FIFA World Cup in Qatar: a gallop on the results

When the turbulent passions and emotions from the most unusual World Cup have at least partially subsided, we can soberly sum up the results of this tournament.

Before the start of the championship, many people believed that the World Cup in Qatar had every chance of becoming one of the worst in history. Desperate attempts to politicize this football festival baffled fans who wanted at least a month to take a break from political strife. Or take at least a ban on the sale of beer a couple of days before the start of the World Cup: fans were denied access to the invariable attribute of the World Cup and it seemed that the atmosphere in the stadiums would be sadder than usual.

However, already after the first matches, after the first sensations, the gloomy public mood changed to lively, sincere feelings about football, where there is a place for emotions, sensations and drama. And then the plots fell down one after another.

Germany did not leave the group for the second World Cup in a row, Belgium and Denmark failed miserably, the promoted Spaniards left the tournament already in 1/8, the long-decommissioned Croats knocked out the main favorites – the Brazilians, and the Morocco national team unexpectedly became a real discovery. And how not to mention the victorious Argentines, who, after a most offensive defeat in the first round, were able to rebuild and eventually raise the coveted cup over their heads.

A few words about Argentina. In the final, only three countries could not cheer for her: France itself, sworn rival Brazil and Portugal, devoted to Cristiano Ronaldo. And the main reason for this is the figure of the captain of the Albiceleste team, Lionel Messi. Even before the tournament, he stated that this World Cup would most likely be the last major international competition of his career. And despite the fact that Lionel himself had already proved everything to everyone a long time ago, there were skeptics who believed that he lacked the World Cup for true greatness. It seemed that Messi himself believed in this, who turned from the usual quiet genius into a tough leader leading the team to the pages of history. He broke the record for the most appearances at the World Cup (26). He played the most minutes in tournament history. He became the first player to score at all stages of the World Cup. Leo is also the only player to have won the World Cup Player of the Year award twice. All these are just related achievements, the main thing is the cup. The Argentine himself commented on the victory in the tournament: “An amazing feeling, I dreamed of winning the World Cup for so long. Look what a beautiful cup! He is beautiful. I really wanted to win it. I knew the Lord would let me win it. I had this feeling. We had to overcome a lot on the way to the goal, but we managed. I can’t wait to get back to Argentina – I can imagine how crazy it will be.”

In Argentina, it really was crazy. About 4 million Argentines took to the streets of Buenos Aires to watch the parade in honor of the team returning from Qatar. The authorities prudently declared December 20 a day off, which was the culmination of nationwide celebrations in honor of the victory at the World Cup. The national team moved around the city on an open bus, actively welcoming all the assembled fans. However, they did not even manage to drive along the planned route: there were too many people who wanted to see the players. The bus was moving too slowly, and some fans even tried to jump into it directly from the bridges. The authorities decided to transport the players to safety by helicopter. This did not upset the fans themselves, they continued the mass celebrations.

However, the World Cup in Qatar will be remembered not only for the results on the field. So, in total, 3 million 404 thousand 252 fans visited the matches of the World Cup in Qatar. Average game attendance is 53,191 spectators. Even compared to other world championships, the tournament in Qatar showed excellent attendance. It is surpassed only by the world championships in 1994 and 2014 in the USA and Brazil – they were visited by 3,568,567 and 3,441,450 people, respectively.

The leadership in this list of the World Cup in the USA is also distinguished by the fact that at that time only 24 teams played at the tournament, and not 32, as it is now. In this regard, at that world championship, 12 matches were played less than today (52 against 64). The record total number of spectators is due to the large capacity of the stadiums where the matches were held – the most modest arena was the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington (53,121 spectators), and the largest was the Rose Bowl in Pasadena (94,194).

Even in terms of the football component itself, the Qatari World Cup has already left its mark on history. It became the highest scoring World Cup in football history. At the 2022 World Cup, 172 goals were scored – this is a new record. In the 1998 and 2014 tournaments, there were 171 goals each.

However, this record is unlikely to last longer than 4 years, as the number of participants will increase from 32 to 48 in 2026. In addition, for the first time in the history of the World Cup, three countries will host, and the final format of the group tournament will be determined in 2023. Then the qualifying round will begin.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi, Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the trophy ceremony at the Lusail Stadium, Doha, Qatar, Dec. 18, 2022. (Reuters Photo)

Daniel Prilepsky.