After that breathless 2022 FIFA World Cup Final between France and Argentina, what better way to celebrate one of the best Finals in history than by giving you the rundown of our team (and squad) of the entire FIFA World Cup Finals 2022 tournament?
It was a historic event that saw the first African team reach a World Cup semi-final, shocks galore in the early stages of the tournament in particular, only the second hat-trick ever scored in a World Cup Final, one of the greatest games of football in history and lastly, we saw the moment where Lionel Messi was crowned as arguably the greatest player of all-time.
We’ve also seen some great betting on the tournament too, courtesy of bet365 Sport, with some happy fans who backed the underdog in games like Japan v Germany, Saudi Arabia v Argentina and Morocco v Belgium, Denmark and Portugal all celebrating great longer odds wins.
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So fresh from our World Cup Poker XI we brought you last week, this team and squad is selected entirely on merit of performances made at the 2022 World Cup Finals.
We will go through our World Cup 2022 Best XI first, before revealing all 26 players that make it into the best World Cup 2022 squad (which will of course include those in the best XI).
FIFA World Cup Finals 2022 – Best XI
For purposes of this team, we have decided that a 4-2-3-1 formation will likely work best to include the players that have impressed the most at this tournament.
Manager – Walid Regragui (Morocco)
Unheralded before the tournament, Regragui made Morocco one of the best defensive units in the tournament and defeated three top European sides on his way to leading the team to become the first African team to reach the semifinals. He pips Lionel Scaloni to this selection.
Goalkeeper – Dominik Livakovic (Croatia)
There were a number of solid goalkeeping performances in the tournament from the likes of Emi Martinez of Argentina and Bono of Morocco, but Livakovic’s role in helping Croatia progress was crucial. Not only did he step up in penalties, but he single-handedly kept Brazil at bay in the quarterfinal to play a huge role in that shock win for Croatia.
Right Back – Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)
This was one of the easiest selections in the tournament. Hakimi was head and shoulders above any of the other right backs in this tournament in terms of his value to the team both defensively and in attack too. His match winning penalty against Spain in the Round of 16 was absolutely nerveless and there’s little doubt that he is one of the best right backs in the world right now.
Left Back – Ivan Perisic (Croatia)
There weren’t too many contenders for the left back role with Theo Hernandez of France and Montiel of Argentina in with a shout, but Ivan Perisic’s marauding runs up and down the flank, combined with his goal threat and the fact he linked up so well with that fantastic trio in midfield for Croatia just about gets him the nod ahead of the others.
Centre Back 1 – Josko Gvardiol (Croatia)
The masked defender had an outstanding World Cup and at just 20 years of age, the Red Bull Leipzig centre back looks to have a huge future ahead of him. Offers to the German side are believed to be already on their way for a player whose superb defensive skills were allied to a real threat when he moved forward into attack too. He was the standout centre back at this World Cup.
Centre Back 2 – Roman Saiss (Morocco)
Morocco’s captain and rock at the heart of central defence was sorely missed in the semifinal when he limped off unable to recover from the injury he suffered in the quarter finals stage. Saiss was a rock steady calming influence for his team and led the back line superbly for a team that had the best defensive record of any team heading into the semifinals.
Central Midfielder 1 – Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco)
Part of the reason why Morocco didn’t offer up many chances was the industry of their midfield dynamo Sofyan Amrabat. The Fiorentina star was a key man for his team, not only offering his defence outstanding protection, but being a crucial link between the defence and attack with his pacy runs, dynamic tackling, fine positioning and tenacious attitude. A lot of big clubs are going to be opening their chequebooks in January for Amrabat I am sure.
Central Midfielder 2 – Jude Bellingham (England)
There were lots of contenders for the second midfield role in Tchouameni, Modric, Kovacic, Brozovic and Morocco’s Azzedine Ounahi but I’ve gone with Bellingham who had an outstanding World Cup for England, scoring their opening goal against Iran and then being the Three Lions best player in several other games. He was outstanding in the defeat to France too and he will likely be a key man for England for many years to come.
Attacking Midfielder/Winger Right – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
The one argument held against Lionel Messi being the best ever was that he had not won a World Cup as the likes of Pele and Maradona had done. Now, that argument is void. Messi had a superb World Cup, scoring seven goals, two in the final and playing a key role in almost every Argentina attack. He may be 35 and have lost some of his pace, but he put his stamp on this World Cup to lead Argentina to victory and he can now be rightfully claimed as the best player ever. That debate is now over.
Attacking Midfielder/Winger Left – Kylian Mbappe (France)
Lionel Messi may be the best player ever after lifting the World Cup, but Kylian Mbappe is now the best player in the world. All doubt was removed after the French superstar dragged his team back into the game in two remarkable minutes in the final with two goals. He added a third in extra time to become the second player to register a World Cup Final hat-trick. He finished as the Golden Boot with 8 goals and now has 12 goals in World Cup Finals, more than Pele. And he’s just 23.
Attacking Midfielder Centre – Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina)
There were some real contenders for this role, Modric and Griezmann notably, but I’ve plumped for the Brighton man as when he came into the team after the loss to Saudi Arabia, Argentina notably improved. He not only scored a goal in a key game against Mexico, but his energy and creative skills were key as Argentina advanced through the tournament. Plus he assisted for two Argentina goals in the World Cup Final too.
Central Striker – Olivier Giroud (France)
It was a straight choice between the two main strikers for the World Cup Finalists, Giroud or Alvarez and I’ve plumped for the Frenchman simply because I think he had a great understanding with Mbappe, Dembele and Griezmann and he also broke the record for goals for France during the tournament, surpassing the great Thierry Henry’s record. Although he may not hold it for long given what Kylian Mbappe is doing.
FIFA World Cup 2022 – Squad of the Tournament
- Manager – Walid Regragui (Morocco)
- Goalkeepers – Dominik Livakovic (Croatia), Bono (Morocco), Emiliano Martinez (Argentina)
- Defenders – Achraf Hakimi, Roman Saiss (Morocco), Josko Gvardiol, Josip Juranovic (Croatia), Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero (Argentina), Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands), Lucas Hernandez (France)
- Midfielders – Sofyan Ambranat, Azzedine Ounahi (Morocco), Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina), Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic (Croatia), Jude Bellingham (England), Aurielen Tchouameni (France).
- Attackers – Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud (France), Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez (Argentina), Bakary Saka (England), Richarlison (Brazil), Cody Gakpo (Netherlands)
World Cup 2026 – Betting Is Open!
The 2022 World Cup may be over, but fans can already place a bet on which team will win the tournament in North America and Mexico in 2026!
Bet365 Sport has France as the early favourites, with England fourth favourites behind Brazil and Argentina. So if you fancy a very early bet on the next World Cup, head over to bet365 Sport now!
