Summary:
After 29 days of soccer in Qatar, Argentina were crowned as champions of the world. Mbappe and France finished in second after a valiant effort in the Final to send it to penalties. Croatia was in the top three for a second straight World Cup. Morocco became the first African nation to make it to the semi-finals. On the other hand, some big names such as Germany and Spain were absent from the knockout rounds. Overall Qatar was chaotic and unpredictable. Here are some of my takeaways:
Image via Wikipedia.com
The balance of power is becoming...well...more balanced:
Qatar saw both the rising of new superstars, as well as the decline of perennial super powers. 2006, 2010, and 2014 were won by Italy, Spain, and Germany respectively. Italy failed to make it to Qatar and the other two barely had more success. Germany failed to advance out of the group stage, after losing a tie breaker to Spain. Spain lost in the round of 16 to a strong Moroccan side; nonetheless, Luis Enrique's side was eliminated and brought to an end his tenure as manager. Portugal, who was expected to have a shot at winning, lost in the quarterfinals to the same Moroccan team. Morocco's historic run to the semi-finals showed exactly how the landscape of international soccer is changing. Africa had never defeated a European team before; however, that changed in 2022. The United States also advanced out of pool play, showing that chaos may be in store for the very near future.
Image via wsj.com
2026 is going to be F-U-N:
2026 will be hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada. The stadiums will be splayed across four time zones, three countries, and a stunning 16 cities all around the continent. Along with the massive scale, the number of teams will also increase from the current thirty-six to forty-eight. This will make for both a longer tournament and a more interesting format. The current World Cup lasts for 29 days and has a total of 64 games. The 2026 format will last for a minimum of 35 days along with 104 games. The format is a little more complicated as right now the top two teams from each group move on to form a perfect bracket. In 2026, the bracket would allow for 24 teams to move on, which makes for a not perfect bracket. FIFA could possibly have the 24 teams redrawn into eight groups of three and then the winners of each group move onto a bracket that starts the quarterfinals. It will be interesting to see what solution FIFA finds.
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SportsPOV is more than a pretty face/website:
I am proud to say most of my picks were right on. I correctly predicted 12 of the 16 teams that moved on and even said that the Final would either be Argentina vs France or Argentina vs Portugal. Now I did not see Morocco making their Cinderella run, but lets be honest, who did? It was unprecedented and thoroughly surprising, but fun to watch nonetheless. Overall, the picks made by the SportsPOV crew were correct, meaning it is a very reliable source for your sports news. (That means to share with friends and family)
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There is hope for the USA:
The US Men's National Team showed prowess on their short trip to Qatar. The drew Wales 1-1, in a game which they controlled from the beginning. They then drew England 0-0. The best chance to defeat the Brits came from Christian Pulisic in the first half when he struck the crossbar behind Jordan Pickford. With the pressure on against Iran, win or go home, Christian Pulisic put his body on the line to score the winning goal. He, however, suffered a "pelvic contusion" that would cause a lasting impact on the rest of his tournament. The United States were one of only five teams to go undefeated in pool play. Unfortunately, they were put up against another one of those teams in their round of 16 matchup. The Dutchmen proved too much for the American side, but all hope is not lost.
The USA may very well make a deep run in 2026 with home fans and a rejuvenated team.
Image via wikipedia.com
Lionel Messi is the undisputed GOAT:
Coming into the tournament everyone was talking about how whoever won, Messi or Ronaldo, would become the greatest of all time. Messi prevailed in the final, and even though he did not face Ronaldo, he played the next best the world has to offer, Kylian Mbappe. Messi played his heart out, scoring during regular time, extra time, and scoring his penalty during the shootout. Mbappe scored a hat-trick, but it was not enough to overcome the Argentinian team. Messi now has seven Ballon D'ors, five Golden Balls at different international tournaments, a Copa America, an Olympics, and now, finally, a World Cup.
Image via News Week
Overall, Qatar 2022 was a successful World Cup. We learned that Africa had a breakthrough team in Morocco and better chances in the near future. Messi proved his dominance over the sport of football. The USA showed hope for future international championships. Sports POV went 12/16 on picks, as well as the fact that 2026 will be the weirdest World Cup in any of our lifetimes. Get ready for chaos when the World Cup comes to America!
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