In the ongoing FIFA World Cup hosted by Qatar this year, all 32 teams have got exposure and its first round of the group stage matches were concluded on Friday as Brazil secured a 2-0 win over Serbia.
Qatar, the world cup host was eliminated on Friday, just six days and two matches into the tournament. Qatar can’t advance to the knockout round after losing to Ecuador in the opener and to Senegal on Friday.
It was the earliest exit by a host nation in the World Cup’s 92-year history. Qatar’s fate was sealed after the Netherlands and Ecuador drew 1-1 in the other Group A match. Qatar still has one more match to play against the Netherlands on Tuesday.
Qatar had never qualified for the game’s biggest tournament before winning the right to host it 12 years ago. Every squad member for the 2019 Asian champion plays for a local club.
From Cristiano Ronaldo’s striking touch to Lionel Messi’s World Cup goals, new records are being made with every passing game.
Upsets of World Cup 2022
FIFA World Cup 2022 has seen two major upsets so far after the first round of fixtures. Argentina came to Qatar unbeaten in 36 games, singling them out as one of the favourites to win the entire competition. However, that run was shattered by the second-lowest ranked team at the tournament, Saudi Arabia, who defeated Argentina 2-1.
In another match, Japan defeated favorites Germany with the same scoreline of 2-1. Japan’s comeback win against Germany was their first in history. Previously, they have gone 9 games winless in the World Cup after conceding a goal first.
Goal Less Matches
- There were four goalless draws in the first round of fixtures. That’s 25% of the total matches, which is the highest number of draws in any World Cup.
- Eight teams- Mexico, Poland, Denmark, Tunisia, Uruguay, Korea Republic, Morocco, Croatia have gone blank in their first match. This is also the most number of teams not scoring a goal in their tournament opener in any World Cup.
- England and Spain registered their biggest victory in the tournament openers, as England beat Iran 6-2 and Spain thumped Costa Rica 7-0.
- A total of 41 goals have been scored in the first 16 matches. 25 of those goals have come in just 4 matches.
- Uruguay went 465 minutes without conceding a goal in the Group Stage matches. The last time they conceded in a group-stage game was in 2014 when Wayne Rooney scored for England.
Facts of FIFA World Cup
- Brazil is the only team to have appeared in all 22 tournaments to date, with Germany having participated in 20, Italy and Argentina in 18 and Mexico in 17.
- Till date, eight nations have won the tournament. The inaugural winners in 1930 were Uruguay; the current champions are France.
- The most successful nation in the competition are currently Brazil, who have won the cup on five occasions.
- European teams have won the tournament a record 12 times, followed by South America with nine victories.
- Five teams have appeared in the FIFA World Cup finals without winning, while eleven more have appeared in the semi-finals.
Iconic Players
- Cristiano Ronaldo became the first man to score at five FIFA World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022) when he netted home a penalty in Portugal’s 3-2 victory over Group H rivals Ghana.
At 37 years and 292 days old on 24 November, with that goal Ronaldo became the oldest player to score for Portugal at the World Cup.
He also holds the record for being the youngest, having scored for his nation at the 2006 World Cup at 21 years and 132 days old.
In taking to the pitch for the game against Ghana in Qatar, Ronaldo additionally joined Lionel Messi, Lothar Matthäus, Antonio Carbajal and Rafael Márquez as the only
- Lionel Messi became the first player to score in four World Cups for Argentina (2006, 2014, 2018 and 2022) after he netted a penalty in an opening-round loss to Saudi Arabia. He surpasses fellow compatriots Diego Maradona (1982, 1986 and 1994) and Gabriel Batistuta (1994, 1998 and 2002) who both scored in three editions of the tournament. The goal was also his 92nd in an Argentine shirt.
- Spain’s No.9 Gavi became the first player born in the year 2004 to score a goal in Qatar when his country thumped Costa Rica 7-0 in their opening match of the tournament. Incidentally, that victory is the record for the most goals Spain has ever scored in a single World Cup match.
- Inaki Williams of Ghana and Nico Williams of Spain made FIFA World Cup history on 24 November after they became the first full siblings to play for different countries at the FIFA World Cup.
- 36-year-old Olivier Giroud’s two goals in France’s opening 4-1 win against Australia means he has now tied Thierry Henry’s all-time goal scoring record for France (51).
- Wales’ goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey became the first player at FIFA World Cup 2022 to see a red card after he collided with Iran’s Mehdi Taremi.The card shown was initially a yellow before it was upgraded to a red.
Hennessey is now the third goalkeeper in World Cup history to be sent off with a red card.
- Youssoufa Moukoko, the youngest player at the World Cup in Qatar, is arguably the most promising young prospect from Germany since the rise of Jamal Musiala at Bayern.
