After 28 days filled with a myriad of emotions, it took a dramatic final match with 30 minutes of stoppage time and a penalty shootout to decide the winner of the 2022 FIFA World Cup: Argentina and to crown one of the greats: Lionel Messi with his first World Cup.

Usually set in the summer, this year the FIFA World Cup was played in Qatar between Nov. 20 to Dec. 18–due to Qatar’s broiling summer heat–and provided Riordan students with a unique experience of watching the event during the holiday season.

The tournament was marred in controversy, with Qatar receiving the World Cup allegedly through corruption, having a poor human rights record, utilizing migrant workers to build the host stadiums, being against members of the LGBTQ+ community, and banning all sale of beer from the tournament.

“I never thought Qatar would be a good host and knowing everything about how corrupt FIFA is and all the lives it cost to make the stadiums it was not a good choice,” commented Marko Kesler ’23.

But, despite this, the World Cup carried on. The teams that advanced from the group stage to the knockout stage were the Netherlands, the United States, Argentina, Australia, Japan, Croatia, Brazil, South Korea, England, Senegal, France, Poland, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland.

The tournament was one filled with surprises. In Group A, Qatar lost the opening match against match against Ecuador 2-0, and ended up losing all three matches of the group stage–the worst performance by a host nation at a World Cup.

Gerald Aguirre ’23 said, “Qatar will be able to look to this debut as a starting point in their yet-to-write history in soccer.”

In Group B, the United States returned to the tournament for the first time since 2014, but lost to the Netherlands in the Round of 16. Mexico was eliminated in Group C, causing them to not reach the knockout stage since 1990.

Group D saw defending champions France cruise to the top. Japan and Morocco surprised everyone by finishing first in Group E and F, respectively. Five- time champion Brazil ended up top of Group G and Portugal did the same in Group H.

In Group B, the United States returned to the tournament for the first time since 2014, but lost to the Netherlands in the Round of 16. Mexico was eliminated in Group C, causing them to not reach the knockout stage since 1990.

Group D saw defending champions France cruise to the top. Japan and Morocco surprised everyone by finishing first in Group E and F, respectively. Five- time champion Brazil ended up top of Group G and Portugal did the same in Group H.

World Cup fever even reached Riordan. With games occurring during classes, students and teachers kept a watchful eye on the score, and some students even watched games at lunch. It was a backdrop to the semester coming to a close and provides a way torelieve the stress of finals.

Gina Zevallos ’23 stated, “I love talking about it with my friends and it’s funny when we’re in the cafe.” She continued, “Most people are watching the games, and when one of the players makes a goal, one side of the cafe is cheering and the other is disappointed.”

“Despite it being during school hours, I appreciated the teachers who put the games on in class occasionally and I kind of became the TV for my friends at lunch when the games are on,” Kesler concurred.

Modern Languages Department Chair Armando Castillo was also unhappy with the tournament occurring during school hours, but made the most out of it. “I tried to put the games on as much as I can, and it leads to a good overall atmosphere.”

First time World Cup viewer Diane Lai ’24 stated, “It was pretty cool experience. As a person that never watches the World Cup, it was nice to be surrounded by people that knew what was going on.”

She added, “I got to learn new things about a sport that I never really paid attention to until recently. It is also fun to see everyone’s reactions when something big happens during a game.”

At the final match at Lusail Iconic Stadium on December 18, Argentina and France faced off for the most coveted trophy in soccer. Argentina looked for their third World Cup, whereas France looked to become back to back champions. Argentina started off with an early 2-0 lead, but French star Kylian Mbappé soon tied it up with two goals in less than 5 minutes. In stoppage time, Messi’s goal put Argentina back in the lead, but Mbappé again scored, tying the match up again and sending it to penalties. There, two French penalty kicks missed, leading Gonzalo Montiel to seal the victory for Argentina, winning 4-2. 

Messi was handed the trophy by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and raised it alongside his teammates against the backdrop of fireworks and the more than 80,000 fans in attendance. Winning his first World Cup is considered Messi’s crown jewel after winning many other trophies like the Copa America against Brazil and the Finalissima against Italy. 

The next World Cup will be in 2026 in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, where Argentina will defend their title.