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The World Cup as a football festival.
These pictures were also from Qatar.
In addition to all the reports about corruption in the awarding of contracts, unsolved deaths on the stadium construction sites and discrimination, for example against members of the LGBTQ movement.
This is where fans celebrate at Al-Bidda's official Fifa festival.
Photo: MARKO DJURICA / REUTERS
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The opening game was a tailor-made start for Ecuador.
For hosts Qatar, on the other hand, it turned into a PR disaster: Fifa had pushed the game forward, the Netherlands and Senegal were actually supposed to play the first World Cup game.
After a magnificent opening ceremony, including star guest Morgan Freeman, Enner Valencia almost single-handedly dismantled the Qatari team.
Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images
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The 2-0 defeat at the start was only part of the problem for Qatar.
Although the team was considered a piñata before the tournament, a place in the knockout phase would have been a surprise.
At the opening game, the spectators made the headlines: on the one hand, according to the New York Times, a group organized in other Arab countries that created a good atmosphere.
On the other hand, the unorganized fans who left their seats early against Ecuador and left the stadium half empty in the second half.
Photo: IMAGO/Alberto Estevez / IMAGO/Agencia EFE
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Different cultures meet each other at football World Cups.
And in the group phase, the crowds of fans overlooked some very tough games.
The Senegalese fans were particularly busy, as can be seen in this picture.
Photo: Sarah Stier - FIFA / FIFA via Getty Images
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Miroslav Klose vibes - from a Saudi Arabian player of all things.
In 2002, Miroslav Klose opened his glorious World Cup career with a hat-trick against Saudi Arabia in the group stage.
And the start for Saudi Arabia in Qatar was also glorious: against eventual finalists Argentina, the team sensationally turned around a 0-1 deficit and won.
Here Salem Al-Dawsari celebrates the opening goal with a flight.
Photo: HANNAH MCKAY / REUTERS
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Before the start of the tournament, there was more discussion about which captain's armband German captain Manuel Neuer would wear than the line-ups.
The DFB team wanted to end the debate about the "One Love" bandage with this gesture of silence, but it only reinforced it.
In Germany there were voices that the action did not go far enough.
Internationally, there was malice that the team lost to Japan after the gesture.
Photo: INA FASSBENDER / AFP
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Belgium struggled from the start at the World Cup.
A goal from Michy Batshuayi (photo), who replaced star striker Romelu Lukaku, who had started the tournament due to injury, was enough for the team to win against Canada.
As unfortunate as this jubilation looks, the elimination of the Belgians was also unfortunate in the end.
Photo: IMAGO/Marcelo Machado de Melo / IMAGO/Fotoarena
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The Belgian superstar is called Kevin De Bruyne.
And for him it was a used tournament.
Perhaps the best midfielder in the world in a Manchester City shirt, he remained pale in an unfamiliar position in the Belgian team.
In the last group game, Lukaku failed to score despite numerous chances, the 0-0 draw against Croatia meant the end after a defeat against Morocco.
Photo: IMAGO/Javier Garcia/Shutterstock / IMAGO/Shutterstock
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The Brazilians, on the other hand, fired off fireworks from the start.
Tottenham Hotspur's Richarlison stood out, and not just because of that goal.
A side kick, after which he had put a massive cross in the air with the first contact.
The Serbian defense was similarly puzzled as goalkeeper Marko Dmitrović.
Photo: LAURENT GILLIERON / EPA
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The Brazilian celebrations were a big topic even before the tournament started.
Is Neymar celebrating for far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro as he announced?
Is Richarlison cheering for new President Lula, whom he supports?
There was a lot of dancing at the end, very little to no politics on the pitch.
Photo: NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP
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Not only in this scene Neymar (next to Serbia's Saša Lukić) had problems with his tournament start.
He left the game against Serbia with an ankle injury and only returned in the round of 16.
Photo: GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP
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Argentina's Rodrigo De Paul wasn't injured in this scene.
Nonetheless, it was a heated game between Argentina and Mexico in Group C. Both teams showed up with strong support from fans who had apparently traveled with them.
Photo: Pavel Golovkin / AP
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And the fact that there are still thousands of Argentinian fans in Qatar is primarily due to him: superstar Lionel Messi.
