2022 FIFA World Cup

Lore & Background

Morocco made history by becoming the first African nation to reach the semi-final of a World Cup, falling short 0–2 against France. Argentine captain Lionel Messi was voted the tournament's best player, winning his second Golden Ball. Teammates Emiliano Martínez and Enzo Fernández won the Golden Glove, awarded to the tournament's best goalkeeper, and the Young Player Award, respectively. 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. Mbappé also became the first player to score in two consecutive finals since Vavá of Brazil did the same in 1958 and 1962. With 172 goals, the tournament set a record for the highest number of goals scored in the 32-team format, with every participating team scoring at least one goal.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights at Lusail hummed with a frequency only the players could feel. Mbappé stood in the penalty box, the ball at his feet, the stadium a held breath of ninety thousand souls. He had already scored twice. He had already seen Messi's extra-time goal, the equaliser, the madness of it all. Now the ball sat on the spot again, and the whole world was a single white circle on green grass. He ran. The strike was clean, low, into the corner Maignan had not been asked to save this time. The net rippled. Around him, the blue shirts were already screaming before the ball had even settled, a sound that rolled off the stadium roof and into the Qatari night. Somewhere in the tunnel, Deschamps stood with his hands on his hips, his face unreadable, and let the noise wash over him. In the stands, a father in a blue scarf pressed his phone to his ear and said nothing, because there was nothing to say that would be enough. The trophy would be lifted later. The champagne would be warm. But the moment that belonged to France, the one that would live in every highlight reel and every bedtime story, was that single strike — the third of the night, the one that turned a 3-3 into a 4-2 and a World Cup into a third star on the shirt.

Reader's Guide

The tournament 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. The group stage began on 21 November, with the Qatar vs Ecuador game moved to 20 November after Qatar lobbied FIFA. The final was played on 18 December 2022, National Day, at Lusail Stadium. The tournament featured new substitution rules whereby teams could make up to five substitutions in normal time, and an additional substitution in extra time. It was the first World Cup to feature concussion substitutions. Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand suffered a concussion in his country's opening match against England and was replaced by Hossein Hosseini, the first use of a dedicated concussion substitute during a World Cup.

Did You Know?

• Argentina were the first nation from outside of Europe to win the tournament since 2002.
• 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 LGBTQ+ community, as well as Qatar's climate and
• At an estimated cost of over $220 billion, it is the most expensive World Cup ever held to date; this figure is disputed by Qatari officials.
• The tournament set a record for the highest number of goals scored in the 32-team format, with 172 goals.