FIFA World Cup 2022

[Northern Goblin]

Welcome to the thread for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The Mods are aware that this tournament is not short of controversy, and while we won't prohibit discussion around the events of the tournament here, we remind you all that the forum rules still apply to all comments. Criticism is not a shield for racial or religious bigotry.

The usual sports rules also apply, for those unfamiliar with this subforum and only come here for international events, you can find those here. One change is a relaxation of the no memes rule, as events like this often produce so many. However they still have to be relevant and not infringe on the server rules mentioned above.

One change is a relaxation of the no memes rule, as events like this often produce so many. However they still have to be relevant and not infringe on the server rules mentioned above.

Below you'll see the fixture list (which will be updated as the tournament progresses) with times listed in local Qatar time (GMT+3) so calculate kickoffs for yourself from there, and the group stage and top scorer tables at the bottom.

Let us know your predictions, who will win, who will flop, who will shock everyone by going further than predicted and who's possibly the dark horse that could take the whole tournament by storm. Also Golden Boot/Golden Glove predictions and who's going to stop the sponsors demanding Messi gets the Golden Ball so they get to pose for photos with him again?

Other than that, have fun to all spectating and partaking in the discussion, this is my last post after 10 years of moderation here so hopefully I can sign off with an England win, though I've probably more chance of winning the lottery.

Fixtures

20th November:

19:00. Qatar vs Ecuador - Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor.


21st November:

16:00. England vs Iran - Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
19:00. Senegal vs Netherlands - Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
22:00. United States of America vs Wales - Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan


22nd November:

13:00. Argentina vs Saudi Arabia - Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
16:00. Denmark vs Tunisia - Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
19:00. Mexico vs Poland - Stadium 974, Doha
22:00. France vs Australia - Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah


23rd November:

13:00. Morocco vs Croatia - Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
16:00. Germany vs Japan - Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
19:00. Spain vs Costa Rica - Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
22:00. Belgium vs Canada - Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan.


24th November:

13:00. Switzerland vs Cameroon - Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
16:00. Uruguay vs South Korea - Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
19:00. Portugal vs Ghana - Stadium 974, Doha
22:00. Brazil vs Serbia - Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail


25th November:

13:00. Wales vs Iran - Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
16:00. Qatar vs Sengal - Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
19:00. Netherlands vs Ecuador - Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
22:00. England vs United States of America - Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor


26th November:

13:00. Tunisia vs Australia - Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
16:00. Poland vs Saudi Arabia - Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
19:00. France vs Denmark - Stadium 974, Doha
22:00. Argentina vs Mexico - Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail


27th November:

13:00. Japan vs Costa Rica - Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
16:00. Belgium vs Morocco - Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
19:00. Croatia vs Canada - Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
22:00. Spain vs Germany - Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor


28th November:

13:00. Cameroon vs Serbia - Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
16:00. South Korea vs Ghana - Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
19:00. Brazil vs Switzerland - Stadium 974, Doha
22:00. Portugal vs Uruguay - Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail


29th November:

18:00. Ecuador vs Sengal - Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
18:00. Netherlands vs Qatar - Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
22:00. Wales vs England - Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
22:00. Iran vs United States of America, Al Thumama Stadium, Doha


30th November:


18:00. Australia vs Denmark - Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
18:00. Tunisia vs France - Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
22:00. Poland vs Argentina - Stadium 974, Doha
22:00. Saudi Arabia vs Mexico - Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail


1st December:

18:00. Croatia vs Belgium - Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
18:00. Canada vs Morocco - Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
22:00. Japan vs Spain - Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
22:00. Costa Rica vs Germany - Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor


2nd December:

18:00. Ghana vs Uruguay - Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
18:00. South Korea vs Portugal - Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
22:00. Serbia vs Switzerland - Stadium 974, Doha
22:00. Cameroon vs Brazil - Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail


3rd December:

18:00. Netherlands (3) vs United States (1) - Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
22:00. Argentina (2) vs Australia (1) - Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan


4th December:

18:00. France (3) vs Poland (1) - Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
22:00. England (3) vs Senegal (0) - Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor


