2022 FIFA World Cup
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| كأس العالم لكرة القدم 2022 Kaʾs al-ʿālam li-kurat al-qadam 2022 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Qatar |
| Dates | 20 November – 18 December |
| Teams | 32 (from 5 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 8 (in 5 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Argentina (3rd title) |
| Runners-up |  France |
| Third place |  Croatia |
| Fourth place |  Morocco |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 64 |
| Goals scored | 172 (2.69 per match) |
| Attendance | 3,404,252 (53,191 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Kylian Mbappé (8 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Lionel Messi |
| Best young player | Enzo Fernández |
| Best goalkeeper | Emiliano Martínez |
| Fair play award |  England |
| Part of a series on the |
| 2022 FIFA World Cup |
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The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in 2010. It was the first World Cup to be 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 in November and December instead of during the traditional months of May, June, or July.[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 as 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. The tournament has been considered exceptionally poetic as the capstone of his career, for some commentators fulfilling a previously unmet criterion to be regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.[4] 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 record for the highest number of goals scored in the 32-team format, with every participating team scoring at least one goal. Morocco became the first African nation to top Group stages with 7 points.
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]
Format
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 on 15 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][31] The final was played on 18 December 2022, National Day, at Lusail Stadium.[28][32] Unlike previous tournaments where the match venues and kick-off times for each fixture were set prior to the draw, the assignment of group fixtures for each matchday to a specific venue and kick-off time was only made after the final draw, with the teams of each specific fixture known. This was due to the close proximity of the venues, which allowed the organizers to optimize stadium allocation for spectators and kick-off times for television audiences.[28]
The matches for each group were allocated to the following stadiums:[32]
- Groups A, B, E, F: Al Bayt Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium
- Groups C, D, G, H: Lusail Stadium, Stadium 974, Education City Stadium, Al Janoub Stadium
FIFA confirmed the group stage venue and kick-off times on 1 April 2022, following the draw.[33][34]
Prize money
In April 2022, FIFA announced the prizes for all participating nations. Each qualified team received $1.5 million before the competition to cover preparation costs with each team receiving at least $9 million in prize money. This edition's total prize pool was $440 million, $40 million greater than the prize pool of the previous tournament.[35]
| Place | Teams | Amount (in millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per team | Total | ||
| Champions | 1 | $42 | $42 |
| Runners-up | 1 | $30 | $30 |
| Third place | 1 | $27 | $27 |
| Fourth place | 1 | $25 | $25 |
| 5th–8th place (quarter-finals) | 4 | $17 | $68 |
| 9th–16th place (round of 16) | 8 | $13 | $104 |
| 17th–32nd place (group stage) | 16 | $9 | $144 |
| Total | 32 | $440 | |
Rule changes
The tournament featured new substitution rules whereby teams could make up to five substitutions in normal time, and an additional substitution in extra time.[36][37][38] In addition, it was the first World Cup to feature concussion substitutions, whereby each team was permitted to use a maximum of one concussion substitute during a match. A concussion substitution did not count towards a team's quota of regular substitutions.[39] Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand suffered a concussion in his country's opening match against England and was replaced by Hossein Hosseini. This was the first use of a dedicated concussion substitute during a World Cup.[40]
Host selection
The bidding procedure to host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups began in January 2009. National associations had until 2 February 2009 to register interest.[41] Initially, 11 bids were made for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but Mexico withdrew from proceedings,[42][43] and Indonesia's bid was rejected by FIFA in February 2010 after the Indonesian Football Association failed to submit a letter of Indonesian government guarantee to support the bid.[44]
After UEFA were guaranteed to host the 2018 event, members of UEFA were no longer in contention to host in 2022.[45] There were five bids remaining for the 2022 FIFA World Cup: Australia, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, and the United States. The 22-member FIFA Executive Committee convened in Zürich, Switzerland, 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] which led to the 2015 FIFA corruption case.
The voting patterns were as follows:[51]
| Bidders | Votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | |
| Qatar | 11 | 10 | 11 | 14 |
| United States | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| South Korea | 4 | 5 | 5 | Eliminated |
| Japan | 3 | 2 | Eliminated | |
| Australia | 1 | Eliminated | ||
Cost of hosting the tournament
At an estimated cost of over $220 billion,[52] 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.[53]
Venues
The first five proposed venues for the World Cup were unveiled at the beginning of March 2010. Qatar intended that the stadiums should reflect its history and culture, and for the designs to meet the following terms of reference: legacy, comfort, accessibility, and sustainability.[54] The stadiums were equipped with cooling systems that aim to reduce temperatures within the stadium by up to 20 °C (36 °F).[55][56]
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.[55][56] 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.[57] The Al Bayt and Al Wakrah stadiums were the only indoor stadiums of the eight used.[58]
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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.[59] Bloomberg said that Qatar wished to cut the number of venues to eight or nine from the twelve originally planned.[60] 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.[61][62]
Of these eight stadiums, all but one have since been either dismantled, or have been moderately or heavily modified. The Stadium 974 is no longer in use and is slated for dismantled after the tournament—this stadium was the first temporary stadium ever used for a FIFA World Cup.[63] Lusail Stadium, Al Bayt Stadium, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Education City Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium and Al Janoub Stadium will been moderately or heavily modified as reduce their capacity by half.[64] The Khalifa International Stadium is the only largely unmodified stadium that was used for this tournament.
