Argentina beat Croatia 3-0 to reach the World Cup final as Lionel Messi worked his magic to move one win away from winning the trophy he covets most.
The world (aside from one of France or Morocco) wants Messi to win this World Cup.
Messi scored the opener from the penalty spot, then Julian Alvarez scored a superb second and Messi then mesmerized us all to set up Alvarez to seal his double and Argentina’s spot in the final.
Croatia actually had the better chances before Argentina took the lead in the first half and the South American champs never looked back as they have now reached two of the last three World Cup finals.
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They will play either France or Morocco in the final on Sunday, while Croatia will play the loser of the other semifinal in the third-place game on Saturday.
Messi and Alvarez the perfect double act
Messi glides between the lines and Alvarez stretches them. Together, they are a deadly duo and they ripped Croatia apart. Argentina had the perfect game plan as they sat back, soaked up pressure and then when the won it back in midfield with a secondary press (led by the excellent Enzo Fernandez, Leandro Paredes and Alexis Mac Allister) they played direct in devastating fashion. Messi is Messi but for so long he hasn’t really had another player up top who can take the pressure off him and provide space for him to be at his best. He now has that in Alvarez as his pace and relentless pressing opens up so many opportunities for Messi. The balance of this Argentine side is spot on and they can cause a shaky France defense so many problems, if it is Les Bleus they face in the final. Whoever they face, it seems pretty impossible to stop Messi and Alvarez in this kind of form.
Stars of the show
Lionel Messi: Who else!? Had magic whenever Argentina needed it and he is feeling it. The best World Cup of his esteemed career. So far.
Julian Alvarez: Scored two goals and won the penalty kick. His pace in-behind gave Croatia so many problems. Works so well alongside Messi.
Luka Modric: What more can he do? The little genius was so silky on the ball, as always, and helped Croatia control the game until the opening goal. The veteran may not play at another World Cup but he delivered another superb display, and so did Mateo Kovacic who will now try his best to take over from Modric.
How to watch Argentina vs Croatia live! Score, updates, stream link, videos
Kick off: 2pm ET – Tuesday, December 13
Stadium: Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
Amazing scenes at the final whistle as Messi and his teammates dance on the pitch together and celebrate with their fans as they bounce up and down.
GOALLL! After some pressure from Croatia, Argentina have looked dangerous on the break. Now they are 3-0 up. Messi wriggles past Gvardiol and sets up Alvarez to finish. Goat doing goat things.
🔥 What an assist from Lionel Messi. GOAT. #ARG lead 3-0 in the World Cup semifinal and heading to the final. pic.twitter.com/NcyBAYoiT4
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) December 13, 2022
SAVEEEE! What a stop from Livakovic as he pushes Mac Allister’s header onto the far post.
GOALLL! Julian Alvarez with a superb run and he bundles his way through and scores. 2-0.
🔥 Julian Alvarez, my word, what a run!
Bulldozes his way through Croatia, gets a few lucky breaks, and finishes. #ARG 2-0 up against Croatia in the World Cup semifinal and have one foot in the final. pic.twitter.com/eyd8NRtFkA
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) December 13, 2022
GOALLL! After a slow start, Argentina lead. Alvarez taken out by Livakovic and Lionel Messi steps up and slams home the spot kick. 1-0 to Argentina.
🐐 Lionel Messi becomes Argentina’s all-time leading goalscorer in the World Cup. #ARG pic.twitter.com/HyQGsec53z
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) December 13, 2022
Key storylines, players to watch closely
Obviously everyone will be watching Lionel Messi closely as his ridiculous assist against the Netherlands showcased his otherworldly talents. Others have been standing tall for Argentina too, especially Enzo Fernandez, Rodrigo de Paul and Alexis Mac Allister in midfield. At the back the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Cristian Romero and Nicolas Otamendi have had strong tournaments, while Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel will miss this game through suspension.