5th December:

18:00. Japan (1, 1) vs Croatia (1, 3) - Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
22:00. Brazil (4) vs South Korea (1) - Stadium 974, Doha


6th December:

18:00. Morocco (0, 3) vs Spain (0,0) - Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
22:00. Portugal (6) vs Switzerland (1) - Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail


9th December:

18:00. Croatia (1,4) vs Brazil (1,2) - Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
22:00. Netherlands vs Argentina - Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail


10th December:

18:00. Morocco vs Portugal - Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
22:00. England vs France - Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor


13th December: 22:00. Croatia vs Netherlands/Argentina - Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail


14th December: 22:00. Winners Match 59 vs Winners Match 60 - Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor


17th December: 18:00. Losers Match 61 vs Losers Match 62 - Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan


18th December: 18:00. Winners Match 61 vs Winners Match 62 - Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail

Golden Boot competition (top 10 places only)

1: Kylian Mbappe (FRA) - 5
2: Álvaro Morata (SPN), Lionel Messi (ARG), Marcus Rashford (ENG), Bukayo Saka (ENG), Olivier Giroud (FRA), Richarlison (BRA) Enner Valencia (BRA) Cody Gakpo (NED),
Gonçalo Ramos (POR) - 3


Group Tables

Group A

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Netherlands	3	2	1	0	5	1	+4	7
Senegal	3	2	0	1	5	4	+4	6
Ecuador	3	1	1	1	4	3	+1	4
Qatar	3	0	0	3	1	7	-6	0

Group B

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
England	3	2	1	0	9	2	+7	7
United States	3	1	2	0	2	1	+1	5
Iran	3	1	0	2	4	7	-3	3
Wales	3	0	1	2	1	6	-5	0

Group C

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Argentina	3	2	0	1	5	2	+3	6
Poland	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
Mexico	3	1	1	1	2	3	-1	4
Saudi Arabia	3	1	0	2	3	5	-2	3

Group D

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
France	3	2	0	1	6	3	+3	6
Australia	3	2	0	1	3	4	-1	6
Tunisia	3	1	1	1	1	1	0	4
Denmark	3	0	1	2	1	3	-2	1

Group E

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Japan	3	2	0	1	4	3	+1
Spain	3	1	1	1	9	3	+6	4
Germany	3	1	1	1	6	5	+1	4
Costa Rica	3	1	0	2	3	11	-8	3

Group F

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Morocco	3	2	1	0	4	1	+3	7
Croatia	3	1	2	0	4	1	+3	5
Belgium	3	1	1	1	1	2	-1	4
Canada	3	0	0	3	2	7	-5	0

Group G

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Brazil	3	2	0	1	3	1	+2	6
Switzerland	3	2	0	1	4	3	+1	6
Cameroon	3	1	1	1	4	4	0	+4
Serbia	3	0	1	2	5	8	-3	1

Group H

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Portugal	3	2	0	1	6	4	+2	6
South Korea	3	1	1	1	4	4	0	4
Uruguay	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
Ghana	3	1	0	2	5	7	-2	3

[Zelk]

Migrant workers who met England players in Qatar were ‘too scared to tell the truth’

Anish Adsikari, who worked on installing the air conditioning at the Lusail Stadium for almost three years, had his salary reduced by a third on arrival in Qatar, was made to work long hours in intense heat, and claims deaths and severe injuries were covered up.

A group of co-workers who he would live alongside in appalling conditions warned him: “We were deceived. This company is very bad.” The workers were told they would earn a salary of 900 Qatari riyals (£200) per month and that food would be included. But after starting work the salary reduced to 750 riyals and a further 150 was deducted to pay for food, leaving them a third short.

He wanted to return home, but he had taken out a $1,300 (£1,100) loan to pay an illegal recruitment fee, the burden of which was placed on his family back in Nepal. He was told the money would be repaid when he arrived in Qatar. “We were told it would be refunded but that was not the case,” Mr Adsikari said.

