The most evocative images from the Qatar 2022 World Cup
Destiny fulfilled for Messi, Ronaldo’s reputation in tatters, Mbappe doing everything but win and agony for England and Brazil: Against a backdrop of death and discrimination, the most evocative images from the Qatar 2022 World Cup
- The 2022 World Cup held in Qatar was extraordinary in so many ways both on and off the football pitch
- Argentina emerged victorious and were popular winners as Lionel Messi achieved a fairytale finish
- Kylian Mbappe scored a final hat-trick in vain, while Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo seemed to shred his legacy
- There was heartbreak for England as Harry Kane skied his penalty against France in the quarter-finals
- And we were never too far away from political controversy as the spotlight shone brightly on the Gulf state
- Sportsmail has picked out some of the more memorable pictures from all aspects of the tournament
It was a truly extraordinary World Cup both on and off the field that culminated in Lionel Messi and Argentina’s fairytale victory over France in a classic final.
We witnessed the implosion of Cristiano Ronaldo’s legacy, Morocco’s magical run to the semi-finals, Kylian Mbappe do everything humanly possible but win the trophy, and failure for Germany, Brazil, Spain and others.
There was agony once again for England as Harry Kane skied his penalty in a heartbreaking exit to France.
But away from the football, there has never been such a controversial World Cup as Qatar 2022. The deaths of thousands of migrant workers building stadiums, the banning of armbands promoting LGBTQ+ rights, a last-minute U-turn on selling beer and political protests over Iran made for an unsettling backdrop.
Sportsmail takes a look back at the tournament with a selection of some of the most evocative images.
The moment of destiny for Lionel Messi as he completed his medal collection and capped a fairytale career by lifting the World Cup after Argentina’s win over France in a vintage final
Argentina’s third World Cup victory – and their first since 1986 – sparked wild scenes of celebration back in Buenos Aires
A deflated Kylian Mbappe reflects after a captivating World Cup final, where his own hat-trick exploits proved not enough
The night sky is illuminated by dozens of fireworks above the Doha Corniche as the hosts tried to put on a World Cup show
Jordan Henderson (left) and Jude Bellingham (right) formed a strong partnership on and off the pitch during England’s run to the quarter-finals of the World Cup. They are pictured celebrating Henderson’s goal from Bellingham’s assist against Senegal
Morocco were the story of the World Cup – led by coach Walid Regragui (top), they defied all odds to make the semi-finals
While Messi finally claimed his World Cup, there was only misery for his rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who was dropped to the Portugal bench by coach Fernando Santos for the knockout rounds . No prizes for guessing who the focus of attention was
There was more misery once again for Germany, who bombed out after the group stages for the second straight World Cup
Some of the stadiums in Qatar did provide stunning backdrops, such as the Lusail Stadium at dusk here, but the slick running of the tournament came with a heavy human toll
Thousands of migrant workers, mainly from the Asian subcontinent, died in extreme heat building stadia and infrastructure
There was a disaster for World Cup sponsors Budweiser on the eve of the tournament with beer banned inside stadiums
Brazil fell short once again, with Neymar and his team-mates stunned by Croatia in a penalty shoot-out in the quarter-finals
Morocco eliminated Spain and then Portugal but reigning champions France proved a step too far for them in the semi-finals
Argentina’s player returned home in the early hours to find hundreds of thousands of fans waiting to celebrate with them
England captain Harry Kane was successful with his first penalty in the quarter-final with France (left) – but crucially he sent his second one high over the crossbar late on (right)
Goncalo Ramos was one of the breakout stars of the tournament – he replaced Ronaldo for Portugal’s last-16 match with Switzerland and proceeded to score a hat-trick
Catch me if you can! Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic is pursued by his team-mates after Brazil’s Marquinhos rues his missed penalty in the quarter-final shoot-out
Pyrotechnics explode around a giant replica of the World Cup trophy ahead of the final between Argentina and France
The African teams can always be relied upon to add a splash of colour to any World Cup and these Senegal fans were no exception ahead of their group stage game with the Netherlands
The tournament started with debate over the OneLove armband, which the captains of several European nations were planning to wear until FIFA pointed out they would receive a yellow card. The organisers then came up with their own version
The decision to ban the OneLove armband led to this covered mouth protest from the Germany team before their game
FIFA president Gianni Infantino proved as slippery and evasive as ever when it came to matters of human rights in Qatar
Iranian fans show their solidarity with women protesting for their rights in the country ahead of their game with England
Morgan Freeman played a cameo role in the opening ceremony – something the BBC decided not to screen on main coverage
Croatian model Ivana Knoll was an attraction at their matches – but her skimpy outfits didn’t leave the locals too pleased
Wales went home after the group stage and it was their defeat to Iran that caused all the damage to their campaign
United States international Sergino Dest reflects on their last-16 defeat to the Netherlands in a quiet moment of solitude
Spain remained some way short of their best as they were beaten on penalties by Morocco in the round of 16
There was tragedy among the press pack when esteemed American journalist Grant Wahl died while reporting on the match between Argentina and Netherlands in the quarter-finals
Two children in Argentina shirts play football beneath the fluttering flags in Doha as the world came to their town
A sliding doors moment in a classic final as the Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez keeps out a last-gasp shot from France player Randal Kolo Muani in the dying moments of extra time
Mbappe may have won the consolation of the Golden Boot for leading scorer but he walked past the main prize
Echoes of Diego Maradona in 1986 as Lionel Messi is lifted aloft, trophy in hand, by his victorious Argentina team-mates
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