Controversies around FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
- Qatar banned the sale of beer at World Cup stadiums on Nov 18, a sudden U-turn on the deal the country made to secure the soccer tournament with only two days to go before the opening game.
- Germany’s players covered their mouths for the team photo before their World Cup opener against Japan on Wednesday in protest at FIFA’s refusal to allow rainbow-themed armbands. The rainbow armbands had been viewed as a symbolic protest against laws in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal.
- The One Love armband was created by football teams to show solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community and draw the attention of a global audience to the cause.
- Iran’s soccer players did not sing their country’s national anthem before the team’s first match of the 2022 World Cup against England, an apparent nod to the protests that have spread worldwide following the death of Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini.
World Cup Football
In Qatar World Cup 2022, Adidas’s official match ball named ‘Al Rihla’ (the journey in Arabic) is being used in the matches.
The colours and patterns of ‘Al Rihla’ is an ode to Qatar’s culture, flag and architecture. It is the fastest World Cup ball ever designed, ‘Al Rihla’ has 20 layers held together by water-based glues and inks and is said to have enhanced aerodynamics, enabling better swerve and accuracy for shooters.
Upcoming Important Matches in World Cup
The first round of the FIFA World Cup is considered to be the least thrilling in the tournament given the potentially wide gap in quality between the competing teams. The groups are designed such that two strong teams don’t feature in the same lot. However, such matches can be exciting too.
Group E: Spain vs Germany, Nov 28, 12.30 am (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Kohr)
The standout contest from the group stages, at least on reputation, pits the 2010 winners against the 2014 holders, even though both nations are not at the level that made them world champions in South Africa and Brazil, respectively. While heavyweight clashes in the group phase tend to underwhelm, there is no way any football fan worth their salt is missing this one.
Group B: Wales vs England, Nov 30, 12.30 am (Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
When these two teams last met at a major tournament, it was stoppage-time winner from Daniel Sturridge that settled scores in England’s favour. For England, a defeat to Wales could trigger a national crisis, meaning Gareth Southgate’s troops might just be more cautious here than in other games.
Group F: Croatia vs Belgium, Dec 1, 8.30 pm (Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
The runners-up from 2018 and most people’s third-favourite team, Croatia, have been handed a tricky group, with Belgium, Canada and Morocco.
Group H: Ghana vs Uruguay, Dece 2, 8.30pm, (Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah)
No matter how much you love the beautiful game, you are unlikely to watch every single minute of football at the World Cup. The Match between Ghana and Uruguay will be interesting and worth watching.
FIFA World Cup 2022 Points Table: Teams, Standings, and Rankings
There are eight participating groups – Groups A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H – in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022. Every day, matches are played among these groups. The winning teams earn points and are ranked on the points table. The tournament will end on Sunday, 18 December 2022.
Here are the details about the FIFA World Cup 2022 points table, teams, standings, and rankings:
Group A: In group A, the Netherlands is leading the points table with 3 points, followed by Ecuador with 3 points.
Group B: In Group B, England is leading the charts with 3 points, followed by Wales with 2 points.
Group C: In Group C, Saudi Arabia is on the top with 3 points, followed by Poland with 1 point.
Group D: In Group D, France is on the top with 3 points.
Group E: In Group E, Spain is at number 1 with 3 points, followed by Japan with 3 points.
Group F: In Group F, Belgium is leading the points table with 3 points.
Group G: Brazil is leading the points table with 3 points and has replaced Switzerland from the top position.
Group H: Portugal is leading the points table with 3 points followed by South Korea.
Facts about host teams
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is being hosted by a Middle Eastern country for the first time in the tournament’s 92-year history. Though Qatar is not expected to make a deep run in 2022, it begets the question: How have host nations fared in World Cup history?
Throughout the 21 World Cups that have occurred since the debut event in 1930, only six host nations have won the prestigious trophy on home soil.
Qatar, in its first-ever World Cup appearance, finds itself in a tough Group A with the Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador. The former two are the favorites to advance, with Qatar having very little expectations as the No. 48-ranked country in the world by FIFA.
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Mascot
The mascot for the FIFA World Cup 2022 is ‘La’eeb’. It is inspired by the keffiyeh, a traditional headdress worn by Arab men. ‘La’eeb’ in Arabic translates to ‘super-skilled player’, in anticipation of the hundreds of footballers about to land in the country. It is made of a piece of clothing.
The adventurous, fun and curious La’eeb was unveiled during the Qatar 2022 Final Draw, which took place in Doha on April 1, following a tradition that was initiated in England 1966.
At the unveiling ceremony, an animated video was displayed, telling La’eeb’s story to millions of football fans. The mascot was seen flying through the air as the video narrated its story.
