- Monday, 6 April 2026
2022 World Cup Argentina On Top As Messi Fulfils His Dream
Pramod Joshi
The FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, arguably the top sporting event on the planet, gripped all football fans for four frenetic weeks with its 64 matches.
The quadrennial football carnival has been enthralling from start to finish. It has everything to offer. There were nonstop controversies. There were relentless dramas, shocks, and thrillers. There was an epic final, and the greatest football player ever played in the climax.
Ever since Qatar won the hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup, there have been criticisms from many quarters. The decision to pick Qatar as the host has been the subject of controversy since it was announced 12 years ago.
The tiny Gulf state was accused of paying bribes to secure votes in their favour to win hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup. The allegations of corruption made the World Cup bid a dodgy affair, tainting the previous leadership of the world's football governing body.
Qatar also faced intense criticism for human rights violations. The human rights group was vocal regarding its exploitation of migrant workers. Many migrant workers, including Nepalis, died during the construction of the infrastructure for the World Cup.
Human rights organisations have accused the wealthy Emirate of failing to provide a proper explanation for migrant workers' sudden and unexpected deaths, as well as adequate compensation to their families.Some European nations even called for a boycott of the 2022 World Cup for the poor record of human rights in Qatar.
Even during the tournament, Qatar was reportedly accused of offering free tickets, fully paid trips overseas, and valuable goods to European politicians as the Gulf state tried to persuade lawmakers to soften their scathing criticism of the country's human rights records.
Shifting the biggest sporting event from summer to winter also proved controversial. Playing in the hot weather during mid-June and early July was impossible in Qatar. Therefore, FIFA shifted the tournament to the winter months of November and December, when the temperatures in the desert nation would be much cooler.
Qatar Is Winner
The shift, however, disrupted the calendars of the major leagues around the globe. The European leagues, in particular, have expressed dissatisfaction with the World Cup break. Concerns were also expressed over the possibility of mounting injuries after the players' commitment to the nation.
Regardless of all the controversy and widespread criticism, the Middle East nation successfully hosted the first-ever World Cup in the Arab world. In spite of becoming the first host nation to be eliminated from the group round without winning a single game, Qatar succeeded in its only objective: to stage an extravaganza of football. By banning alcohol in the stadium, Qatar made the first World Cup in the Muslim country the safest ever.
For the first time in the World Cup's history, there were no arrests of hooligans. No matter who won the final, Qatar was the clear winner in the end.
World Cup shocks
As the tournament progressed, attention deflected to football, toning down all the voices of criticism off the pitch.
Saudi Arabia did its job of diverting attention from off-field issues by producing the biggest shock in the 92-year history of the tournament when Messi and Argentina suffered a 2-1 loss to the Green Falcons in the Group C opener.
The lowest-ranked team in the tournament was predicted to lose by a heavy margin, but to everyone's surprise, the come-from-behind win erupted the Arab world in joy. With that historic victory, Saudi Arabia recorded its fourth-ever win in its World Cup history.
In spite of ending the Albiceleste's 36-match winning streak, the second-longest streak in men's international football, Saudi Arabia did not advance to the knockout round. And it was the only defeat Argentina faced in Qatar before lifting the World Cup trophy for the third time.
The drama kept on unfolding in the group stage, with Japan delighting Asia by stunning four-time world champions Germany in their first Group E match. The Blue Samurai produced another sensational victory over Spain in the Group E finale, which sent Germany crashing out of the World Cup from the group stage for two consecutive times.
By winning its group for the first time in history, Japan advanced to the round of 16 for the fourth time, only to fall against Croatia in a dramatic penalty shootout match.
Morocco's Fairy Tale Run
Another Asian side, South Korea, also defeated Ronaldo's Portugal 2-1 in their final Group H match. The win led the Koreans to the knockout round, but Brazil crushed them out of the tournament with a 4-1 win.
Morocco took over the baton from the underdogs, triumphing spectacularly over highly ranked European teams such as Belgium, Spain, and Portugal. It made World Cup history by becoming the first African and Arab nation to reach the semifinals of the competition.
The Atlas Lions were not expected to make the final four. But with their unbelievable team spirit, defensive resilience, doggedness, and courage, along with their tactical acumen, the North African side stunned their opponents on the counter-attack.
Morocco started the campaign by holding Croatia to a goalless draw. The Walid Regragui team then landed a famous victory by inflicting a 2-0 win over the world's second-ranked team, Belgium. A 2-1 win over Canada fixed Morocco's pre-quarterfinal date with Spain.
The Atlas Lions continued with their defensive approach, keeping Spain at bay before driving home the 2010 World Champions in a penalty shootout with a 3-0 win.
Morocco, then, battled out a sensational 1-0 victory over star-studded Portugal in the quarterfinals, leaving Cristiano Ronaldo in tears.
Morocco's run came to an end after a 2-0 loss to France in the semifinals. France finished the competition in fourth place after falling to Croatia in the third-place play-off.
The loss to the Atlas Lions ended the possibility of a fairytale ending for Ronaldo, the all-time leading international goalscorer.
In contrast, the African side will be remembered as one of the great stories of the World Cup. Reaching the final is the only way to surpass African football's greatest accomplishment.
Can't Do Without Drama
Morocco's performance also sends a message of hope to teams from developing countries, demonstrating that with preparation and determination, anything is possible.
