Group A of the 2022 FIFA World Cup took place from 20 to 29 November 2022. The group consisted of the host nation Qatar as well as Ecuador, Senegal and the Netherlands. The top two teams, the Netherlands and Senegal, advanced to the round of 16. The Netherlands won the group with three group game victories, Senegal finished as runners-up with two of them, Ecuador finished third, having won one game, while Qatar finished fourth without registering a single point.
Qatar became the first host nation to lose every group match (every other host had won a match and not lose their opener).
Teams Draw position Team Pot Confederation Method ofqualification Date ofqualification Finalsappearance Lastappearance Previous bestperformance FIFA Rankings March 2022 October 2022 A1 1 AFC Hosts 2 December 2010 1st — — 51 50 A2 4 CONMEBOL CONMEBOL round robin fourth place 24 March 2022 4th 2014 Round of 16 (2006) 46 44 A3 3 CAF CAF third round winners 29 March 2022 3rd 2018 Quarter-finals (2002) 20 18 A4 2 UEFA UEFA Group G winners 16 November 2021 11th 2014 Runners-up (1974, 1978, 2010) 10 8 Notes
Standings
In the round of 16: The winners of Group A, the Netherlands, advanced to play the runners-up of Group B, the United States. The runners-up of Group A, Senegal, advanced to play the winners of Group B, England.
Matches All times listed are local, AST (UTC+3).
The match between Senegal and the Netherlands was originally scheduled to be the opening match of the tournament on 21 November 2022, 13:00, while the match between Qatar and Ecuador would take place later that day at 19:00. However, FIFA adjusted the match schedule on 11 August 2022, moving the Qatar–Ecuador fixture to 20 November in order for the hosts to feature in the opening match of the tournament. As a result, the Senegal–Netherlands fixture was pushed back to 19:00 on 21 November.
Qatar vs Ecuador The two teams had faced each other three times, most recently in 2018, a 4–3 win for Qatar in a friendly game. This was their first competitive meeting.
Ecuador had a disallowed goal in the opening minutes, but eventually won the match 2–0 with a brace by Enner Valencia. Valencia opened the scoring in the 16th minute with a penalty, shooting low to the right corner after being brought down in the penalty area by Qatar goalkeeper Saad Al-Sheeb. He scored his second in the 31st minute with a downward header to the left corner of the net after a cross in from the right by Ángelo Preciado.
This was the third consecutive FIFA World Cup in which a player scored a brace in the opening match, after Brazil's Neymar in 2014 and Russia's Denis Cheryshev in 2018. This was also the first time a penalty kick had been scored as the opening goal of a World Cup. Qatar became the 14th debutant to lose their opening fixture; additionally, they became the first host nation to lose their opening match at a World Cup.
GK 1 Saad Al-Sheeb CB 15Bassam Al-RawiCB 16Boualem KhoukhiCB 3 Abdelkarim HassanRWB2 Pedro MiguelLWB14Homam AhmedCM 10Hassan Al-Haydos (c) CM 12Karim Boudiaf CM 6 Abdulaziz HatemCF 19Almoez Ali CF 11Akram Afif Substitutions:FW 9 Mohammed Muntari DF 4 Mohammed Waad Manager: Félix Sánchez GK 1 Hernán GalíndezRB 17Ángelo PreciadoCB 2 Félix TorresCB 3 Piero HincapiéLB 7 Pervis EstupiñánRM 19Gonzalo PlataCM 20Jhegson Méndez CM 23Moisés Caicedo LM 10Romario Ibarra CF 13Enner Valencia (c) CF 11Michael Estrada Substitutions:MF 16Jeremy Sarmiento MF 5 José Cifuentes FW 26Kevin Rodríguez MF 21Alan Franco Manager: Gustavo Alfaro
Man of the Match: Enner Valencia (Ecuador)
Assistant referees: Ciro Carbone (Italy) Alessandro Giallatini (Italy) Fourth official: István Kovács (Romania) Reserve assistant referee: Ovidiu Artene (Romania) Video assistant referee: Massimiliano Irrati (Italy) Assistant video assistant referees: Paolo Valeri (Italy) Tomasz Listkiewicz (Poland) Benoît Millot (France) Stand-by assistant video assistant referee: Paweł Sokolnicki (Poland)
Senegal vs Netherlands The teams had never met before.
After a goalless first half, Cody Gakpo put the Netherlands ahead in the 84th minute when he got to the ball first to head past the advancing goalkeeper Édouard Mendy and into the empty net after a cross from Frenkie de Jong. In stoppage time, Davy Klaassen made it 2–0 when he followed up on Memphis Depay's saved shot to slot into the net.
