The 2022 FIFA World Cup hosted by Qatar became an epitome of truly global tournament that served the entire world with a rich feast of football, complete and had everything in its menu: with upsets, shocks, great goals, incredible celebrations, and record-breaking feats... A tournament you couldn't beat your chest to say what will happen next until the very last whistle and it was Leonel Messi and Argentina's destiny to lift the trophy.
Only one of the 32 teams ---13 teams from Europe, six teams from Asia, five from Africa, and four each from North America and South America--that came to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup could win the coveted title. And Lionel Messi led Argentina to a historic victory over the defending champions France in the final to end his World Cup drought in front of 88,000 fans in the stadium and many more at home.
Tensions were rife before the final due to French star Kylian Mbappe's claim that South American football wasn't as advanced as his home continent Europe, prompting criticism from some of the continent's most prominent figures. Messi was at his most inspiring, scoring two goals to bring his tournament total to seven and leading Argentina to their third World Cup victory, beating France 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 tie in extra time.
But Mbappe made Messi work hard for the trophy he has long desired, scoring a hat trick that included two goals in 97 seconds late in regulation to pull France back from a 2-0 deficit. After Messi put Argentina back in front in extra time, France forward equalized once more. However, thanks to a penalty shoot-out win, it was ultimately Messi, Argentina and South America's World Cup to raise.
Historically, FIFA World Cup has been won by either a European nation or a South American country. This year, different teams from different parts of the world made spirited efforts in their quest to conquer football's most coveted trophy.
So, how did the 32 teams representing 5 continents perform in this World Cup?
FIFA confirmed that the Qatar World Cup set a record as teams from all continents have advanced to the round of 16 for the first time ever. For the second time, there were two from Africa, three from Asia, a first, and the United States carried the flag for North and Central America, with Europe and South America filling in the rest.
Netherlands, Argentina, Croatia, Brazil, England, France, Morocco and Portugal were the 8 teams that reached the quarter-finals.
After the quarter-final round of games, all Asian teams were eliminated, leaving only Morocco from Africa. That meant a team from Africa had a one-eighth chance of winning the tournament for the first time. Argentina was carrying South American hopes whereas France and Croatia were two teams representing Europe.
MOROCCO TOOK QATAR WORLD CUP TO A CRESCENDO
Morocco embarked on an exhilarating and historic run as the Walid Regragui-led side exceeded all expectations to become the first African team to reach the semi-final of the 2022 World Cup. The highlight of their historic run is that the Atlas Lions defeated three former European football powers (Belgium, Spain, and Portugal), before going down to eventual runners-up France in the hard-fought semi-final.
ASIAN TEAMS FALL FLAT AGAIN
Iran and Saudi Arabia, as well as the hosts Qatar, were eliminated in the group stages of the tournament, while South Korea advanced to the Round of 16 with a 2-1 victory over group leaders Portugal. However, the AFC registered nations' impact in this world cup was limited to that. Australia's demise began with a defeat to Lionel Messi's Argentina after nearly salvaging a draw in the final minutes of the match. Brazil looked too strong for the South Koreans, winning 4-1 and knocking them out of the tournament.
The numbers show that African and North American teams have outperformed their Asian counterparts. e.g. Since 1986, at least one team from North America and Africa has advanced to the knockout stages of the tournament, while Asian teams have failed to advance beyond the group stage in four of the nine World Cups since 1986.
DOMINATION OF SOUTH AMERICA & EUROPE
Argentina's triumph at Lusail Iconic Stadium on December 18 meant that the teams from either Europe or South America have now won the previous 22 World Cups. So far, Europe has won 12 and South America has won 10.
Since 1930, and across various formats, only three teams from outside Europe and South America have reached the semi-finals. They are the United States of America in 1930, South Korea in 2002 and Morocco in 2022.