Croatia have the talented, and experienced, trio of Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic holding down midfield, while youngster Josko Gvardiol has been sensational at center back and so has Borna Sosa at left back. The star in their penalty kick wins against Japan and Brazil has been goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic and Croatia will need more heroics from him if they’re going to upset Argentina.
Introducing #Croatia starting lineup for the #FIFAWorldCup semifinals! 🤩 #ARGCRO #Qatar2022 #Family #Vatreni❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/xHABQ2aDju
— HNS (@HNS_CFF) December 13, 2022
Argentina quick facts
Current FIFA world ranking: 3
World Cup titles: 2 (1978, 1986)
World Cup appearances: 17
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from CONMEBOL (2nd place)
Coach: Lionel Scaloni
Key players: Lionel Messi, Angel de Maria, Lautaro Martinez
At 2022 World Cup – Beat Netherlands 4-3 on penalty kicks in quarterfinals after 2-2 draw
Croatia quick facts
Current FIFA world ranking: 12
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 6
Best-ever World Cup finish – Runners up in 2018
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA (1st place)
Coach: Zlatko Dalic
Key players: Luka Modric, Andrej Kramaric, Mateo Kovacic
At 2022 World Cup – Beat Brazil 4-2 on penalty kicks in quarterfinals after 1-1 draw
The World Cup 2022 schedule is locked in and this tournament in Qatar has been sensational as the knockout rounds will capture the imagination of the globe.
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Japan, Australia and Morocco made the last 16 with so many huge shocks during the tournament, but the Atlas Lions are the only one of the trio to survive into the semifinals. Germany, Denmark, and Belgium all crashed out in the group stage.
In the semifinals, Lionel Messi turned on the style as Argentina hammered Croatia and they will play either Morocco or France in the final.
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The other side of the bracket saw Morocco stun Portugal and they will play France in the semifinal after Les Bleus beat England.
So, yeah, the remaining semifinal and the final should be dynamite. Bring. It. On.
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Below is the schedule in full, details on how to watch the games and everything else you need..
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World Cup 2022 schedule, start time, dates, how to watch live
- When: November 20, 2022 to December 18, 2022
- Knockout round kick-off times: 10am, 2pm (both ET)
- Location: Qatar
- TV channels en Español: Telemundo, Universo, Peacock
- Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
Follow along with ProSoccerTalk for the latest news, scores, storylines, and updates surrounding the 2022 World Cup, and be sure to subscribe to NBC Sports on YouTube!
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H | Full tables
Semifinal schedule
Match 61 – Tuesday, December 13: Argentina 3-0 Croatia – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Match 62 – Wednesday, December 14: France vs Morocco (preview/live) – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor – 2pm
Third-place play-off
Match 63 – Saturday, December 17: Croatia vs Losers Match 62 – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan – 10am
Match 64 – Sunday, December 18: Argentina vs Winners Match 62 – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail – 10am
Quarterfinal results
Match 58 – Friday, December 9: Croatia 1-1 Brazil (Croatia wins 4-2 on penalties) – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Match 57 – Friday, December 9: Netherlands 2-2 Argentina (Argentina wins 4-3 on penalties) – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Match 60 – Saturday, December 10: Morocco 1-0 Portugal – Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
Match 59 – Saturday, December 10: England 1-2 France – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
Round of 16 results
Match 49 – Saturday, December 3: Netherlands 3-1 USA – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Match 50 – Saturday, December 3: Argentina 2-1 Australia – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Match 52 – Sunday, December 4: France 3-1 Poland – Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
Match 51 – Sunday, December 4: England 3-0 Senegal – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
Match 53 – Monday, December 5: Japan 1-1 (AET, 1-3 PKs) – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Match 54 – Monday, December 5: Brazil 4-1 South Korea – Stadium 974, Doha
Match 55 – Tuesday, December 6: Morocco 0-0 (AET, 3-0 PKs) Spain – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Match 56 – Tuesday, December 6: Portugal 6-1 Switzerland – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Group stage results
Group A
Recap/highlights: Qatar 0-2 Ecuador – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Senegal 0-2 Netherlands – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor – 5am
Recap/highlights: Qatar 1-3 Senegal – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Netherlands 1-1 Ecuador – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Netherlands 2-0 Qatar – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Ecuador 1-2 Senegal – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Group B