Mr Adsikari initially planned to work for 12 months to pay the loan before leaving, however, the salary was too low to cover even basic living expenses and though he often worked all month without a day off to earn overtime – the normal working week was six days – it was not enough.

So, for 33 months, he shared a bedroom with three co-workers, around 80 others sleeping and living on their floor of an accommodation building that stretched several stories high. They had such poor facilities that sometimes there was not enough water with which to wash and the air conditioning did not work. At night, during the hot season, the temperature rarely drops below 27°C.

The workers were too frightened to raise concerns even when serious mistreatment was occurring around them. Mr Adsikari recalled one Indian co-worker lost his teeth in an accident on site. “I saw blood coming out from his ears,” he said.

But the company covered up what happened, claiming that the worker was fine even though Mr Adsikari knew the injury had a long-term impact on his health. “Though he had the accident working on the site, the company lied by saying he had fallen in the bathroom.

“There were two deaths on the site while I was working there. But we were not allowed to see or go near where the accident took place. The officials would not allow us.

“We heard that whenever someone died the company would say the person had not died. If they said the worker had died then maybe the company would face a problem and the workers were too afraid. So the company would not tell the truth.”

__________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________

Thousands of workers died during Qatar 2022 World Cup-related construction, far more than in the run up to every other World Cup or Olympic Games in the past 30 years combined. This short documentary mixes firsthand accounts from families of the deceased in Nepal, explaining how so great a tragedy surrounds so celebrated an event — with no governments, organizations or companies taking responsibility.

Ramesh Gupta

“Football is one of the most popular games in the world.

“When I play, it makes me so happy.

“We play against the local teams. And everyone is celebrating when we win the game.

“To celebrate, we take pictures of ourselves with the trophy. And later on we also receive some cash prize. With that money we throw a party for the boys. That’s it.”

Archive 2010 VOA News report

“Certainly the most surprising decision was the 2022 victory by Qatar, to become both the first Middle East nation and the smallest nation to host a FIFA World Cup.”

Archive 2019 VOA News report

“An estimated two million migrant workers are in Qatar, mostly from South Asia and Africa. There were widespread complaints of unpaid wages, dire living conditions and dangerous construction sites.”

Gianni Infantino, FIFA president

“All the stadiums, they are state-of-the-art, they are beautiful.”

Sepp Blatter, former FIFA president

“But in no way can FIFA accept to be responsible for the welfare of workers, they belong to commercial and industrial companies of other countries. We couldn’t do that.”

Ramesh Gupta

“I am from Nepal. My uncle passed away three and a half months ago in Qatar.”

Dr. Parkash Raj Regmi, cardiologist in Nepal

“We find coffins with dead bodies arriving to Kathmandu airport.”

Urmila Devi Sah

“My husband died in Qatar four months ago.”

Hiralal Pasman

“I had a son who passed away.”

Aslani Devi

“He died in Qatar.”

Shekh Akhtar Husen

“My father called me with the news and asked me to come home right away. I couldn’t believe it and I said, ‘I talked to him this morning.’ ”

Sakhil Saphi

“He told me that his ticket home was booked for next month. But the next morning at 4 o’clock he was found dead.”

Kaushalya devi Bin

“I have lost my son. What else is there to say?”

[Maljinwo]

Hopefully Argentina makes something out of what is probably Messi's last World Cup

[Logwyn]

I just hope we do not have to deal with this again....

[Kyphael]

Hopefully Argentina makes something out of what is probably Messi's last World Cup

Probably? By the next one, he'll be pushing 40. Isn't it all but guaranteed? Same for Cristiano Ronaldo. Speaking of which, if Argentina and Portugal somehow both make it to the final, the soccer world would go nuts. I'd like to see it, but long shot of it happening.

It's hard to predict as usual, but fun to speculate who will perform and who will make it to the final four, let alone the final itself.

I'll start with the elephants in the room. Rankings aside, and to me they don't amount to a hill of beans, I don't see Brazil or Belgium in the final four. Both are going to choke at some point. Either quarters or semis.

