Final Standings
Individual Awards
Tournament Overview
The 2022 World Cup delivered the greatest final in the history of the tournament and completed the career of the greatest player who ever lived. Lionel Messi finally lifted the World Cup trophy after Argentina came back twice in a final that went to a penalty shootout. Kylian Mbappé scored a hat trick in the second half and extra time — the first hat trick in a World Cup final since 1966 — but it was not enough. Morocco became the first African and Arab team in history to reach a World Cup semi-final. Argentina's victory at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, in front of a global audience of hundreds of millions, is widely described as one of the greatest sporting events ever staged.
Defining Moments
The Greatest Final Ever Played
Argentina led 2-0 with 10 minutes to go. The trophy was effectively theirs. Then Mbappé scored twice in 97 seconds to level it. Both teams played on through extra time. Mbappé completed his hat trick to make it 3-3. The penalty shootout came. Emiliano Martínez saved two French kicks. Argentina won. Messi — 35 years old, playing in his fifth World Cup, having lost the 2014 final and the 2015 and 2016 Copa América finals — fell to his knees. He had done it.
Morocco's Historic Semi-Final Run
Morocco arrived as a 500/1 outsider and left the tournament as the most impactful story in African football history. They beat Belgium, Spain on penalties, Portugal, then fell to France in the semi-finals. Their defensive organization, counter-attacking precision, and the ferocious support of their fans — and the Moroccan diaspora in North America and Europe — made them the neutral fan's team of the tournament. They became the first African and Arab team to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup.
Saudi Arabia Beat Argentina
Argentina were 36 games unbeaten when the tournament began. Messi scored a penalty in the 10th minute. Then Saudi Arabia leveled, scored again, and won 2-1 in one of the greatest World Cup upsets in history. The high defensive line that caught three Argentine attackers offside in the first half was the tactical masterstroke. Argentina recovered to win the group and the entire tournament, but the Saudi Arabia result reminded every team that nothing in international soccer is guaranteed.
Argentina arrive at WC26 as the defending champions, with Lionel Messi playing in what is universally expected to be his final World Cup. France, the 2022 finalists, are arguably the strongest team in the tournament. Morocco return having inspired an entire continent with their 2022 run. Croatia's Modrić plays his last WC. The WC26 is in many ways a direct sequel to the greatest World Cup ever played.