Stadiums
| City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Al Khor | Al Bayt Stadium | 68,895[65][66][E] |
| Lusail | Lusail Stadium | 88,966[67][68][F] |
| Al Rayyan | Ahmad bin Ali Stadium | 45,032[69][70][G] |
| Education City Stadium | 44,667[71][72][H] | |
| Khalifa International Stadium | 45,857[73][74][I] | |
| Doha | Al Thumama Stadium | 44,400[75][76][J] |
| Stadium 974 | 44,089[77][78][K] | |
| Al Wakrah | Al Janoub Stadium | 44,325[79][80][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.[81][82] 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.[83][84]
| 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 |
Security
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.[85] The Turkish government provided about 3,000 riot police personnel,[85] whilst Pakistan provided about 4,500 Army troops to Qatar for the event.[86]
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.[87] Since Qatar reached the final stage as winners in their group, Lebanon, the fifth-best second place team, advanced instead.[88] France, the reigning World Cup champions, qualified for the event through European qualification.[89]
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 due to travel restrictions following the pandemic.[90] Tonga withdrew after the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai eruption and tsunami.[91] Due to COVID-19 outbreaks in their squads, Vanuatu and Cook Islands also withdrew because of the travel restrictions.[92][93]
Of the 32 nations qualified to play at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, 24 countries competed at the previous tournament in 2018.[94] 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. 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.[95] Wales made their first appearance in 64 years—the longest-ever gap for any team, their only previous participation having been in 1958.[96]
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.[97] 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.[98] The previous World Cup hosts, Russia, were disqualified from competing due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[99]
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.[100] Ghana were the lowest ranked team to qualify, ranked 61st.[101]
The qualified teams, listed by region, with numbers in parentheses indicating final positions in the FIFA Men's World Ranking before the tournament were:[102]
| AFC (6)
CAF (5) | CONCACAF (4)
CONMEBOL (4) OFC (0)
| UEFA (13) |  Team qualified Team failed to qualify Team withdrew or suspended Not a FIFA member
|
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.[103] Teams were required to name their final squads by 13 November.[104] In August 2022, FIFA increased the final squad size to 26 players from a total of 23 players at the 2018 edition.[105] All teams had a total of 26 players in their final squads except for France and Iran, who chose 25 players.[106][107]
Draw
The final draw was held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Doha, Qatar,[108] on 1 April 2022,[109] 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.[110] 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).[111][112]
For the draw, 32 teams were allocated into four pots based on the FIFA Men's World Rankings of 31 March 2022.[113] 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.[114]
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.[114] The pots for the draw are shown below.[115]
| 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] |
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.[117][118]
For the first time women referees officiated games at a major men's tournament.[119] 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.[120] Frappart previously oversaw the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup Final.[121] 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.[122]
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.[123][124][125] Other returning officials included referees César Arturo Ramos of Mexico and Janny Sikazwe of Zambia, and Iranian assistant referee Mohammadreza Mansouri.[126][127][128]
On 15 December 2022, FIFA announced that Polish referee Szymon Marciniak would adjudicate the final.[129]
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.[130] 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.[131][132] It was the first time that the Qur'an had been recited as part of the opening ceremony.[133] During the ceremony, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani declared the tournament open.[134]
Group stage
The group stage was played from 20 November to 2 December.[135] Competing countries were divided into eight groups of four teams (groups A to H). Teams in each group played one another in a round-robin, where the top two teams advanced to the knockout stage.