Recap/highlights: England 6-2 Iran – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: USA 1-1 Wales – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: England 0-0 USA – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Wales 0-2 Iran – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Wales 0-3 England – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Iran 0-1 USA – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor
Group C
Recap/highlights: Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Recap/highlights: Mexico 0-0 Poland – Stadium 974, Doha
Recap/highlights: Poland 2-0 Saudi Arabia – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Argentina 2-0 Mexico – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Recap/highlights: Poland 0-2 Argentina – Stadium 974, Doha
Recap/highlights: Saudi Arabia 1-2 Mexico – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Group D
Recap/highlights: France 4-1 Australia – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Recap/highlights: Denmark 0-0 Tunisia – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: France 2-1 Denmark – Stadium 974, Doha
Recap/highlights: Tunisia 0-1 Australia – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Recap/highlights: Tunisia 1-0 France – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Australia 1-0 Denmark – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Group E
Recap/highlights: Spain 7-0 Costa Rica – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Germany 1-2 Japan – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Spain 1-1 Germany – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Japan 0-1 Costa Rica – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Japan 2-1 Spain – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Costa Rica 2-4 Germany – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
Group F
Recap/highlights: Belgium 1-0 Canada – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Morocco 0-0 Croatia – Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor – 5am
Recap/highlights: Belgium 0-2 Morocco – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor
Recap/highlights: Croatia 4-1 Canada – Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Croatia 0-0 Belgium – Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights Canada 1-2 Morocco – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor
Group G
Recap/highlights: Brazil 2-0 Serbia – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Recap/highlights: Switzerland 1-0 Cameroon – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Recap/highlights: Brazil 1-0 Switzerland – Stadium 974, Doha – 11am
Recap/highlights: Cameroon 3-3 Serbia – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Recap/highlights: Cameroon 1-0 Brazil – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Recap/highlights: Serbia 2-3 Switzerland – Stadium 974, Doha
Group H
Recap/highlights: Portugal 3-2 Ghana – Stadium 974, Doha
Recap/highlights: Uruguay 0-0 South Korea – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Portugal 2-0 Uruguay – Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Recap/highlights: South Korea 2-3 Ghana – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: South Korea 2-1 Portugal – Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
Recap/highlights: Ghana 0-2 Uruguay – Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Reigning World Cup champs France square off with surprise package Morocco in a mouthwatering World Cup semifinal.
Everybody expects France to advance but this World Cup has provided so many upsets, most of them involving Morocco.
Didier Deschamps’ side squeaked past England in the quarterfinals, as Les Bleus have looked shaky defensively but have so much quality in attack. Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann are all stepping up at different moments and the French are gathering momentum. Their quest to become just the third team in history to win back-to-back World Cups is well and truly on track.
As for Morocco, well, what can we say that hasn’t already been said about the amazing run the Atlas Lions have made to the semifinals? They have made history as the first-ever African side to reach the final four and they’ve beaten Spain and Portugal in the knockout rounds, showcasing incredible grit, energy and quality as they are the total team unit. Just a few months into the job, what a job manager Walid Regragui has done. The fact that Regragui was born in France and several of his players play in France adds extra spice to this intriguing clash.
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Here is everything you need for France vs Morocco.
How to watch France vs Morocco live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 2pm ET – Wednesday, December 14
Stadium: Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
Key storylines, players to watch closely
Kylian Mbappe, the leading goalscorer at the World Cup, was kept quiet by England but Griezmann pulled the strings in his new No. 10 role and Giroud popped up with the winning goal as the French keep finding a way to win. When you think about Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Paul Pogba and Christopher Nkunku all being out of this tournament due to injury, the strength of their squad is sensational. Quietly Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot have been superb in midfield too. The only issue is that France has yet to keep a clean sheet and they do look vulnerable on the counter.
