FIFA’s controversial decision to grant hosting duties to Qatar was met with fierce criticism throughout the competition.
The move to switch to a winter schedule, alongside concerns over human rights abuses and LGBTQ+ laws, dominated the build-up to Qatar 2022 before a ball was kicked in the Middle East.
Still, the competition ended in a final for the ages as Lionel Messi finally got his hands on the famous trophy following Argentina’s penalty shootout win over France.
MORE: Best stats and facts from Argentina’s historic final against France
FIFA World Cup finals
Here is a run-down of how each FIFA World Cup final has played out.
World Cup finals that went to extra time
The prospect of extra time is an added bonus for neutrals but stressful for fans and players alike in the biggest game in international football.
From 21 FIFA World Cup finals, eight have gone to extra time, including four of the previous five.
Italy 2-1 Czechoslovakia - 1934 England 4-2 West Germany - 1966 Argentina 3-1 Netherlands - 1978 Brazil 0-0 Italy - 1994 (Brazil win on pens) Italy 1-1 France - 2006 (Italy win on pens) Spain 1-0 Netherlands - 2010 Germany 1-0 Argentina - 2014 Argentina 3-3 France - 2022 (Argentina win on pens)
World Cup finals that went to penalties
Extra time is nothing compared to the nerve-shredding situation of a World Cup final going to penalties.
Before 2022, only two finals went the full distance to spot-kicks, with Brazil winning in 1994, and Italy in 2006.
Roberto Baggio famously missed Italy’s last penalty in the 1994 final at the Rose Bowl but the Azzurri did bury that ghost in 2006, as Fabio Grosso slotted home to edge them past France.
In Qatar, Argentina held a 2-0 lead until the 80th minute, when Kylian Mbappe struck twice in barely 60 seconds to force extra time. A further goal each for Messi and the France star saw the contest go to penalties, with Gonzalo Montiel sealing a 4-2 win in the shootout.
Brazil 0-0 Italy - 1994 (Brazil win 3-2 on pens) Italy 1-1 France - 2006 (Italy win 5-3 on pens) Argentina 3-3 France - 2022 (Argentina win 4-2 on pens)
MORE: Sports world reacts to Lionel Messi and Argentina winning World Cup
World Cup final attendances
Tickets for World Cup finals are like gold dust for fans. The official attendance given at Lusail Stadium for the 2022 match was a capacity-crowd of 88,966, making it the biggest crowd at a World Cup final since USA 1994. This has yet to be confirmed officially by FIFA.
*The 1950 World Cup did not feature a final, as FIFA opted for a round-robin tournament, with Uruguay confirmed as winners. Their final round clash with Brazil drew in 173,850 spectators at the Maracana Stadium but the 114,600 attendance for Argentina’s win over West Germany in Mexico ‘86 is the record for a ‘final’.
