The biggest sporting event in the world and of all time! When you hear those words you may think of the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, The World Series, or The Stanley Cup. Those are quite popular, but not as popular as the World Cup, which is hosted by a different country every four years. This year’s host is Qatar. Who will be this year’s winner? It could be anyone.

Many students at The Benjamin School have been following this sporting event rooting for their teams at home as well as speaking to their peers about their predictions. The World Cup is more than just a sporting event, but a time for everyone to bond. It brings people together. Every game you can see a moment of heartwarming sportsmanship.

“I want the USA to win the world cup because it is my home country and I support it,” said sixth grader Daschle Searcy. “I think that Brazil or England is going to win because they are both at the top of their group and they play very well. I like the World Cup because it is the only sport that includes most of the world.”

This year there are eight stadiums in Qatar, each beautifully made and unique: Al Bayt Stadium, Lusail Stadium, Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium, Al Janoub Stadium, Education City Stadium, Stadium 974, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium. “The stadiums are beautiful, but I think it’s not very symbolic because people died creating the stadiums,” said eighth grader Paul Josse. 

While fans at the games are going crazy, so are the students at TBS. In many classes, teachers are putting the World Cup on while the students work as a way to motivate them and entertain them while they get ready for the midterms. 

“I think teachers should play the world cup in classes,” said seventh grader Misha Liberzon. I think they understand that it is a once-in-four-year kind of thing. I think it is definitely okay to watch the World Cup in advisory.” 

For the knockout rounds, there are eight groups lettered A – H with four countries in each; thirty-two teams in total. The top two teams in each group qualified for the knockout round. Here are the final group standings for each group and the elimination round final bracket. 

Knockout Rounds:

Round of 16:

Game 1: Netherlands vs. U.S.A – Netherlands won 3-1

Game 2: Argentina vs. Australia – Argentina won 2-1

Game 3: France vs. Poland – France won 3-1

Game 4: England vs. Senegal – England won 3 – 0

Game 5: Japan vs. Croatia – Croatia won 1-1 (1-3)

Game 6: Brazil vs. South Korea – Brazil won 4-1

Game 7: Morocco vs. Spain – Morocco won 0-0 (3-0)

Game 8: Portugal vs. Switzerland – Portugal won 6-1

Quarterfinals:

Game 1: Croatia vs. Brazil – Croatia won 1-1 (4-2)

Game 2: Netherlands vs. Argentina – Argentina won 2-2 (3-4)

Game 3: Morocco vs. Portugal – Morocco won 1-0

Game 4: France vs. England – France won 2-1 

Semifinals:

Game 1: Argentina vs. Croatia – Argentina won 3-0

Game 2: France vs. Morocco – France won 2-0

3rd Place Game:

Croatia vs. Morocco – Croatia won 2-1

The Final: 

Argentina vs. France – Argentina won 3-3 (4-2)

Hope you guys enjoyed this year’s 2022 World Cup! Let us know your opinion in the comment section below. Also, click here for an online version of the final standings, and click here for an online version of the final elimination rounds with scores.