The 2022 men’s World Cup was one engulfed in controversy, it will be remembered for that, and also for the brilliant play on the pitch. 32 nations competed at the highest level all in the pursuit of eternal glory. In the end, Argentina came out victorious; Messi won his long-coveted World Cup!
A World Cup that will be remembered
Over the past month, 64 World Cup matches were played, each presenting a unique opportunity for the players to represent their nations and progress further in this tournament that captivates the entire world. The group stage showed which nations were ready to compete for the trophy, and which weren’t. The knockout rounds showed the best cream rose to the top. Memorable win-or-go-home matches culminated in a final for the ages that saw two of the best players perform at the highest level!
Here’s a look back at all the action that took place at the 2022 Men’s World Cup!
Group Stage
The Group Stages produced some shocking upsets and helped some nations proclaim that they were here to win the entire tournament. Some favorites mathematically advanced to the knockout rounds after just two games, while others faced long odds after underdogs performed valiantly!
Each match produced drama, and from a fan perspective, who doesn’t love there being four matches a day to watch? Here’s a look back at the group stage!
Round of 16
The field shrunk from 32 to 16 in the knockout rounds. The first round, the round of 16, gave us our first taste of win-or-go-home football at this World Cup. There were great back-and-forth matches and some drama-filled games that had to be decided on penalty kicks!
Here’s a look back at the round of 16!
World Cup Quarter-finals
The tournament thinned even more as things progressed to the quarter-finals stage. Here there were some of the most thrilling matches of the entire tournament. Croatia took down pre-tournament favorites Brazil in penalties, and Argentina proclaimed they were here to win it all defeating the Netherlands in a shootout. Morocco, who was the first African nation to make a quarter-final took down Portugal, and England bested France to make the semi-finals!
Here’s a look back at the quarter-final stage!
World Cup Semi-finals
In the semi-finals, we saw a statement of intent from the two best teams left standing in the 2022 men’s World Cup. Both Argentina and France beat Croatia and Morocco respectively and showed their dominance in doing so. The team playing for the chance to see one of the greatest of all time win a World Cup, and the reigning World champions would meet in the 2022 Final!
Here’s a look back at the semi-finals!
World Cup Final and Third place match
The World Cup entered its final days, it saw Croatia and Morocco battle for third place. Croatia won a tight contest over Morocco to win bronze. Then on the final day, Argentina and France played what might be the best final in history. A 2-2 game after 90 minutes meant extra time was needed to settle the score. Both nations scored in the extra 30 minutes as well making it 3-3, so penalties were needed to determine a winner. In the end, Argentina was victorious winning the World Cup!
Here’s a look back at the third-place match and the 2022 World Cup final!
Only Three-and-a-half years until the 2026 tournament!
After a month-long world football celebration, Argentina is the champions of the World. Looking ahead, there is a Women’s World Cup to get excited for! That tournament begins July 20th, and we’ll see if the US Women’s National team can complete their quest to three-peat as champions.
For the men’s side, the tide now turns to the 2026 tournament which will be held jointly in Mexico, Canada, and the United States! The summer of ’26 is only three-and-a-half years away, and in that time 48 nations will compete for the chance of gaining eternal glory by winning the World Cup!
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