32 teams were vying for the top prize at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which was held in the desert oasis of Qatar on November 20, 2022, following a number of controversy-filled events.

Teams prepared their players to compete for the grand trophy in the most anticipated football event in history. At the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia, Les Blues overcame Croatia 4-2 behind an incredible performance from Antoine Griezmann to win the 2018 edition, which was hosted in Russia. It was an exciting final.

Different predictions were made by football journalists, pundits, and former players as the event got closer. While some were eager for England to win the World Cup, others thought Argentina would emerge victorious. Some argued that Brazil possessed the ideal team to win the championship.

As all of this was going on, some fans of both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were eagerly awaiting their last matchup, with Messi’s Argentine team against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portuguese team in an attempt to fill their trophy cabinets.

The wait was finally ended when the competition began on November 20, 2022, with Ecuador and hosts Qatar playing in Group A. The South Americans were heavily favoured to win.

Despite the fact that Qatar, the tournament’s hosts, was anticipated to make a significant statement. It came as little surprise when Ecuador defeated Qatar 2-0, making history as the first host nation to lose their opening game. However, that was only the start of the competition’s upsets.

The Ascent of the Opponents

In the 2022 World Cup, Saudi Arabia pulled off the first and one of the biggest upsets. They gave up a penalty that was expertly converted by seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, and they were behind in the first half.

When Saudi Arabia scored the equalizer in the second half, it was a major surprise. A few minutes later, Salem Al-Dawsari struck a beauty to give the green eagles the lead, shocking the Argentines.

The globe was in disbelief when Saudi Arabia defeated one of the tournament’s top contenders, snapping Argentina’s 36-game winning streak.

On the other side, Japan pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the competition, leaving supporters and onlookers in complete astonishment and bewilderment. In their opening encounter, they defeated Germany 2-1, producing a stunning comeback.

After Ilkay Gundogan scored a goal from the penalty spot, they had already lost. Before Japan’s equalizer, scored by Ritsu Doan in the 75th minute of play, gave Germany the impression that they were winning easily. Takuma Asano scored the game-winning goal eight minutes later.

The first squad eliminated from the competition was the host.

Qatar was eliminated in the competition’s group stages, making them the first team to host the FIFA World Cup and not win a single game. In their first game, they lost to Ecuador; they also lost to Senegal and the Netherlands.

Senegal and the Netherlands have advanced to the competition’s next stage.

The collapse of the giants

Germany has only played in two FIFA World Cups since winning the championship in 2014: one in 2018 and one in the Winter World Cup in 2022. After losing to Japan in their inaugural game, their competition season came to an end.

Their subsequent match against Spain ended in a goalless draw as well. Despite overcoming Costa Rica, they were unable to advance since Japan unexpectedly surprised Spain by winning, sending both countries to the Knockout stage.
Thought to be among the favorites to win the 2022 World Cup, England was eliminated in the quarterfinals by rivals and reigning champions France. France took the lead thanks to a wonder goal from Real Madrid’s Aurelian Tchouameni in the first half of the match. Harry Kane leveled the score in the second half after Tchouameni fouled Bukayo Saka in the 18-yard box. Harry Kane had another opportunity to tie the score for the spot, but he missed it as Olivier Giroud handed France the lead once more. England’s aspirations of winning the top prize were all but dashed when they tumbled out of the competition.

Brazil was tipped to win the 2022 World Cup, but that forecast was dashed after they were eliminated on penalties by Croatia in the quarterfinals. After ninety minutes and a goalless draw, extra time was added to the match.

Brazil was leading 1-0 thanks to a strike from Neymar in extra time, and their celebration was cut short when Bruno Petkovic equalized with an incredible goal. After winning the match on penalties, Croatia advanced to the next round.

The Marvel of Morocco

Their performance in Qatar grabbed headlines and generated discussions from all around the world, making it a true Moroccan marvel. Morocco qualified for the competition’s knockout round as the winners of their group. With the Atlas Lions defeating Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portuguese team and only one more sly step away from the World Cup final, the African and Arab worlds came together.

Morocco, meanwhile, did not make headlines; instead, the African representatives accomplished the seemingly unthinkable by defeating three formidable European powers—Belgium, Spain, and Portugal—to become the first country from Africa to advance to the Semi-finals.

The match between Messi and Mbappe

Confirmed as the greatest World Cup final in history, the final was both extremely difficult and thrilling to witness.

With goals from Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria, Argentina took a commanding two-goal lead in the first half. The Juventus winger’s clinical finish doubled Argentina’s lead.
Argentina’s victory in the first half was easy. Kylian Mbappe, meanwhile, wasn’t done yet; his two goals in the space of 95 seconds tied the match. The game went into extra time when he scored the first goal on a penalty kick and the second goal, which was a spectacular half volley that the Argentine goalie Emiliano Martinez was unable to stop.

Messi appeared to have won in the 108th minute, but Kylian Mbappe came in to complete his hat-trick in the final seconds, sending the match to penalties. Both teams were still reeling after the thrilling final.

But in the end, Lionel Messi’s Argentina team prevailed in the penalty shootout, after France missed two penalties, with Argentina’s goalie Emiliano Martinez saving one of them.

Messi told reporters, “It’s just crazy that it became a reality this way.” “I was really craving this. I had faith that God would give me this gift. I sensed that this World Cup would be the one.

Men of record for the Winter World Cup in Qatar

Despite failing to win the World Cup in a row, Kylian Mbappe made history by becoming the youngest player to score the most goals in a single World Cup at the age of 23. Additionally, he made history by being the second player to score a hat trick in a World Cup final.
On the flip side, in addition to winning the Ballon d’Or seven times, Lionel Messi also set other tournament records. The former captain of Barcelona currently holds the record for the most FIFA World Cup man-of-the-match accolades. Now, in 2014 and 2022, he is the only player to have won two FIFA Golden Balls. In addition, he was the first player to score in every World Cup phase. Among other milestones, Messi is the first player to have assisted at five separate FIFA World Cups.

During the 2022 World Cup, Manuel Neuer, the goalie for Germany, also broke a record. Germany lost the competition in the group stage, but Neuer did enough to break the previous record before departing; he currently holds the record for most appearances  (19) for a goalkeeper in World Cup history.