FIFA president Gianni Infantino appraises the 2022 World Cup group stages

The incredible upset of Saudi Arabia over Argentina in the opening phase of the tournament was the first big surprise. Japan also finished top of their group, defeating Germany and Spain to go through, while Morocco finished top of their pool and beat Belgium and Croatia to win their group.

The qualification for the last 16 was also razor-thin in some of the groups, and Infantino says it has never existed before. "This has been the greatest group stage of a FIFA World Cup ever, and there's no doubt about it," Infantino said. "The games have been of great quality, in beautiful stadiums, and the public who was there was incredible. Over 51,000 people on average." Infantino has emphasized the positives, and praised the results of some of the supposedly lesser nations, in order to emphasise the good news.