Croatia continued to give football fans the thrill of a lifetime with a dramatic win in the knockout stages. Croatian captain and playmaker Luka Modric said his nation could not do without drama after progressing to the quarterfinals.
The 2018 runners-up defeated Asian giants Japan 3-1 in a penalty shoot-out.Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic stopped three of Japan's four spot kicks to set up the Brazil showdown.
Brazil, the overwhelming favourite for the 2022 World Cup, advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating South Korea 4-1. Neymar and co., who danced after every goal against Korea, were sent crashing by Croatia in a penalty shootout.
After a goalless stalemate in the regular 90 minutes, the five-time champions took the lead in extra time, but the Balkan state bounced back with an impressive equaliser to dish out another penalty drama. Croatia advanced to the World Cup semifinals for the second time in a row, thanks to shootout hero Livakovic.
Modric's battle-hardened side was undone by Argentina with a 3-0 thrashing in the semifinals. Nonetheless, Croatia managed to finish on the podium at a World Cup for the third time with a bronze medal in Qatar.
Redemption of Argentina
Croatia claimed its first medal since finishing third in the 1998 World Cup. Modric may have played in his last World Cup, but he wished to continue his international career until the Nations League final in 2023.
Before setting up a mouthwatering final against France, Argentina recovered from their shock defeat to Saudi Arabia with back-to-back wins over Mexico and Poland to advance into the knockout round by winning Group C.
La Albiceleste edged Australia 2-1 in a Round of 16. Argentina had to endure another World
Cup classic as Lionel Messi and co. edged the Netherlands in a bruising, physical quarterfinal match.
Argentina squandered a two-goal lead after Dutch substitute Wout Weghorst's double evened the score in the late hour, forcing an extra 30 minutes. Unable to decide the winner, the match was forced into a penalty shootout, where Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez dazzled with his blocking and kept his team's World Cup dream alive with a 4-3 win.
Messi-inspired Argentina then took Croatia by storm in the semifinals with a 3-0 thumping and entered the final to realise their dream of lifting the World Cup trophy after soccer great Diego Maradona lifted it for the South American powerhouse in 1986.
Epic Final
Title defender On the other hand, France was looking to make history by winning football's most prestigious title for the second time in a row. France, however, did not have to go through the nerve-wracking experience en route to the final, unlike Argentina.
The final featured a "battle of titans" as well as a showdown between superstars Messi and Mbappe. Thirty-five-year-old Messi was on his mission to grab the World Cup title, the only trophy missing from the wardrobe of the world's best player. Mbappe, 23, was attempting to emulate Pele by winning back-to-back World Cup trophy for the first time since 1958 and 1962.
The opening 79 minutes were all about Argentina's captain, Messi. He converted the penalty, and his deft touch was key in producing the South American's second goal.
Argentina succeeded in neutralising France, leaving Mbappe nowhere to be seen. But it wasn't until the final minutes of normal time that Mbappe took command of the game, scoring two goals in two minutes to send the game into extra time.
Messi, however, restored his team's lead in the 109th minute. Refusing to give up, Mbappe scored his second penalty of the final to grab his hat-trick and lead the final to a penalty shootout.
Messi, Greatest Ever
Both Paris Saint-Germain teammates converted their kicks in the shootout. But in the end, with France missing two penalties, it was the Argentina captain and his teammates whose World Cup dream was realised in real time.
Seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi ended his long wait for the World Cup title in the most memorable finals in World Cup history. Messi has completed his football career, having won all the major trophies. He has risen to the top of the football greats' pantheon with the biggest international trophy.
Moreover, the Qatar World Cup will be remembered for Messi, who gave Argentina its third world cup. Messi scored a total of seven goals, including two in the final. During his inspirational game in Qatar, Messi broke many records. He became the first player in history to win the Golden Ball twice. Messi won his first Golden Ball in 2014, the same year he led Argentina to the final but lost to Germany.
Mbappe is next
The diminutive Argentine also bagged most of the Player of the Match awards. He was named Player of the Match five times in Qatar.
He has now won a total of 11 World Cup Player of the Match awards. Messi also became
the first player to score in every round of the World Cup.
With a treble in the final, Mbappe led the goal-scoring chart of the Qatar World Cup with eight goals, which landed him a golden boot.
After scoring the first hat trick in a World Cup final in 56 years, Mbappe proved himself the natural successor to Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Having already won the World Cup, Mbappe also awaits other major accolades in football. The big achievements in football are within reach for Mbappe, provided his fitness level remains intact.
Stars In Tears
While Messi achieved his dream and enjoyed the World Cup trophy, other football stars had to return home in tears. After bidding farewell to Qatar, they are unlikely to be seen at the next World Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo was benched by Portugal coach Fernando Santos after publicly expressing his displeasure at being substituted.
Club-less Ronaldo had to console himself to set the record for scoring in five world cups and equaling the record for most capped players with Kuwait's Bader al-Mutawa.
Neymar, on the other hand, also had to return home early. He managed to equal All-Time Great Football Player Pele's goal-scoring haul of 77 for Brazil. Neymar and co. learned the dance to celebrate the goals and victory in Qatar. They even displayed their dancing skills during the rout of South Korea.
But dancing was not enough for the Brazilian side, as they too got their eyes wet with tears.
Robert Lewandowski of Poland scored his first World Cup goal but was unable to replicate his club-level brilliance in the global showpiece.
(Joshi is associate editor of TRN)
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