GK 16Édouard MendyRB 21Youssouf SabalyCB 3 Kalidou Koulibaly (c)CB 4 Pape Abou CisséLB 22Abdou Diallo CM 8 Cheikhou Kouyaté CM 6 Nampalys Mendy RW 15Krépin Diatta AM 5 Idrissa Gueye LW 18Ismaïla SarrCF 9 Boulaye Dia Substitutions:DF 14Ismail Jakobs FW 20Bamba Dieng MF 26Pape Gueye FW 7 Nicolas Jackson Manager:Aliou Cissé GK 23Andries NoppertCB 3 Matthijs de Ligt CB 4 Virgil van Dijk (c)CB 5 Nathan AkéRWB 22Denzel DumfriesLWB 17Daley BlindCM 11Steven Berghuis CM 21Frenkie de JongAM 8 Cody Gakpo CF 18Vincent Janssen CF 7 Steven Bergwijn Substitutions:FW 10Memphis Depay MF 14Davy Klaassen MF 20Teun Koopmeiners MF 15Marten de Roon Manager:Louis van Gaal
Man of the Match: Cody Gakpo (Netherlands)
Assistant referees: Bruno Boschilia (Brazil) Bruno Pires (Brazil) Fourth official: Andrés Matonte (Uruguay) Reserve assistant referee: Nicolás Taran (Uruguay) Video assistant referee: Juan Soto (Venezuela) Assistant video assistant referees: Nicolás Gallo (Colombia) Diego Bonfá (Argentina) Mauro Vigliano (Argentina) Stand-by assistant video assistant referee: Ezequiel Brailovsky (Argentina)
Qatar vs Senegal The two teams had never met before, though the match was unique for being the first time ever the Asian champions faced the African champions at a FIFA World Cup.
Boulaye Dia put Senegal in front in the 41st minute, with a low finish to the left corner of the net after a mistake by Qatar defender Boualem Khoukhi. Seven minutes later, Famara Diédhiou doubled Senegal's lead with a header from a corner taken by Ismail Jakobs. Mohammed Muntari pulled one back for Qatar in the 78th minute, the nation's first ever World Cup goal, with a header to the left corner after a cross from Ismaeel Mohammad. Bamba Dieng scored a third for Senegal in the 84th minute with a deflected shot to the net after a pass from Iliman Ndiaye on the right.
Following the Netherlands' 1–1 draw with Ecuador played after this match, Qatar became the first host country to be eliminated from the group stage of the FIFA World Cup after just two games, and the second hosts after South Africa in 2010 to fail to progress to the second round. This loss also confirmed Qatar as the worst hosts by performance, as they could secure no more than three points, one short of South Africa's four.
GK 22Meshaal BarshamCB 2 Pedro Miguel CB 16Boualem KhoukhiCB 3 Abdelkarim HassanRWB17Ismaeel Mohammad LWB14Homam Ahmed CM 12Karim Boudiaf CM 10Hassan Al-Haydos (c) CM 23Assim Madibo CF 19Almoez AliCF 11Akram AfifSubstitutions:MF 6 Abdulaziz Hatem FW 9 Mohammed Muntari DF 4 Mohammed Waad DF 5 Tarek Salman Manager: Félix Sánchez GK 16Édouard MendyRB 21Youssouf SabalyCB 3 Kalidou Koulibaly (c)CB 22Abdou DialloLB 14Ismail Jakobs RM 18Ismaïla Sarr CM 6 Nampalys Mendy CM 5 Idrissa GueyeLM 15Krépin Diatta CF 9 Boulaye Dia CF 19Famara Diédhiou Substitutions:MF 11Pathé Ciss FW 13Iliman Ndiaye FW 20Bamba Dieng DF 4 Pape Abou Cissé MF 17Pape Matar Sarr Manager:Aliou Cissé
Man of the Match: Boulaye Dia (Senegal)
Assistant referees: Pau Cebrián Devís (Spain) Roberto Díaz Pérez del Palomar (Spain) Fourth official: Kevin Ortega (Peru) Reserve assistant referee: Djibril Camara (Senegal) Video assistant referee: Drew Fischer (Canada) Assistant video assistant referees: Fernando Guerrero (Mexico) Nicolás Taran (Uruguay) Adil Zourak (Morocco) Stand-by assistant video assistant referee: Bruno Pires (Brazil)
Netherlands vs Ecuador The two teams had faced each other twice, most recently in 2014, a 1–1 draw in a friendly.