As for Morocco, their goalkeeper Yassine Bounou has been exceptional, so too has captain Romain Saiss (who is nursing a hamstring injury) while Achraf Hakimi, Sofiane Boufal and Hakim Ziyech give them real quality in wide areas. The star of the show has been Sofyan Amrabat in central midfield, while Azzedine Ounahi has been a revelation alongside him. In truth, the entire Moroccan side has excelled and they’ve kept four clean sheets in five games so far at the World Cup. They are well-organized defensively but break with purpose and skill when they get the chance to attack. They are so dangerous, especially with their huge support which has made all of their World Cup games seem like home games.
France quick facts
Current FIFA world ranking: 4
World Cup titles: 2 (1998, 2018)
World Cup appearances: 15
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA (Won Group D)
Coach: Didier Deschamps
Key players: Kylian Mbappe, Hugo Lloris, Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, Raphael Varane
At the 2022 World Cup – Beat England 2-1 in the quarterfinals
Morocco quick facts
Current FIFA world ranking: 22
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 6
Best-ever World Cup finish: This tournament
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from CAF
Coach: Vahid Halilhodzic
Key players: Achraf Hakimi, Yassine Bounou, Youssef En-Nesyri, Romain Saiss, Hakim Ziyech
At the 2022 World Cup – Beat Portugal 1-0 in the quarterfinals
Aside from the pride each nation generates for going on a run at the World Cup, each nation also earns World Cup prize money based on their performance.
FIFA will dish out $440 million in prize money for the World Cup as cash is given out depending on which stage of the tournament they reached, plus each team received $1.5 million just for qualifying for the World Cup.
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Yes, the game is all about glory and winning the ultimate prize and to be crowned Champions of the World, but players are also playing to earn some nice bonuses which also helps to fund their national teams and associations.
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Below is a breakdown of the World Cup prize money table in full, with details on how much each team made from their run at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
How much prize money did the 2018 World Cup winner get?
The prize money has increased from four years ago, when a pot of $400 million was dished out between the 32 teams.
That was up $42 million from the prize money in 2014 and the winners in 2018 (France) were given $38 million, while the winning team in 2022 will receive $42 million.
Where does the prize money come from?
FIFA distributes the prize money based on the finances they gain from hosting the tournament.
How much do World Cup players get paid?
It is down to the individual nations as to how much they pay their players from the prize money they receive. Some countries may distribute the money based on appearances, or others may split it evenly.
2022 World Cup prize money table in full
Teams who went out in the group stage earned $9 million each
Qatar, Ecuador, Wales, Iran, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Denmark, Tunisia, Canada, Belgium, Germany, Costa Rica, Serbia, Cameroon, Ghana, Uruguay
Teams who reached the Round of 16 earned $13 million each
USA, Senegal, Australia, Poland, Spain, Japan, Switzerland, South Korea
Teams who reached the Quarterfinals earned $17 million each
Brazil, Netherlands, Portugal, England
Fourth place team will earn $25 million
Third place team will earn $27 million
Runner-up will earn $30 million
Winer will earn $42 million
The 2022 FIFA World Cup features 32 nations competing in soccer’s biggest event in Qatar, the first World Cup ever held in the Middle East. This year marks the final edition of the tournament with a 32-nation field – that number is set to increase to 48 for the 2026 World Cup, which will have venues across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
This year’s Copa Mundial looks different for several reasons, including the dates (due to Qatar’s intense summer heat, the schedule was shifted to November-December instead of its traditional summer timing). But as always, the event features the world’s top fútbol nations vying for global glory as well as individual awards for top performers, including the coveted prize for attacking players: the Golden Boot.
