Argentina are the 2022 FIFA World Cup champions after beating previous title holders France 4-2 on penalties in the World Cup Final following a 3–3 draw after extra time
The world’s most highly-anticipated professional football tournament, the FIFA Soccer World Cup takes place every four years and soccer betting on the event is huge.
The FIFA World Cup, which attracts more spectators than even the Olympic Games, has taken place since 1930 when won by Uruguay.
In the current format 32 men’s national football teams take place in the World Cup finals stage.
The World Cup field will increase to 48 teams for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the first to take place in the Arab world with the final taking place on Qatar’s National Day (December 18) at the Lusail Iconic Stadium where Argentina beat France in a thriller for their third title.
FIFA World Cup 2022
- 2022 World Cup Champions:
Argentina (3rd title)
- 2022 World Cup Runners-Up:
France
- 2022 World Cup Third Place:
Croatia
- 2022 World Cup Fourth Place:
Morocco
- 2022 World Cup Top Scorer (Golden Boot):
Kylian Mbappé (8 goals)
- 2022 World Cup Best Player (Golden Ball):
Lionel Messi
- FIFA World Cup 2022 Dates: November 21 – December 19, 2022 (Australian time)
- FIFA World Cup 2022 Final: December 18, 2022 (Qatar’s National Day); Monday December 19, 2022 (Australian time)
- FIFA World Cup 2022 Final Teams: Argentina vs France
- FIFA World Cup 2022 Final Venue: Lusail Iconic Stadium
- Host Country: Qatar
- Edition: 22nd
- Number of Teams: 32
- Debut World Cup Team: Qatar
- Total Matches: 64
- Where to Watch the 2022 World Cup: SBS (exclusive rights)
FIFA World Cup 2022 Final Result
Argentina (penalty shoot-out) 3 (4) defeated
France 3 (2)
- Date: Monday December 19, 2022 (Australian time)
- Teams: Argentina vs France
- Time: 2am (AEDT)
- Stadium: Lusail
Argentina defeated France in the 2022 World Cup Final on penalties following a 3–3 draw after extra time.
2022 FIFA World Cup Preview
The 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France looks close on paper and should be a classic for the ages. Holders France have Kylian Mbappe, but their defence has been vulnerable in the tournament and that spells trouble with Lionel Messi around. Messi has been magical in this World Cup and his presence should ensure goals at both ends.
- Tip: Both Teams to Score in Regulation Time @ 1.95
Match Betting Facts:
- Argentina have lost one of their last 42 matches.
- Lionel Messi has scored in five of his last six World Cup matches.
- France have kept only one clean sheet in their last seven matches.
- France have led at half-time in four of their five wins at this World Cup.
The 2022 World Cup is the first tournament not held in May, June or July due to the intense heat and humidity in Qatar over their summer.
It will also take place over a reduced timeframe of just 29 days.
Due to the change of the FIFA World Cup dates in 2022, all of the major European leagues including the EPL have incorporated extended breaks into their domestic schedules.
24 of the 32 World Cup Teams for 2022 are returning after playing in the 2018 tournament. Hosts Qatar is the sole team to make their debut appearance.
France and Argentina will face off in the FIFA World Cup 2022 Final on Monday December 29, 2022 (Australian time).
2022 World Cup Betting
World Cup betting is open months in advance of the tournament kicking off. 
All-in FIFA World Cup odds on the winning nation are available and both the host nation and defending World Cup winners often dominate the soccer betting markets on the event.
When it comes to betting on the Soccer World Cup it is interesting to note that the host nation has a historical advantage. In the 20 World Cups played from 1930 – 2014 the host nation has won six times, most recently France (1998).
2022 FIFA World Cup Teams
Teams qualify for the World Cup of Soccer in the three years leading up to the tournament and this is known as the qualification phase of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
The host nation is always part of the 32 team line-up for the World Cup Finals, with the number of teams expanded from 24 to 32 in 1998.
The number of FIFA World Cup teams will expand again with 48 teams to contest the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Brazil are currently the most successful team in the Soccer World Cup boasting five titles and are also the only World Cup team to have played in all 20 tournaments from 1930 – 2018.
Germany are only one behind having scored their fourth success in the 2014 event that was held in Brazil, equal with Italy (4).
A total of eight national soccer teams have taken out the FIFA World Cup Trophy, the current one introduced after 1970.
World Cup football teams come from six FIFA continental zones: Africa, Asia, North and Central American and Caribbean, South America, Oceania and Europe.
World Cup Winning Teams:
- Brazil (5)
- Germany (4)
- Italy (4)
- Argentina (3)
- Uruguay (2)
- England (1)
- France (2)
- Spain (1)
World Cup Qualifiers
The soccer World Cup qualifiers or qualifying tournaments can kick off close three years before the actual World Cup date, lasting around two years, and decide the teams that will play in the World Cup finals.