In the sixth minute of the match, Cody Gakpo cut inside and shot into the left corner of the net from just outside the penalty area to put the Netherlands in front. Just before the first half ended, Ecuadorian defender Pervis Estupiñán deflected his teammate's shot in, but the goal was called offside. Four minutes into the second half, Enner Valencia scored his third goal of the tournament to equalize for Ecuador, converting the rebound after goalkeeper Andries Noppert had saved a shot from Estupiñán. Despite Ecuador later hitting the crossbar, the game saw no further goals and ended in a 1–1 draw.
GK 23Andries NoppertCB 2 Jurriën TimberCB 4 Virgil van Dijk (c)CB 5 Nathan AkéRWB 22Denzel DumfriesLWB 17Daley BlindCM 20Teun Koopmeiners CM 21Frenkie de JongAM 14Davy Klaassen CF 8 Cody Gakpo CF 7 Steven Bergwijn Substitutions:FW 10Memphis Depay MF 11Steven Berghuis FW 19Wout Weghorst MF 15Marten de Roon Manager:Louis van Gaal GK 1 Hernán GalíndezCB 25Jackson PorozoCB 2 Félix TorresCB 3 Piero HincapiéRM 17Ángelo PreciadoCM 20Jhegson Méndez CM 23Moisés CaicedoLM 7 Pervis EstupiñánAM 19Gonzalo Plata AM 13Enner Valencia (c) CF 11Michael Estrada Substitutions:MF 16Jeremy Sarmiento MF 10Romario Ibarra FW 26Kevin Rodríguez Manager: Gustavo Alfaro
Man of the Match: Frenkie de Jong (Netherlands)
Assistant referees: Mokrane Gourari (Algeria) Abdelhak Etchiali (Algeria) Fourth official: Saíd Martínez (Honduras) Reserve assistant referee: Helpys Raymundo Feliz (Dominican Republic) Video assistant referee: Shaun Evans (Australia) Assistant video assistant referees: Redouane Jiyed (Morocco) Ashley Beecham (Australia) Muhammad Taqi (Singapore) Stand-by assistant video assistant referee: Anton Shchetinin (Australia)
Ecuador vs Senegal The two teams had faced each other twice, most recently in 2005, a 2–1 win for Senegal in a friendly.
In the 44th minute, Senegal's Ismaïla Sarr was fouled in the penalty area by Piero Hincapié, with Sarr scoring the resulting penalty low to the right corner. In the 67th minute, Moisés Caicedo put Ecuador level when he finished from close range after the ball had reached him from a Félix Torres corner. With twenty minutes left in the match, captain Kalidou Koulibaly scored his first ever international goal with a volley from six yards out to put Senegal back in front.
Ecuador's loss eliminated them in the group stage for a third time after 2002 and 2014, while Senegal advanced to the knockout stage for a second time and the first since 2002.
GK 1 Hernán GalíndezRB 17Ángelo Preciado CB 2 Félix TorresCB 3 Piero HincapiéLB 7 Pervis EstupiñánDM 8 Carlos Gruezo CM 21Alan Franco CM 23Moisés CaicedoRF 19Gonzalo PlataCF 11Michael Estrada LF 13Enner Valencia (c)Substitutions:MF 5 José Cifuentes MF 16Jeremy Sarmiento FW 24Djorkaeff Reasco DF 25Jackson Porozo Manager: Gustavo Alfaro GK 16Édouard MendyRB 21Youssouf SabalyCB 3 Kalidou Koulibaly (c)CB 22Abdou DialloLB 14Ismail JakobsCM 11Pathé Ciss CM 26Pape GueyeRW 13Iliman Ndiaye AM 5 Idrissa Gueye LW 18Ismaïla SarrCF 9 Boulaye Dia Substitutions:MF 6 Nampalys Mendy FW 20Bamba Dieng DF 4 Pape Abou Cissé Manager:Aliou Cissé
Man of the Match: Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal)
Assistant referees: Nicolas Danos (France) Cyril Gringore (France) Fourth official: István Kovács (Romania) Reserve assistant referee: Ovidiu Artene (Romania) Video assistant referee: Jérôme Brisard (France) Assistant video assistant referees: Benoît Millot (France) Ciro Carbone (Italy) Drew Fischer (Canada) Stand-by assistant video assistant referee: Alessandro Giallatini (Italy)
Netherlands vs Qatar The two teams had never met before.
Cody Gakpo scored his third goal of the tournament to put the Netherlands in front in the 26th minute, cutting in from the left to score with a right-foot finish from just inside the penalty area. Frenkie de Jong made it 2–0 four minutes into the second half when he followed up to poke into the net from close range after goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham had saved a shot from Memphis Depay.