FIFA World Cup Men - 2022

Introduction

Qatar organised the 22nd FIFA World Cup Men in 2022 during November and December. 32-nations across six continents kicked off the tournament on 20th November 2022, with the hosts playing Ecuador at the Al-Bayt stadium for the first match.

The top two teams from eight groups qualified for the next round, and Argentina clinched the trophy after an intense penalty shootout wins against France.

Table of Contents

• Details

• History

• Theme

• Registration

• Star Players

• Schedule

• Venue
• Broadcasting Rights and Match Ticket

• Conclusion

Details

History

FIFA World Cup Men is the elite football competition once held every four years. Organised under the proctorship of FIFA, top teams from each continent battle it out, beginning with group games. The tournament started in 1930, with Uruguay winning the first cup. The football World Cup is a 32-team competition (48 from 2026). There was no tournament during World War II (1942 and 1946). Except for the Oceania Football Association, all five continents have hosted the FIFA World Cup for once. 

Miroslav Klose is the highest goalscorer, while Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot award as the top scorer (8) in this edition. Emiliano Martinez of Argentina won the Golden Glove award for outstanding goalkeeping throughout the tournament. Lionel Messi won the Golden Ball award as the best player in the competition. England won the fair play award, and Enzo Fernández won the FIFA Young Player Award.

Theme

The official theme for the FIFA World Cup Men's 2022 is La'eeb. Qatar showcased La'eeb as a youthful spirit that spreads confidence and joy everywhere through its presence. 

Adidas sponsored the FIFA World Cup match ball or the Al-Rihla, meaning the journey in Arabic. The ball saw action in all World Cup matches except the final. The FIFA World Cup Final match ball was Al-Hilm, meaning the dream. Both the balls had integrated sensors fitted inside, which helped settle controversial goal decisions through VAR. Japan won their first match against Germany thanks to a goal-line decision in which Germany alleged the ball went out of play. 

Registration

32-nations reached the FIFA World Cup Men's 2022 group stages, with six from AFC, four from CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, five from CAF, and 13 from UEFA. Next, FIFA decided on eight groups through a random draw comprising one team each from four pots. Check out the outcome of group matches as the top two teams qualified for the next round of 16:

Star Players

The FIFA World Cup Men's 2022 saw a cluster of rising stars with young talents bustling into the limelight through scintillating performances. Check out the marquee players from 32-nations who left a mark in this tournament:

Schedule

With 16 teams qualifying for the knockout round, the next round of draw comprised the underlying matches.

Check out the knockout rules that helped decide the outcome of these matches:

• 90-minutes of play (regular time)

• Two halves of 15-minutes of extra time (if scoreline level after 90-minutes)

• Penalty shootout (tiebreaker after 120-minutes)

Venue

Play

Qatar was the host nation of the FIFA World Cup Men's 2022. The tournament played out across five cities and eight stadiums. Check out more about the seating capacity of these stadiums, which echoed the greats of football for less than a month. 

Broadcasting Rights and Match Ticket

The FIFA World Cup Men's 2022 ended on 18th December with stunning Argentine heroics keeping the formidable French at bay. The next FIFA World Cup is due in 2026, with Canada, Mexico, and the United States as the conjoint host. Sports 18 network channels had the broadcasting rights to cast FIFA World Cup matches in India.

For OTT platforms, JioTV offered seamless broadcasting throughout the tournament, overcoming the initial hiccups of the audience complaining about the lack of AV signals. While there's no present information on the upcoming availability of match tickets, check out FIFA's official website, as they do not permit domestic ticket sales in India.

Conclusion

Most folks will recall the FIFA World Cup Men's 2022 as surreal in football history. Qatar delivered a splendid display of discipline, competency, and the complete package of nail-biting games. It's the first gulf nation to organise the biggest tournament in football. Qatar shrugged off the initial discomfort of human rights violations and stringent local rules to offer some exhilarating games ever witnessed in the recent past.

Morocco surprised many with their fearless football, being the first African nation to reach the FIFA World Cup semifinals. The final between Argentina and France was a nightmare for soft-hearted folks. Both teams came from behind to equalise, but some heroic display of goalkeeping from Emi Martinez ensured the white and the sky blues lifted the trophy for the third time, ending the drought after 36 years.