We began with 32, now we're left with one. Argentina beat France to the World Cup title, rounding-off an exhilarating tournament.
Qatar has hosted the World Cup of shocks. To name a few, tournament heavyweights Brazil were stunned by Croatia, Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal were sent home in tears by Morocco, and Saudi Arabia rocked the competition by beating Argentina and giving Lionel Messi a major scare.
Morocco will go down as the 2022 edition's biggest shock, becoming the first African nation to play a semifinal and announcing themselves as a rising footballing force.
It was another miserable World Cup for Germany, joining Belgium as the biggest underachievers. You'll find them low down the final rankings list, below.
MORE: All-time list of World Cup winners
Final World Cup 2022 Rankings
Below is the final ranking of all 32 teams at the 2022 FIFA World Cup based on: stage reached, final record, goal difference and goals scored.
The current FIFA ranking for each team is also included in the table for reference.
| Rank | Team | Stage Reached | Record (W-L-D) | Goal Difference | For/ Against | FIFA Rank |
| 1. | Argentina | Champion | 4-1-2 | +7 | 15 GF/ GA 8 | 3 |
| 2. | France | Runner-up | 5-1-1 | + 8 | 16 GF / 8 | 4 |
| 3. | Croatia | Third Place | 2-1-4 | +1 | 8 GF / 7 GA | 12 |
| 4. | Morocco | Fourth Place | 3-2-2 | +1 | 6 GF / 5 GA | 22 |
| 5. | Netherlands | Quarterfinals | 3-0-2 | +6 | 10 GF / 4 GA | 8 |
| 6. | England | Quarterfinals | 3-1-1 | +9 | 13 GF / 4 GA | 5 |
| 7. | Brazil | Quarterfinals | 3-1-1 | +5 | 8 GF / 3 GA | 1 |
| 8. | Portugal | Quarterfinals | 3-2-0 | +6 | 12 GF / 6 GA | 9 |
| 9. | Japan | Rd of 16 | 2-1-1 | +1 | 5 GF / 4 GA | 24 |
| 10. | Senegal | Rd of 16 | 2-2-0 | -2 | 5 GF / 7 GA | 18 |
| 11. | Australia | Rd of 16 | 2-2-0 | -2 | 4 GF / 6 GA | 38 |
| 12. | Switzerland | Rd of 16 | 2-2-0 | -4 | 5 GF / 9 GA | 15 |
| 13. | Spain | Rd of 16 | 1-1-2 | +6 | 9 GF / 3 GA | 7 |
| 14. | USA | Rd of 16 | 1-1-2 | -1 | 3 GF / 4 GA | 16 |
| 15. | Poland | Rd of 16 | 1-2-1 | -2 | 3 GF / 5 GA | 26 |
| 16. | South Korea | Rd of 16 | 1-2-1 | -3 | 5 GF / 8 GA | 28 |
| 17. | Germany | Groups | 1-1-1 | +1 | 6 GF / 5 GA | 11 |
| 18. | Ecuador | Groups | 1-1-1 | +1 | 4 GF / 3 GA | 44 |
| 19. | Cameroon | Groups | 1-1-1 | 0 | 4 GF / 4 GA | 43 |
| 20. | Uruguay | Groups | 1-1-1 | 0 | 2 GF / 2 GA | 14 |
| 21. | Tunisia | Groups | 1-1-1 | 0 | 1 GF / 1 GA | 30 |
| 22. | Mexico | Groups | 1-1-1 | -1 | 2 GF / 3 GA | 13 |
| 23. | Belgium | Groups | 1-1-1 | -1 | 1 GF / 2 GA | 2 |
| 24. | Ghana | Groups | 1-2-0 | -2 | 5 GF / 7 GA | 61 |
| 25. | Saudi Arabia | Groups | 1-2-0 | -2 | 3 GF / 5 GA | 51 |
| 26. | Iran | Groups | 1-2-0 | -3 | 4 GF / 7 GA | 20 |
| 27. | Costa Rica | Groups | 1-2-0 | -8 | 3 GF / 11 GA | 31 |
| 28. | Denmark | Groups | 0-2-1 | -2 | 1 GF / 3 GA | 10 |
| 29. | Serbia | Groups | 0-2-1 | -3 | 5 GF / 8 GA | 21 |
| 30. | Wales | Groups | 0-2-1 | -5 | 1 GF / 6 GA | 19 |
| 31. | Canada | Groups | 0-3-0 | -5 | 2 GF / 7 GA | 41 |
| 32. | Qatar | Groups | 0-3-0 | -6 | 1 GF / 7 GA | 50 |
MORE: Most World Cups won by a player or coach
World Cup 2022 format: How it worked
The 2022 World Cup kicked off on November 20 with host nation Qatar facing Ecuador in Group A. For 10 glorious days afterwards, four World Cup matches were broadcast to fans every day bar one.
Once every team had played the other three in their group, the top two finishers advanced to the knockouts. The bottom two teams went home — with some major casualties along the way.
Then came the knockout phase: one match, one winner, no chance for redemption. They were fiercely contested, with four matches so tight they went to penalties. One more shootout would see Qatar 2022 become the most penalties-heavy World Cup ever.
Counting down from the Round of 16, to the quarterfinals, to the semifinals and then Argentina vs France, the final at Lusail Stadium on December 18.
The semifinal losers, Croatia and Morocco, met to decide third place, won by Croatia 2-1.
MORE: Biggest upsets in World Cup history
How many teams were in World Cup 2022?
The 2022 World Cup was contested by 31 qualified teams, plus the host nation of Qatar.
Teams from around the world had an opportunity to qualify with 206 teams from six regions. Most teams earned their place directly, while Costa Rica and Australia made it to Qatar via inter-continental playoffs.
The number of representatives from each confederation in Qatar were:
- Africa (CAF): 5
- Asia (AFC): 4 (plus one playoff spot)
- Europe (UEFA): 13
- North/Central America & Caribbean (CONCACAF): 3 (plus one playoff spot)
- Oceania (OFC): 0 (one playoff spot)
- South America (CONMEBOL): 4 (plus one playoff spot)
MORE: Smallest and largest nations at World Cup 2022 based on population
How many teams are in World Cup 2026?
The World Cup heads to North America next, with the final set to be held in the USA. In true American style, the plan is to make the next edition bigger and better than ever.
An all-time high of 48 nations will contest the 2026 World Cup, after FIFA's decision to expand the tournament for the first time since 1998.
MORE: Listing future World Cup locations
