Qatar poured a huge budget into the bid. The Qatar national team is the first case where the first World Cup appearance is held in the home country. The World Cup had been held in the summer until then, but it was changed to the winter season after the host country was chosen for Qatar 2022, considering the possibility that the harsh desert climate could affect the health of players and spectators.
“World Cup Qatar 2022” hosted at 8 venues in 5 cities (More details)
It was considered to bring forwards the increase in the number of participating teams from 32 to 48, but it was shelved due to reasons such as the insufficient number of stadiums in Qatar, where the tournament is held.
All 32 teams qualified for the World Cup 2022 finals (More details)
Qatar is the smallest country in history to host the World Cup.
With the COVID-19 pandemic raging, each continent managed to carry out qualifiers and their teams were selected.
It’s also the first time that female referees have participated in the Men’s World Cup.
Qatar 2022 is a very special World Cup in many ways.
The World Cup Qatar 2022 Emblem.
The Qatar 2022 mascot is La’eeb.
Table of contents
World Cup 2022 Qualifiers
Curtain-raiser
Group Stage
Knockout Stage
World Cup 2022 Summary
Author:
World Cup 2022 Qualifiers
Qatar is the first country to qualify for the World Cup as a host nation. They have focused on developing young players and strengthened the national team over the years. Qualifiers were held on 6 continents, with 32 nations competing in the finals.
World Cup 2022 Finals draw
The draw for the finals was held on the 1st of April 2022 in Doha, Qatar. Participating nations entered 4 pots according to the world ranking and were divided into 8 groups from A to H.
World Cup 2022 Qualifiers (More details)
Curtain-raiser
The opener of the tournament was to be the match between Senegal and the Netherlands on 21st of November according to the original schedule. However, a change was made in August 2022 as the tournament approached. The match between Qatar and Ecuador was moved up a day to the 20th of November, so that the host nation Qatar playing the opening match.
Group Stage
There is no group packed with competitive teams called “group of death” seen in past tournaments. If we had to choose a difficult group, it would be Group E.
In Group E, 2010 and 2014 world champions Spain and Germany encounter. The Japan national team, a powerhouse in Asia that has qualified for the World Cup 7 times in a row, has many players playing in Europe such as Germany. Costa Rica is a difficult opponent for Spain, who speaks the same Spanish language and has a similar playing style.
Group A
| P | Team | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Netherlands | 4 | 7 |
| 2 | Senegal | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | Ecuador | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Qatar | -6 | 0 |
Group B
| P | Team | GD | Pts |
| 1 | England | 7 | 7 |
| 2 | USA | 1 | 5 |
| 3 | Iran | -3 | 3 |
| 4 | Wales | -5 | 1 |
Group C
| P | Team | GD | Pts |
| 1 | France | 3 | 6 |
| 2 | Australia | -1 | 6 |
| 3 | Tunisia | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Denmark | -2 | 1 |
Group D
| P | Team | GD | Pts |
| 1 | France | 3 | 6 |
| 2 | Australia | -1 | 6 |
| 3 | Tunisia | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Denmark | -2 | 1 |
Group E
| P | Team | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Japan | 1 | 6 |
| 2 | Spain | 6 | 4 |
| 3 | Germany | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | Costa Rica | -8 | 3 |
Group F
| P | Team | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Morocco | 3 | 7 |
| 2 | Croatia | 3 | 5 |
| 3 | Belgium | -1 | 4 |
| 4 | Canada | -5 | 0 |
Group G
| P | Team | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Brazil | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | Switzerland | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | Cameroon | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Serbia | -3 | 1 |
Group H
| P | Team | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Portugal | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | South Korea | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Uruguay | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Ghana | -2 | 3 |
World Cup 2022 Group Stage (More details)
Knockout Stage
The 16 teams that won each group, which was crowded with powerhouses, compete in a knockout format.
Round 16
Netherlands 3–1 USA
Argentina 2–1 Australia
France 3–1 Poland
England 3–0 Senegal
Japan 1–1 Croatia (PK: Japan 1–3 Croatia)
Brazil 4–1 South Korea
Morocco 0–0 Spain (PK: Morocco 3–0 Spain)
Portugal 6–1 Switzerland
Quarter-finals
Croatia 1–1 Brazil (PK: Croatia 4–2 Brazil)
Netherlands 2–2 Argentina (PK: Netherlands 3–4 Argentina)
Morocco 1–0 Portugal
England 1–2 France
Semi-finals
Argentina 3–0 Croatia
France 2–0 Morocco
3rd place play-off
Croatia 2–1 Morocco
Final
Argentina 3–3 France (PK: Argentina 4–2 France)
World Cup 2022 Knockout Stage (More details)
World Cup 2022 Summary
Looking back on the World Cup 2022, there was a lack of excitement before the opening, but attention increased as the group stage approached its climax.
Host country Qatar lost all 3 matches and was eliminated at the group stage, but other Asian teams put up good performances. Japan made upsets by defeating Germany and Spain in Group E. Australia struggled until the end of the Asian qualifiers, but advanced to the knockout stage. South Korea beat Portugal in the group stage to advance to the Round of 16. Saudi Arabia edged out winners Argentina.
Morocco were a highly accomplished team based on solid defence, and they have made a certain mark by defeating Spain and Portugal to finish in 4th place, the best ever in African teams.
In the final match, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, the aces of Argentina and France, appeared together. 2 players from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), that are owned by a Qatar governmental institute, miraculously showed high performance in the World Cup hosted by Qatar.
Argentina got off to a tough start by dropping the first game, but they concluded the tournament with a beautiful finish.
World Cup 2022 Awards
Golden Ball: Lionel Messi
Silver Ball: Kylian Mbappé
Bronze Ball: Luka Modrić
Golden Boot: Kylian Mbappé (8 goals, 2 assists)
Silver Boot: Lionel Messi (7 goals, 3 assists)
Bronze Boot: Olivier Giroud (4 goals, 0 assists)
Golden Glove: Emiliano Martinez
Young Player Award: Enzo Fernandez
Fair Play Trophy: England
Author: Takuya Nagata. Amazon Profile
Follow @nagatackleNovel writer, Creator. Travelled to Brazil and trained football at CFZ do Rio (Centro de Futebol Zico Sociedade Esportiva) in Rio de Janeiro. Played soccer for the Urawa Reds (Urawa Red Diamonds), one of the biggest football clubs in Japan, and toured Europe. Retired at a young age and voyaged alone to England and graduated from UCA, the UK’s university. Established careers as a journalist, football coach, consultant, etc. across Europe such as Spain. Knowledgeable in creative and technology fields as well. Launched “MINIЯISM” (minirism), the art movement that contributes to the development of societies and the knowledge hub “The Minimalist.” The founder of “Propulsive Football” (PROBALL), the world’s first-ever competitive mixed football, facilitating diversity and spirit for equal participation in society. Also writing for “Football Game Sphere.”
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