Optimistically, I hope Croatia and Netherlands do well and go far. Such good underdogs to root for. France and Germany will probably perform well, though the former champions always get knocked out early.

Qatar is just there to get smashed by every single country put in front of them, this is one nation that won't grow with the homefield advantage.

[Maljinwo]

It's hard to predict as usual, but fun to speculate who will perform and who will make it to the final four, let alone the final itself.

Im going for Argentina, Belgium, England and France as the final 4

[Othraerir]

qatar is an absolute disgrace of a place.

[Jessicka]

Probably? By the next one, he'll be pushing 40. Isn't it all but guaranteed? Same for Cristiano Ronaldo. Speaking of which, if Argentina and Portugal somehow both make it to the final, the soccer world would go nuts. I'd like to see it, but long shot of it happening.

Almost the kind of thing that might happen in an event run by a corrupt organisation in an even more corrupt country.

I mean, they don't pay their workers, and now they won't even pay the people they paid to go because no one else would https://www.theguardian.com/football...zyLyfJKpq9ZWlU

[MCMLXXXII]

Imagine this: even Blatter said before the vote that it wouldn't look good on FIFA if Qatar was to host a WC. Blatter, the man without conscience.

[jonnysensible]

first match is arab burnley vs south american burnley. reckon its a 1-0 to arab burnley they will just be a little more up for it.

[Mhyroth]

Im going for Argentina, Belgium, England and France as the final 4

Belgium will be out by the 1/8th rounds. They get 1 hard opponent and they're toast.
How they played versus Egypt was abyssmal and some of our core either has an injury or are not in a position to perform well.
Being entirely reliant on Courtois to save the day won't win Belgium the entire tournament.

Can't speak for other countries, but here in Belgium people don't care about the entire thing anymore (various reasons not only the ones related to slavery or bribing FIFA) and by the end of the entire event there might be a massive uproar and cleansing happening in the upper eshelons of the industry.
There's massive underlying problems (both structural aswell as social) and if they don't get addressed, there will be social unrest and French Revolution-like events taking place if media and people involved are to be believed.

[Maljinwo]

Belgium will be out by the 1/8th rounds. They get 1 hard opponent and they're toast.
How they played versus Egypt was abyssmal and some of our core either has an injury or are not in a position to perform well.
Being entirely reliant on Courtois to save the day won't win Belgium the entire tournament.

Well, at the very least you have by far the best jersey in the cup




That's fucking beautiful man

[MCMLXXXII]

Qatar helped with the first VAR decision. Color me surprised.

[Airlick]

All the money in the world didn't help in the first half, guess the refs only took money for one VAR get-out-of-jail card. They may wanna check their paypal accounts during the break.

[Northern Goblin]

Qatar are gonna be the whipping boys of their group.

For a country that loves to beat its population, they should be use to it already.

[Vonazak]

Ecuadorian bros humiliating Qatar is the best opener for such a World Cup.

November 22, Messi plays against Saudi Arabia, another fight against evil.

[Maljinwo]

I mean. Qatar has as much football as Argentina an stable economy

Of course they suck

[Mazza]

Im going for Argentina, Belgium, England and France as the final 4

Belgium... is not the team it was in 2018 sadly. That doesn't mean we won't be able to surprise, but at this point I sorta fear for us actually winning our group.

I also have some serious doubts about France... they already were missing A LOT of their first team choices due to injury and now Benzema is out as well. It's going to be Mbappé or bust for them.

Still feel England is strong more despite Southgate than thanks to him. If they could get a top coach on their team it could be a fucking monster.

I have Argentina pegged to win it, if not them prob Brazil.

[Northern Goblin]

A good chunk of the Qatari crowd has gone home at half time it seems.

That or they're waiting in the parking area for the keeper.

[jonnysensible]

That's fucking beautiful man

lmao flame decals that cant be real

Didnt realise Qatar were that bad, thought they had a bit of nous looking at their past results. Awful, couldn't string a pass together.

Ecuador look quite weak as well. Proper jarring going for elite prem league football to this lol.