

2015 FIFA corruption case

In 2015, United States federal prosecutors disclosed cases of corruption by officials and associates connected with the Fédération internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the governing body of association football, futsal and beach soccer.

Sepp Blatter

Sepp Blatter

Joseph "Sepp" Blatter is a Swiss former football administrator who served as the eighth President of FIFA from 1998 to 2015. He has been banned from participating in FIFA activities since 2015 as a result of the FIFA corruption case made public that year, and will remain banned until 2027.

Cultural conflict

Cultural conflict

Cultural conflict is a type of conflict that occurs when different cultural values and beliefs clash. Broad and narrow definitions exist for the concept, both of which have been used to explain violence and crime, on either a micro or macro scale.

Clash of Civilizations

Clash of Civilizations

The Clash of Civilizations is a thesis that people's cultural and religious identities will be the primary source of conflict in the post–Cold War world. The American political scientist Samuel P. Huntington argued that future wars would be fought not between countries, but between cultures. It was proposed in a 1992 lecture at the American Enterprise Institute, which was then developed in a 1993 Foreign Affairs article titled "The Clash of Civilizations?", in response to his former student Francis Fukuyama's 1992 book, The End of History and the Last Man. Huntington later expanded his thesis in a 1996 book The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order.

Authoritarianism

Authoritarianism

Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political status quo, and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic voting. Political scientists have created many typologies describing variations of authoritarian forms of government. Authoritarian regimes may be either autocratic or oligarchic and may be based upon the rule of a party or the military. States that have a blurred boundary between democracy and authoritarianism have some times been characterized as "hybrid democracies", "hybrid regimes" or "competitive authoritarian" states.

Secularity

Secularity

Secularity, also the secular or secularness, is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negatively or positively, may be considered secular. Linguistically, a process by which anything becomes secular is named secularization, though the term is mainly reserved for the secularization of society; and any concept or ideology promoting the secular may be termed secularism, a term generally applied to the ideology dictating no religious influence on the public sphere.

Liberal democracy

Liberal democracy

Liberal democracy or western democracy is the combination of a liberal political ideology that operates under a representative democratic form of government. It is characterized by elections between multiple distinct political parties, a separation of powers into different branches of government, the rule of law in everyday life as part of an open society, a market economy with private property, and the equal protection of human rights, civil rights, civil liberties and political freedoms for all people. To define the system in practice, liberal democracies often draw upon a constitution, either codified or uncodified, to delineate the powers of government and enshrine the social contract. After a period of expansion in the second half of the 20th century, liberal democracy became a prevalent political system in the world.

Geopolitics

Geopolitics

Geopolitics is the study of the effects of Earth's geography on politics and international relations. While geopolitics usually refers to countries and relations between them, it may also focus on two other kinds of states: de facto independent states with limited international recognition and relations between sub-national geopolitical entities, such as the federated states that make up a federation, confederation, or a quasi-federal system.

FIFA

FIFA

The Fédération internationale de football association is the international governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded in 1904 to oversee international competition among the national associations of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, its membership now comprises 211 national associations. These national associations must each also be members of one of the six regional confederations into which the world is divided: CAF (Africa), AFC, UEFA (Europe), CONCACAF, OFC (Oceania) and CONMEBOL.

Reception

Source: "2022 FIFA World Cup", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, March 20th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_FIFA_World_Cup.

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Notes
  1. ^ The 2018 competition in Russia featured two Asian venues, according to various definitions of the geographical boundary between Asia and Europe: Yekaterinburg and Sochi.
  2. ^ Qatar has very high temperatures and is quite humid during summers.[2]
  3. ^ The tournament is the first not to be held in the traditional months of May, June, or July and take place in the northern autumn.[2][3]
  4. ^ Citations:[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
  5. ^ The average attendance at this stadium was 87,416.
  6. ^ The average attendance at this stadium was 66,794.
  7. ^ The average attendance at this stadium was 44,445.
  8. ^ The average attendance at this stadium was 42,788.
  9. ^ The average attendance at this stadium was 43,639.
  10. ^ The average attendance at this stadium was 42,211.
  11. ^ The average attendance at this stadium was 42,552.
  12. ^ The average attendance at this stadium was 41,253.
  13. ^ UEFA Path A winners, team not determined at time of draw
  14. ^ CONCACAF v OFC winners, team not determined at time of draw
  15. ^ AFC v CONMEBOL winners, team not determined at time of draw
  16. ^ Citations:[5][324][325][326]
References
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