The 2022 World Cup kickstarted in Qatar and was opened by Qatar and Ecuador, with Ecuador winning the opening match 2-0, marking the first time a host country has lost a World Cup game since the world cup began in 1930. The World Cup opening ceremony included multiple special guests and performances including Morgan Freeman and Jungkook from BTS. The opening ceremony included a seven-part show filled with performances and fireworks. 

Four teams are placed in groups (A-H), and there are eight groups. Each team plays the other three teams that are in the same group, and if a team loses the first 2 games, they get knocked out of the group stage, if not they keep competing in the tournament. The goal is to advance from the group stage into the round of 16. 

Key games: 

England v Iran 

England managed to beat Iran with a 6-2 win which led them to first place in Group B. 19-year-old Jude Bellingham managed to score England’s first goal in the 35’ minute of the game. Jack Grealish managed to score the sixth goal in the 90’ minute of the game. This game was a great start for the English team and set the stage for continued success. 

Spain v Costa Rica 

Spain made a stunning victory over Costa Rica, winning 7-0. The game consisted of stunning goals scored by the Spanish. 18-year-old Pablo Martín Páez Gavira scored his first goal in this game and celebrated along with his teammates.

Argentina v Mexico 

This game was a toss-up with no goals scored in the first half, but Argentina pulled through in the second half. Messi managed to score the first goal through a penalty kick and Enzo Fernandez sealed Argentina’s victory with a goal in the 87th minute of the game. 

England v U.S. 

This very anticipated match ultimately ended in a tie (0-0). Matt Turner, the U.S. goalie, managed to save three on-target goals and catch multiple corner kicks. The U.S. had seven corner kicks, but none of them led to a goal. England remains first in Group B while the U.S. remains third. 

Brazil v Serbia 

Richarlison de Andrade led Brazil to victory with two goals during the second half, one in the 62’ minute and an outstanding volley during the 73’ minute which left many fans shocked. Brazil won the game 2-0 leaving Brazil in first in group B and Serbia in last. 

Canada v Croatia 

Canada lost to Croatia 4-1 which eliminated the team from the competition due to this being their second loss in the group stage. Croatia is now first in Group F. 

Upsets: 

Saudi Arabia v Argentina 

Saudi Arabia shocked the world with the greatest upset in World Cup history by beating Argentina 2-1. Three of the five goals scored by Argentina were disallowed due to Argentina being offside. Saudi Arabia declared that the day after the match became a national holiday to celebrate the win. 

Japan v Germany

The match was tied 1-1 and Japan’s Takuma Asano managed to lead the team to victory with a goal in the last minutes of the game. The goal left spectators stunned and pulled the samurai blue to victory. The final score of the match was 2-1. 

Morocco v Belgium  

Morocco managed to score two goals in the second half of the game, one in the 73’ minute and another last-minute goal by Aboukhlal Zakaria in the 92’ minute resulting in Morocco winning the game 2-0. 

The first week of the World Cup was filled with action-packed games that left fans joyous or in tears. The round of 16 will begin on Saturday, December third when the knockout stage will begin. Many teams have demonstrated their strength and will try their best to lead their team to victory.