| Tie-breaking criteria for group play |
|---|
The ranking of teams in the group stage was determined as follows:[136]
|
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,[137] but eventually won 2–0 with two goals from Enner Valencia.[138] Qatar became the first host nation to lose their opening match at a World Cup.[139][140][141] Many Qatar natives were seen leaving the game before the end, with ESPN reporting that two-thirds of the attendance had left.[142][143] 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.[144] 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.[145] Gakpo scored his second goal of the tournament as the Netherlands led Ecuador; however, Valencia scored an equaliser in the 49th minute.[146] 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.[147] 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.[148]
| 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 |
| Netherlands | 2–0 | Qatar |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Group B
England completed a 6–2 victory over Iran. Iranian keeper Alireza Beiranvand was removed from the game for a suspected concussion before England scored three first-half goals.[149] Mehdi Taremi scored in the second half after which England defender Harry Maguire was also removed for a concussion.[149] 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.[150] 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.[151] England and the United States played to a 0–0 draw, with only four shots on target between them, and one shot from Christian Pulisic hit the crossbar.[152] England won the group following a 3–0 win over Wales with a goal by Phil Foden and two by Marcus Rashford.[153] Christian Pulisic scored the winning goal as the United States defeated Iran 1–0 to qualify for the round of 16.[154]
| 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 |
| United States | 1–1 | Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Group C
Argentina took an early lead against Saudi Arabia after Lionel Messi scored a penalty kick after ten minutes; however, second-half goals by Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari won the match 2–1 for Saudi Arabia,[155] a result the media considered one of the biggest upsets in the history of the event.[156][157] The match between Mexico and Poland ended as a goalless 0–0 draw after Guillermo Ochoa saved Robert Lewandowski's penalty kick attempt.[158] Lewandowski scored his first career World Cup goal in a 2–0 win over Saudi Arabia four days later.[159][160] Argentina defeated Mexico 2–0, with Messi scoring the opener and later assisting teammate Enzo Fernández who scored his first international goal.[161][162] Argentina won their last game against Poland with goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Julián Álvarez, which was enough to win the group;[163] Poland qualified for the knockout stage on goal difference, thanks to Saudi Arabia scoring an injury-time consolation goal against Mexico in a match already lost.[164]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentina | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 6 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 2 | Poland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 | Mexico | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 4 | |
| 4 | Saudi Arabia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 3 |
| Argentina | 1–2 | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Poland | 2–0 | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Saudi Arabia | 1–2 | Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Group D
The match between Denmark and Tunisia ended as a goalless draw; both teams had goals disallowed by offside calls.[165] Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen made his first major international appearance since suffering a cardiac arrest at the UEFA Euro 2020.[165] 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, Kylian Mbappé and two by Olivier Giroud to win 4–1.[166] The goals tied Giroud with Thierry Henry as France's all-time top goalscorer.[166] Mitchell Duke scored the only goal as Australia won against Tunisia. This was their first World Cup win since 2010.[167][168] 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.[167][169] Mathew Leckie scored the only goal as Australia defeated Denmark 1–0, qualifying for the knockout round as runners-up with the win.[170] 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.[171]
| 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 |
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 win.[172] 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.[173][174] This was the largest defeat in a World Cup since Portugal's victory over North Korea in the 2010 event by the same scoreline.[175] Costa Rica defeated Japan 1–0, with Keysher Fuller scoring with Costa Rica's first shot on target of the tournament.[176] Germany and Spain drew 1–1, with Álvaro Morata scoring for Spain and Niclas Füllkrug scoring for Germany.[177][178][179] Morata scored the opening goal for Spain against Japan as they controlled the first half of the match.[180] Japan equalised on Ritsu Doan before a second goal by Ao Tanaka was heavily investigated by VAR for the ball potentially being out of play. The goal was awarded, and Japan won the group following a 2–1 win.[180] 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. This was the second time in a row that the four-time champions failed to progress past the group stages.[181] Japan won the group ahead of Spain.[182]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 6 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 2 | Spain | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 4 | |
| 3 | Germany | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 4 | |
| 4 | Costa Rica | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 11 | −8 | 3 |
| Spain | 7–0 | Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Japan | 0–1 | Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Group F
Group F's first match was a goalless draw between Morocco and Croatia.[183] 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.[184][185] 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.[186][187] The match sparked riots in Belgium, with fires and fireworks being set off by residents.[188] 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.[189] 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.[190] Croatia and Belgium played a goalless draw which eliminated Belgium, whose team was ranked second in the world, from the tournament.[191]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morocco | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 7 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 2 | Croatia | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 5 | |
| 3 | Belgium | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 4 | |
| 4 | Canada | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 |
Group G
Breel Embolo scored the only goal in Switzerland's 1–0 defeat of Cameroon.[192] Richarlison scored two goals as Brazil won against Serbia, with star player Neymar receiving an ankle injury.[193] 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.[194] An 83rd-minute winner by Casemiro for Brazil over Switzerland was enough for them to qualify for the knockout stage.[195] 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. Already having a yellow card, he was later sent off for removing his shirt in celebrating the goal.[196] Cameroon, however, did not qualify, as Switzerland defeated Serbia 3–2.[197]
| 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 |
| Brazil | 2–0 | Serbia |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Cameroon | 3–3 | Serbia |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Serbia | 2–3 | Switzerland |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Group H
Uruguay and South Korea played to a goalless draw.[198] 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.[199] 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.[200] Portugal defeated Uruguay 2–0 with two goals from Bruno Fernandes, advancing them to the knockout stage.[201] A controversial penalty decision was called late in the game, with a suspected handball from José María Giménez.[202][203] 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.[204] Giorgian de Arrascaeta scored two goals as Uruguay defeated Ghana 2–0.[205] However, with South Korea winning, Uruguay required another goal to progress as they finished third on goals scored.[206] Several Uruguay players left the pitch after the game surrounding the referees and followed them off the pitch.[207][208][209]
| 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 |
| South Korea | 2–3 | Ghana |
|---|---|---|
| Report |