World Cup 2022: All Eyes on Qatar
Every four years, for just a single month, the world stands still and turns their attention to the most prestigious football tournament in the entire world: the World Cup. With 32 national teams competing, the World Cup boasts stunning attendance records, with the last final (France vs Croatia in 2018) reaching almost 80,000 viewers in the stadium and around 1.1 BILLION more through numerous streaming platforms.
Football-or soccer, if you prefer the American way- is one of the most popular and prevalent sports in the world, and the World Cup is undeniably the shining pinnacle of it. Qatar was given the honor of hosting the 2022 World Cup, and they worked arduously for twelve years to prepare for the event.
However, their mistreatment of the migrant workers that built the stadiums that are currently in use for the World Cup hasn't gone unnoticed. Many nations are outraged at the audacious human rights violations that Qatar have committed, and some British fans are even determined to boycott the tournament. Qatar's laws against homosexuality and alcohol have also raised frustrations, and team captains were forced to forgo their One Love armbands (promoting love for homosexuals) in fear of being yellow-carded. Yet the excitement that the World Cup brings hasn't been diminished in the least by the concerning actions of Qatar.
The tournament officially kicked off on the 20th of November after a dazzling opening ceremony that included Qatari dancers, a Morgan Freeman speech, and a vocal performance of the 2022 World Cup theme song "Dreamers" by Jungkook of BTS. Qatar, as the host, was given the honor of playing the first match of the group stage, but unfortunately lost 2-0 to a determined Ecuador. With their loss, they disappointingly made World Cup history as the first and only nation to lose their opening match as hosts.
After the opening match, the group stage came to life, with three or four games played every night. Spain and England showed their skill with thumping victories while underdogs Japan and Saudi Arabia upsetted favored teams Germany and Argentina, respectively. Many teams were held in goalless draws, with neither side willing to concede a single goal. Korea, Uruguay, Mexico, Poland, Morocco, and Croatia were all held, only claiming a single point for their efforts.
And with excitement, of course, must come injury. All throughout the week, players were leaving in stretchers and tears, so desperate to represent their nation yet in so much pain. Alireza Beiranvand, the first-choice goalkeeper of Iran, was forced to leave early on when he had a nasty clash with his own defender, resulting in his nose being broken. Yasser Alshahrani, one of Saudi Arabia's defenders, left in their game against Argentina for the same reason: a detrimental collision with his teammate. Even the high-profile Brazilian striker Neymar Jr. left early in his game against Serbia due to an ankle injury which ruled him out of the remaining games in the group stage. Prolific players like Benzema and Mane were injured even before the World Cup kicked off, leading to their heartbreaking absences from France and Senegal respectively.
Upsets galore were present in the group stage. Once favorites to top their groups and perhaps even win the Cup itself, Argentina and Germany now find themselves with one loss on their records, scrambling to find their footing again. Qatar, the unfortunate hosts, have been knocked out after their second match, with two consecutive losses to Ecuador and Senegal respectively. Canada quickly followed them and became the second eliminated team after a humiliating loss to Croatia. France, Brazil, and Portugal all made it through on the second matchday, all boasting six points and a defeatless streak. Major upsetters Japan and Saudi Arabia both lost their second matches, leading to tears being shed and dreams being halted. However, time still remains for them to get back on track.
In Poland's second game, following a disappointing performance against Mexico, they were able to snag a strong victory against Saudi Arabia, who still hadn't come down from their high of defeating Argentina. Robert Lewandowski, Poland's most prolific striker and second place for the 2021 Ballon D'Or, scored his first ever World Cup goal in his likely last World Cup and promptly bursted into emotional tears as his teammates paraded around him in glee. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Korea was left in tears as they suffered an agonizingly narrow defeat to the young Ghanaian team, losing 3-2 with questionable refereeing. Cho Gue Sung and Lee Kang In shined in the narrow loss, combining their talents for the first goal and keeping the offensive pressure alive.
In the third matchday, South Korea was able to bounce back against Portugal after conceding an early goal with a jaw-dropping combination between Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan to score the goal that propelled them into the round of 16. Japan provided similar results against Spain, beating them to top their group and knock out Germany. USA, Australia, and Morocco also unexpectedly made it into the final sixteen, shocking fans and players alike and leaving teams such as Belgium heartbroken. Confident France and poised Brazil both lost their final matches, to Tunisia and Cameroon respectively. However, this barely dented their record, and both teams ended up topping their groups despite the losses.