World Cup Finals
The World Cup Finals is essentially and more commonly referred to as the World Cup as it involves the 32 teams that made it through the qualification process from their respective confederations.
The competition lasts a month and takes place over two stages: the Group stage and the World Cup Knockout stage. The Group stage of the soccer World Cup features eight groups each made up of four teams. There are eight seeded World Cup teams, which always includes the host nation.
The World Cup Group stage features three games for each team against teams in the same group, with the best two teams moving onto the knockout stage.
Following the round-robin format of the Group stage, the World Cup Knockouts then work as a single-elimination tournament. Extra time and penalty shootouts come into play at this time of the World Cup finals.
The World Cup Knockout stage is made up of:
- The Round of 16
- Quarter-Finals
- Semi-Finals
- Third-Place Match
- World Cup Final
World Cup Awards
Following the FIFA World Cup result there are six major awards given to the top players and teams. These include the Golden Ball for the tournament’s best player; the Golden Boot for the top World Cup goal-scorer; and the Golden Glove Award for the best goalkeeper of the World Cup tournament.
2022 World Cup Prize Money
Place |
Amount ($ million) |
Per team |
Total |
Champions |
42 |
42 |
Runners-up |
30 |
30 |
Third place |
27 |
27 |
Fourth place |
25 |
25 |
5th–8th place (quarter-finals) |
17 |
68 |
9th–16th place (Round of 16) |
13 |
104 |
17th–32nd place (Group stage) |
9 |
144 |
Total |
440 |
Table Credit: Wiki
World Cup Team Records
- Most World Cup Titles:
Brazil – 5 (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
- Most World Cup Appearances:
Brazil – 22 (every tournament)
- Most Goals In a Tournament:
Hungary – 27 (1954)
World Cup Individual Records
- Most Goals scored In a Single Tournament: Just Fontaine – 13 (
France, 1958)
All-Time Top World Cup Player Appearances
1 |
Lionel Messi |
Argentina |
26 |
2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 |
2 |
Lothar Matthäus |
West Germany/Germany |
25 |
1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 |
3 |
Miroslav Klose |
Germany |
24 |
2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 |
4 |
Paolo Maldini |
Italy |
23 |
1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 |
5 |
Cristiano Ronaldo |
Portugal |
22 |
2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 |
All-Time Top World Cup Scorers
1 |
Miroslav Klose |
Germany |
16 |
24 |
0.67 |
2 |
Ronaldo |
Brazil |
15 |
19 |
0.79 |
3 |
Gerd Müller |
West Germany |
14 |
13 |
1.08 |
4 |
Just Fontaine |
France |
13 |
6 |
2.17 |
Lionel Messi |
Argentina |
13 |
26 |
0.50 |
*Records correct following 2022 FIFA World Cup. Table Credit: Wiki.
World Cup Winners
Year |
Host Nation/s |
Winners |
Score |
Runners-Up |
1930 |
Uruguay |
Uruguay |
4-2 |
Argentina |
1934 |
Italy |
Italy |
2-1 |
Czechoslovakia |
1938 |
France |
Italy |
4-2 |
Hungary |
1950 |
Brazil |
Uruguay |
2-1 |
Brazil |
1954 |
Switzerland |
West German |
3-2 |
Hungary |
1958 |
Sweden |
Brazil |
5-2 |
Sweden |
1962 |
Chile |
Brazil |
3-1 |
Czechoslovakia |
1966 |
England |
England |
4-2 |
West Germany |
1970 |
Mexico |
Brazil |
4-1 |
Italy |
1974 |
West Germany |
West Germany |
2-1 |
Netherlands |
1978 |
Argentina |
Argentina |
3-1 |
Netherlands |
1982 |
Spain |
Italy |
3-1 |
West Germany |
1986 |
Mexico |
Argentina |
3-2 |
West Germany |
1990 |
Italy |
West Germany |
1-0 |
Argentina |
1994 |
United States |
Brazil |
0-0 (3-2 Penalty Shoot Out) |
Italy |
1998 |
France |
France |
3-0 |
Brazil |
2002 |
South Korea & Japan |
Brazil |
2-0 |
Germany |
2006 |
Germany |
Italy |
1-1 (5-3 Penalty Shoot Out) |
France |
2010 |
South Africa |
Spain |
1-0 |
Netherlands |
2014 |
Brazil |
Germany |
1-0 |
Argentina |
2018 |
Russia |
France |
4-2 |
Croatia |
2022 |
Qatar |
Argentina |
3(4) – 3(2) Penalty Shoot-Out |
France |