by
Wow. What a World Cup. What a World Cup final. After all of the talk and controversy off the pitch, this World Cup needed to deliver on the pitch. And that it most certainly did.
Saudi Arabia’s shock win over the Argentines will live long in the memory and go down in football folklore as one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. It helped set a trend too, with plenty of other shocks including Tunisia beating eventual finalists France, Australia sinking Denmark, and Japan edging out European heavyweights Germany and Spain. But Morocco, who saw off Belgium, Canada, Spain and Portugal on their way to becoming the first-ever African nation to make it to the semi-finals, deserve most of the plaudits. Their historic achievement is a game changer for Africa.
When it came to the crunch, the cream predictably rose to the top, culminating in a final between Argentina and France; a showdown between Lionel Messi and the heir to his throne, Kylian Mbappe.
The World Cup final could not have been scripted any better: Mbappe becoming only the second player to score a World Cup final hat-trick and winning the Golden Boot in the process – but Messi eventually lifting the trophy – seemed like the perfect conclusion. It was a privilege to watch, and this souvenir issue hopes to capture all of the magic of the latest edition of the greatest football show on Earth. Enjoy.
Stephen Fishlock, Group Editor
CONTENTS
WORLD CUP 2022 REVIEW
14 Goals we’d like to see again
16 Tournament overview
20 Morocco Opening the door for Africa
24 A to Z
26 Players of the Tournament
28 Team-by-team analysis
62 6 of the Best World Cup Breakout Stars
64 EyeWitness Jonathan Wilson reports on hosts Qatar
92 Squads
WORLD CUP 2022: THE COMPLETE RECORD
38 Final & Third place play-off
39 Semi-finals
40 Quarter-finals
42 Round of 16
46-60 Group stage
PLUS…
70 Football’s Most Wanted January transfer targets
78 Brazil Palmeiras cruise to the title
80 South America Domestic round-up
82 Europe Summer leagues round-up
84 Africa CHAN 2022 preview
86 Iraq Arabian Gulf Cup preview
88 Southeast Asia AFF Championship
90 Laos Rebuilding the national team
91 Global diary
96 Results section
98 ESM XI
