Every four years, the world unites to rejoice as the FIFA World Cup takes place. Tremendously impassioned and enthusiastic fans coupled with memorable moments resulting through sheer intensity the players display on the pitch is what makes the World Cup a must-see event. The 2022 edition in Qatar was no different; if anything, it was even more electrifying than the previous editions. Five Billion people around the world engaged with the FIFA World Cup 2022, which is more than half the planet’s population. To put the cherry on top, the final alone achieved a global reach of almost 1.5 billion viewers. The World Cup is invariably the greatest spectacle on planet Earth every four years, but the 2022 edition surpassed all expectations and records. So, let’s see what contributed to such a cultural phenomenon.
32 Teams – 1 Dream
Vying for the ultimate prize in all of football, 32 teams battle it out amongst themselves to see who is tenacious enough to get the job done and lift the World Cup trophy in the end. Although, every team does not have to face the other 31; the format is very structured. First is the group stages, then the round of 16 (ro16), after that is the quarter finals, then the semi finals, and the final is the epilogue to this grandiose tournament.
As presented in the picture above, there are a total of eight groups, each with four teams. Every team in a group has three matches, with them facing the rest of the teams once. A win guarantees each team three points, a tie guarantees them 1 point, and there are no points given for a loss. After the teams in a given group have had all three of their matches, the points are tallied, and the two teams with the most points advance on to the Round of 16 stage of the tournament. The ro16, quarters, semis, and the final are all conducted under the same set of rules: the team with the most goals wins. Each World Cup tournament is structured this way and the 2022 edition was no exception.
The Last Dance
I would be remiss if I did not mention the two players that are regarded as the best in history; two players whose journeys to the top of the mountain show that they accomplished everything in football. The only trophy missing from their cabinet, however, was the World Cup. Every elite level player in history: Pele, Maradona, Zidane, Cryuff, and Ronaldinho, have all won the trophy. So, it would be cosmically unjust if the two best of all time can’t get their hands on the coveted prize. Unfortunately, both were at the twilight of their careers before the 2022 World Cup started, which meant only one of them could walk away with the trophy. Standing at the Precipice of Greatness, Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo were both determined to get what they wanted. A rivalry on such a scale added to the hype of the World Cup itself before it even began.
From Shock to Survival
Argentina’s World Cup campaign began with a match against Saudi Arabia. The former came to Qatar with a 24 game win streak and a supercomputer prediction model gave Argentina an 80.2% chance of victory. Virtually no one was giving Saudi Arabia a chance. 10 minutes into the match, Messi even scored to give Argentina the lead. To his dismay, though, the manager of Saudi Arabia gave an inspirational speech to the squad at half time that would lead to the Saudis scoring two and winning the game 2-1. The biggest shock throughout the entire World Cup perhaps was Saudi Arabia pulling a shock upset, and now Messi’s chances to win the World Cup were even slimmer than before.
The next two games against Mexico and Poland, respectively, were a must-win, otherwise Argentina would fail to qualify for the Round of 16. It didn’t help that Mexico’s goalkeeper was considered a hero when it came to performing at different World Cups. Nonetheless, for Messi, this was a “show up or get shut down” moment. Tense at half time with no goals for either side, Messi broke the deadlock at the 64th minute and his teammate scored another right at the end to secure a 2-0 victory. Argentina survived for now but standing across from them now was Poland’s lethal striker, Robert Lewandowski. Fortunately for Messi, his team’s defense kept Lewandowski from scoring, and Argentina eventually secured the win. Both Messi and his fans breathed a collective sigh of relief as they barely made it out of the group stages.
The Magic of the World Cup
Shocking results were a theme of the World Cup, and that became evident with how the rest of the groups panned out. With Japan pulling off huge upsets against Germany and Spain, respectively, it became clear that you can never count the underdogs out. South Korea winning against Portugal and Tunisia winning against France only added fuel to the fire of firm belief in said notion, and the fact that it is anyone’s game is the beauty of the World Cup and part of why hundreds of millions tuned in for each game.
More Drama
A few battles may have been over but the war was certainly not. In fact, what lied ahead was going to be the real test. The group stage was over and two teams from each one of the 8 groups advanced to the Round of 16. There were quite a few prominent fixtures at this stage of the World Cup worth talking about. Croatia vs Japan, which surprisingly went to a penalty shootout, saw the former barely escape to the Quarter Finals. Morocco also beat Spain via penalties after the heroics of the Moroccan goalkeeper came into full display as he denied all three of the shots he was faced with.