At the last iteration of the World Cup, England’s Harry Kane, also a star for Premier League side Tottenham, took home the award thanks to his six goals, which likely helped soften the blow of the Three Lions falling 2-0 to Belgium in the third-place match. One of the top storylines to watch at this year’s World Cup is the swan song for two of the game’s biggest stars: Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Christiano Ronaldo. Neither player has ever won the Golden Boot, and neither of their teams has won the World Cup during their tenures. Defending champions France will likely field some contenders for the award, including Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud. For more on the latest Golden Boot standings, odds and predictions throughout the tournament, follow along with ProSoccerTalk and NBC Sports Edge.
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What is the Golden Boot?
The Golden Boot is the award given to the top goal-scorer at each edition of the World Cup. If at the conclusion of the tournament two or more players are tied at the top of the list with the same number of goals, the award will go to the player with the most non-penalty goals, and if they are still tied, it will go to the player with the most assists. While there has always been a top goal-scorer at the tournament, the specific award has been given since 1982. It was known as “The Golden Show” until its re-christening in 2010.
RELATED: World Cup 2022 rankings: Who are the favorites?
Who are the top scorers at 2022 World Cup?
1. Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 5 (leads the tiebreaker with 3 assists to Mbappe’s 2)
2. Kylian Mbappe (France) – 5
3. Olivier Giroud (France) – 4
4. Julian Alvarez (Argentina) – 4
5. Marcus Rashford (England) – 3
6. Alvaro Morata (Spain) – 3
7. Enner Valencia (Ecuador) – 3
8. Bukayo Saka (England) – 3
9. Richarlison (Brazil) – 3
10. Goncalo Ramos (Portugal) – 3
11. Cody Gakpo (Netherlands) – 3
12. Mehdi Taremi (Iran) – 2
13. Bruno Fernandes (Portugal) – 2
14. Mohammed Kudus (Ghana) – 2
15. Cho Gue-Sung (South Korea) – 2
16. Breel Embolo (Switzerland) – 2
17. Salem Al Dawsari (Saudi Arabia) – 2
18. Aleksandar Mitrovic (Serbia) – 2
19. Kai Havertz (Germany) – 2
20. Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon) – 2
21. Niclas Fullkrug (Germany) – 2
22. Ritsu Doan (Japan) – 2
23. Giorgian de Arrascaeta (Uruguay) – 2
24. Andrej Kramaric (Croatia) – 2
25. Robert Lewandowski (Poland) – 2
26. Ferran Torres (Spain) – 2
27. Wout Weghorst (Netherlands) – 2
28. Rafael Leao (Portugal) – 2
All past Golden Boot winners (1982-2018)
1982: Paolo Rossi (ITA) – 6
1986: Gary Lineker (GBR) – 6
1990: Salvatore Schillaci – 6
1994: Oleg Salenko (RUS) / Hristo Stoichkov (BUL) – 6
1998: Davor Suker (CRO) – 6
2002: Ronaldo (BRA) – 8
2006 – Miroslav Klose (GER) – 5
2010 – Thomas Muller (GER) – 5
2014 – James Rodriguez (COL) – 6
2018 – Harry Kane (GBR) – 6
When is the 2022 World Cup?
The World Cup begins Sunday, November 20th with host nation Qatar taking on Ecuador in the opener. The group stage runs through December 3rd before the knockout rounds begin. The final is set to take place on Sunday, December 18th.
RELATED: USMNT squad confirmed for 2022 World Cup
World Cup 2022 schedule, start time, dates, how to watch live
- When: November 20, 2022 to December 18, 2022
- Group stage game kick-off times: 5am, 8am, 10am, 11am, 2pm (all ET)
- Location: Qatar
- TV channels en Español: Telemundo, Universo, Peacock
- Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
Follow along with ProSoccerTalk for the latest news, scores, storylines, and updates surrounding the 2022 World Cup, and be sure to subscribe to NBC Sports on YouTube!
