2022 FIFA World Cup final

2022 FIFA World Cup final

Lusail Stadium hosted the final.
Event	2022 FIFA World Cup
Argentina France 3 3
After extra time Argentina won 4–2 on a penalty shootout
Date	18 December 2022 (2022-12-18)
Venue	Lusail Stadium, Lusail
Man of the Match	Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Referee	Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
Attendance	88,966
Weather	Partly cloudy 22 °C (72 °F) 64% humidity[1][2]
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Part of a series on the
2022 FIFA World Cup
Hosting Bids Australia Indonesia Japan Qatar South Korea United States Broadcasting rights Venues Al-Bayt Stadium Al-Rayyan Stadium Al-Thumama Stadium Al-Wakrah Stadium Education City Stadium Khalifa International Stadium Lusail Stadium Stadium 974 map Opening ceremony
Qualification Overview Africa first round second round third round Asia first round second round third round fourth round Europe Nations League Group stage Group A Group B Group C Group D Group E Group F Group G Group H Group I Group J second round North and Central America first round second round third round Oceania South America Inter-confederation play-offs Australia vs Peru Costa Rica vs New Zealand Seeding
Matches Group stage Group A Group B Group C Group D Group E Group F Group G Group H Knockout stage Final
Controversies Overview Allegations of corruption and bribery "FIFA's Dirty Secrets" Garcia Report 2015 FIFA corruption case European Parliament corruption scandal Battle of Lusail Criticisms of Qatar's suitability to host Human rights issues Death of Marc Bennett Kafala system LGBT issues in Group B LGBT rights in Qatar OneLove Qatar diplomatic crisis
People Gianni Infantino Antonio Mateu Lahoz Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Grant Wahl Squads Officials
Promotional and related media Adidas Al Rihla FIFA 23 downloadable content Music FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Official Soundtrack "Hayya Hayya (Better Together)" "Three Lions (It's Coming Home for Christmas)" "Tukoh Taka" "World Cup"
Media related to 2022 FIFA World Cup Preview warning: Commons link does not match Wikidata – please check at Wikimedia Commons
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The 2022 FIFA World Cup final was the final match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the 22nd edition of FIFA's competition for men's national football teams. The match was played at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, on 18 December 2022, the Qatari National Day, and was contested by Argentina and defending champions France. With a record 1.5 billion people watching on television, the final became one of the most widely watched televised sporting events in history.^[3]

The tournament comprised hosts Qatar and 31 other teams who emerged victorious from the qualification phase, organised by the six FIFA confederations. The 32 teams competed in a group stage, from which 16 teams qualified for the knockout stage. En route to the final, Argentina finished first in Group C, first losing to Saudi Arabia 2–1, then defeating both Mexico and Poland 2–0. They then beat Australia 2–1 in the round of 16, the Netherlands in the quarter-final through a penalty shoot-out after it ended 2–2 in extra time and Croatia in the semi-final 3–0. France finished first in Group D with two wins and one loss (4–1 win over Australia, 2–1 win over Denmark, and a 1–0 loss to Tunisia), defeating Poland 3–1 in the round of 16, England 2–1 in the quarter-final and Morocco 2–0 in the semi-final. The final took place in front of 88,966 spectators and was refereed by Szymon Marciniak.

Argentina took the lead through a penalty by Lionel Messi in the 23rd minute before Ángel Di María further increased their lead in the 36th minute with a low shot into the corner of the goal after a sweeping Argentina counterattack. France failed to register a shot at the goal for the vast majority of the match until a 97-second brace by Kylian Mbappé tied the game 2–2 in the 81st minute. During extra time, Messi then scored again to give Argentina a 3–2 lead. However, Mbappé scored a second penalty to tie the game 3–3 with only minutes remaining, becoming the second man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final after Geoff Hurst in 1966. Argentina then won the ensuing penalty shoot-out 4–2 to win their third World Cup, and first since 1986.

It was the second time that Argentina reached the World Cup final after losing their opening match (the other occasion being in 1990), a feat three other teams have achieved (West Germany in 1982, Italy in 1994, and Spain in 2010); it was only the second time in history that a team went on to win the tournament after losing their opening match (following Spain in 2010). France became the first team in history to score three goals in a World Cup final and lose. Messi was named the man of the match and won the Golden Ball as FIFA's best player of the tournament. The match was ranked by pundits and fans alike as one of the greatest World Cup finals, and one of the greatest matches in the history of the sport.^[4][5]