Argentina also earned a hard fought victory against Australia in which the astonishing dribbles and take-ons of Lionel Messi were on full display. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal absolutely dismantled Switzerland by thrashing them 6-1 in a thrilling encounter. The GOATs were now on to the Quarter Final, but was this going to be the end of the road for both of them?
Warrior Mentality
The Quarter Finals were hands down one of the most exciting parts of the tournament. First up was a tightly contested matchup between Croatia and Brazil, which went to a penalty shootout. The former pulled off the victory, leaving Neymar, the rest of the team, and all of Brazil in agony and sorrow. Argentina vs Netherlands was an even more intense affair. It was 2-1 to Argentina at the 90(+10) mark and right at the death Wout Weghorst scored to make it 2-2 for the Netherlands, in what was the last kick of the game. The match then went to extra time and eventually to penalties, which is when Argentina would secure a narrow 3-2 victory after an intense shootout.
Elsewhere, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal faced the Atlas Lions, Morocco. A Moroccan defender getting sent off by a red card wasn’t enough to keep the biggest underdogs of the World Cup at bay. Their striker actually headed the ball in the opposing net, by what was the largest recorded jump in World Cup history, helping his team advance to the semis. Portugal was sent crashing out of the World Cup, leaving Cristiano Ronaldo in tears, and the whole world in a state of heartbreak.
Just One More Match
Argentina vs. Croatia and France vs. Morocco were the two semi-finals. The Atlas Lions were the underdogs of this tournament and getting this far was a miracle in and of itself but toppling France was going to be their biggest challenge yet. As fate would have it, Morocco’s far-fetched dream of winning the World Cup was over when they lost 2-0. On the other hand, Lionel Messi orchestrated a one man show against Croatia to put Argentina through to the final.
Dramatic Finale
The moment the world had been waiting for arrived on December 18, 2022. France’s Kylian Mbappe, seen as Lionel Messi’s heir to the throne, was going up against the King of football himself. Lionel Messi stared up at his final peak; Kylian Mbappe prowled in the foothills of greatness. From the Andes to the Alps, from Toronto to Shanghai, our planet united around its ultimate game.
With the game having a noteworthy and unique aura around itself, everyone at home and especially in the stadium was tense before the final even started. As expected, Messi opened the scoring at the 23rd minute mark and his teammate, Di Maria, scored before halftime to help his team go two up. Even though it looked like Argentina had bagged the victory, the considerable hype for the final was still there. Mbappe put on his own show in the 80th and 81st minutes, respectively, when he scored two goals in rapid succession to make it 2-2. The world was stunned and Argentina needed to come up with something fast.
The game would go on to extra time where Messi, in dramatic fashion, would once again put Argentina in the lead before Mbappe scored two minutes before the match was supposed to end for his hattrick. In the last kick of the game, the ball went to France’s striker who meant to smash it into the opposing net. However, Emi Martinez, Argentina’s goalkeeper, had other ideas when he made a heroic save that led to a penalty shootout. Argentina eventually won and Messi finally realized his lifelong dream.
The Little Magician
And in 2022, the World Champions were Argentina. A sensational World Cup campaign by the little magician, carrying the hopes and dreams of everyone in Argentina on his back. Lionel Messi conquered his final peak. Shaking hands with paradise, the little boy from Rosario, Santa Fe, pitched up in heaven. Climbing into a galaxy of his own, Messi had his crowning moment. He was beautiful; he was the point of difference; he has always been the point of difference; unparalleled. Of course, there will always be those who say the true great is Cristiano Ronaldo, and the debate can rage on if you’d like. But as Leo fell in love with the object in the world his heart most desired, it was hard to escape the supposition that he had rendered himself the Greatest of All Time.
Conclusion
A fairytale ending to the mesmerizing FIFA World Cup in 2022 does not deter us from the rest of the awe-inspiring moments in the tournament. From enthralling encounters, to major upsets, to heartbreak for fans and players, to dramatic endings, the world cup had it all. Captivating audiences across the globe, the 2022 edition was branded the greatest World Cup of all time by the president of FIFA himself. The World Cup 2022 in Qatar really elevated football into completely new heights, and the fans are all for it.
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