This World Cup is definitely a tournament of firsts and unexpectedness, and some statistics are better left unsaid. Wales' goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey became the third ever goalkeeper to be sent off after a high challenge against an Iranian striker. Christiano Ronaldo became the only player to ever play in the World Cup while not being part of a professional club following his contract at Manchester United being terminated. Argentina lost their 36 unbeaten match record-just a few matches shy of making the world record- to a low ranking Saudi Arabia. Germany got eliminated in the group stage for a second successive World Cup. Many other shocking and unfortunate statistics are expected to be seen, but it will of course be balanced by the positive ones.
The World Cup has always been a tournament of excitement, but it seems like the 2022 World Cup is shaping up to be the most unexpected and thrilling World Cup yet. With the group stage having only just concluded recently, it's difficult to guess who will win this year's World Cup. Only a little over half of the World Cup games have been played! Veteran teams have already been left stunned, and dark horses and underdogs are ruling their groups. But half the fun in the World Cup comes from predicting victors and hearing others' predictions. Here are some predictions from Logos students and teachers on who will win the World Cup and more!
Who do you think will win the World Cup?
Hyunwoo: I personally hope that either Portugal or Argentina will win the World Cup because it's Messi and Ronaldo's last World Cup.
Mrs. Lee: At this rate, maybe Brazil or France since France is the only team that has won both games so far and actually qualified and Brazil... Brazil is just Brazil.
Vathana: I support Argentina; Argentina's gonna win!
Odom: Cambodia, Cambodia.
Who do you think will be the top scorer of the World Cup?
Hyunwoo: I hope it will be Messi, since it is his last World Cup.
Mrs. Lee: I don't really know many players actually. I really can't say since I don't know all the individual players.
Vathana: Messi
Hyunung: Ronaldo
Odom: Zigi and Mbappe
Which player has stood out to you the most so far?
Hyunwoo: Messi because of his goal against Mexico and his penalty against Saudi Arabia.
Mrs. Lee: I would say the goalkeeper for Iran [Alireza Beiranvand], the one who got hurt, because he came back out even after he had probably broken his nose, and I think that just takes dedication.
Hyunung: Lee Kang-in [South Korea's midfielder].
Vathana: Nuñez. He stands out by being so trash.
What was your reaction to the upsetting losses of Argentina and Germany?
Hyunwoo: As a supporter of the South Korean national team, I personally supported the underdog teams, but as an Argentina fan who hopes they will win the World Cup, it came as a shock to me because Argentina lost. As for Germany, I don't really care.
Mrs. Lee: I think that just shows that underdogs can still do it. It's not the name value, but the teamwork and how desperate you are for those points.
Hyunung: I think it was unexpected but underdogs often win and it was a very interesting result.
Vathana: I was actually so sad, I was about to cry.
Personally, I feel like Brazil has a high chance of bringing home their sixth star this year, with their squad relations being nearly flawless and the amount of talent brimming within their team. With Neymar injured and Jesus out as well, I think they will find themselves further determined to claim their sixth World Cup trophy. However, I am biased toward the Korean national team and hope that they manage to stun favorites Brazil in the knockout round. France has also been in stunning shape, and even without Real Madrid's talisman striker Benzema, they have been hardly shaken. However, a certain World Cup superstition claims that whoever won the previous World Cup would have terrible luck in the succeeding tournament. Although not a believer of the "World Cup curse," I find it amusing to think that France is in danger of such a fate.
An EA Sports simulation simulated the results of the entire World Cup and predicted that Argentina would come out as victors, after the narrow victory against Brazil in the finals. For the last three World Cups, the EA predictions have actually been true! Many Argentina fans will be praying that EA Sports is right for the fourth time in a row. Although Argentina started off on shaky feet with a loss to low-ranked Saudi Arabia, they quickly picked themselves up and crashed through the group and knockout stages. At this rate, a World Cup victory for Argentina doesn't seem completely implausible.
This World Cup is truly building up to be the most exciting and unpredictable World Cup yet. Keep your hats on and your eyes open because the knockout round is coming up! Truly, the World Cup begins now. With everything to play for, I can assure you that nothing about the upcoming matches will be bland or eventless!