World Cup 2022 – Why Might There Have Been So Many Upsets?

Mumbai: In the aftermath of this World Cup, we can surely conclude that this has been the World Cup of upsets. One filled with twists and turns at every corner. There are the significant ones, like Morocco beating Portugal, and the ones which bore no significance in terms of the World Cup standings, but meant a lot to countries, such as Tunisia beating France. But surely there has to be some reasons as to why this is the World Cup of upsets?

First of all, a list of all the upsets so far (difference of a minimum of 10 rankings, in terms of FIFA world rankings, correct as of 8^th December 2022)

1. Argentina (Rank 3) vs Saudi Arabia (Rank 51), ended 1-2 to Saudi Arabia
2. Germany (Rank 11) vs Japan (Rank 24), ended 1-2 to Japan
3. Belgium (Rank 2) vs Morocco (Rank 22), ended 0-2 to Morocco
4. Korea Republic (Rank 28) vs Ghana (Rank 61), ended 2-3 to Ghana
5. Tunisia (Rank 30) vs France (Rank 4), ended 1-0 to Tunisia
6. Australia (Rank 38) vs Denmark (Rank 10), ended 1-0 to Australia
7. Japan (Rank 24) vs Spain (Rank 7), ended 2-1 to Japan
8. Korea Republic (Rank 28) vs Portugal (Rank 9), ended 2-1 to Korea Republic
9. Cameroon (Rank 43) vs Brazil (Rank 1), ended 1-0 to Cameroon
10. Morocco (Rank 22) vs Spain (Rank 7), ended 0-0 with Morocco winning on penalties
11. Morocco (Rank 22 vs Portugal (Rank 9), ended 1-0 to Morocco

So far, these have been the 11 upsets, and the only way to add to this list is if Morocco beat Croatia in the third-place play-off. And surely there can be a correlation seen with this. The teams on the receiving end have been mainly European, and the occasional South American team. This has surely been the tournament where the Asian and African teams have held their own against the standard “big teams”, and won against them as well. But there has to be a reason, and it could be the climate of Qatar.

In Qatar, a desert country, temperatures even now are 26°C. In order to combat this heat, air-conditioning units have been installed in stadiums. However, it is still very warm, and Europeans and South Americans are not used to this kind of a climate at this time. However, temperature in many parts of Africa and Asia are similar to the ones in Qatar. This could mean that due to the similarity in temperature, the players from Africa and Asia were able to give a better performance than the Europeans.

While this is only a potential cause, it is surely plausible, seeing the results that have occurred throughout the tournament. While this tournament might be remembered in the minds of many as Messi’s crowning moment, it will surely also be remembered as the tournament of upsets, of underdog success stories.