2022 FIFA World Cup

The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup, which was contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member organizations. It was hosted in Qatar from November 20 to December 18, 2022, making it the first World Cup to be held in the Arab and Muslim worlds, and the second to be staged fully in Asia after the 2002 event in South Korea and Japan.

This tournament had 32 teams compete, but the number of teams will be increased to 48 for the 2026 edition. The tournament was conducted in November and December to avoid the extremes of Qatar's hot environment. It lasted only 29 days and included 64 matches spread over eight sites in five cities. Qatar qualified automatically as the host nation's national team, along with 31 other teams decided by the qualification procedure.

Argentina was named champions after defeating defending champions France 4-2 on penalties following a 3-3 stalemate after extra time. Argentina's third victory, and their first since 1986, made them the tournament's first non-European winner since 2002. Kylian Mbappé of France became the first player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final since Geoff Hurst in 1966, and he was awarded the Golden Boot for scoring the most goals (eight) during the tournament. Lionel Messi of Argentina was named the tournament's top player, taking home the Golden Ball.

Overview

The FIFA World Cup is a professional football competition hosted by FIFA involving national football teams. The tournament, which is held every four years, was first staged in Uruguay in 1930 and has been attended by 32 teams since the 1998 event. The competition included eight round-robin groups, followed by a knockout stage for 16 teams. France was the defending champion, defeating Croatia 4-2 in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final. The tournament was intended to run for a shorter period of time, from November 20 to December 18, in Qatar. It was the first World Cup event to be hosted in the Arab world, and it was staged in Qatar. Most COVID-19 pandemic regulations, including as social separation, mask usage, and negative testing, were waived for spectators.