The Argentine national hero scored five goals before the final at this tournament and set up three more.
There is hardly a way around Messi as player of the tournament.
Photo:
Pavel Golovkin / AP
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Another superstar of world football, Karim Benzema, has been replaced by this struggling man: Olivier Giroud.
The AC Milan striker is considered one of the most underrated attackers in Europe, also because of his service to the respective team.
In Qatar, Giroud also became a goal-getter: he has four goals in five games until the final.
Photo: ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT / AFP
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Croatia's Andrej Kramarić shows how beautiful scoring goals can be here.
The TSG Hoffenheim striker scored in Croatia's 4-1 win over Canada.
How special this game was shows the fact that Croatia scored four out of six goals in this game.
And that in six games up to the game for third place.
Photo: ANTONIN THUILLIER / AFP
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The game on the second day of the group match between Spain and Germany was not quite as relaxed.
Rather, it was up and down, it was a high quality game.
In the end, Gavis (left) Spaniard and Manuel Neuer's DFB team separated 1-1, a few days later Germany was out.
Photo: Matthias Hangst / Getty Images
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Memphis Depay talks to his grandmother at the Dutch national team's family day.
In the background, substitute goalkeeper Justin Bijlow takes care of his child.
Photo: IMAGO/Training session The Netherlands / IMAGO/ANP
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All eyes were on Cristiano Ronaldo in Qatar – at least when the Portuguese team played.
However, as the tournament progressed, Ronaldo would lose his role as a controversial starter and only come off the bench.
A scandal, at least when it comes to some Portuguese football fans.
Photo: MOLLY DARLINGTON / REUTERS
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A streaker caused a stir during the group game between Portugal and Uruguay.
He stormed the field with what felt like an armada of messages, a salute to the Ukraine in the front and a salute to the Iranians in the back.
And a rainbow flag in hand that raised concerns about how he would be dealt with, especially since homosexuality is a criminal offense in Qatar.
He later spoke out publicly and thanked Fifa President Gianni Infantino for ensuring his freedom.
Photo: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
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Cameroon narrowly missed out on progress after losing to Switzerland.
But the fans definitely deserved a place in the knockout stages.
Photo: Manu Fernandez/AP
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The photographers had him in their sights, Ronaldo the ball: In Qatar, the 37-year-old was on the hunt for the Eusebio record for most international goals for Portugal.
A penalty in the opener against Ghana ensured a tie, but there was no other goal.
At least not in this tournament.
Photo: Dave Shopland/IMAGO/Shutterstock
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Led by Gareth Bale, Wales traveled to Qatar.
Another sensation after the EM semi-finals in 2016 did not materialize: there were defeats against Iran and in the “Battle of Britain”, but there was still a point against the USA.
Photo: Thanassis Stavrakis/AP
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The French national coach Didier Deschamps is considered a defensive genius.
As a player, he was the six that kept the place together.
As a coach, he doesn't care that he could play the most beautiful football with players like Kylian Mbappé or Antoine Griezmann.
Pragmatism as a maxim.
He is in the World Cup final for the second time in a row.
Photo: FRANCK FIFE / AFP
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Young football fans also traveled to Qatar to watch their idol Lionel Messi play.
From everywhere.
This boy is from India.
The name Messi is above everything.
Photo:
Natacha Pisarenko / dpa
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The atmosphere at Argentina national team games in Qatar is unparalleled, with tens of thousands shouting their players forward and trying to get as close to Messi and Co. as possible.
Photo: IMAGO/Marcelo Machado de Melo / IMAGO/Fotoarena
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England internationals Jordan Henderson (left) and Jude Bellingham snuggle up after scoring the opener against Senegal.
England won the round of 16 3-0 after Henderson's opening goal, but it was all over against France in the quarter-finals.
Photo: IMAGO/ULMER / IMAGO/Ulmer/Team photo
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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are still playing.
However, her designated successor as the biggest star in world football has already been determined and is called: Kylian Mbappé.
The Frenchman makes difficult things look easy as he poses after scoring his second goal against Poland that sealed their place in the quarter-finals.
Photo: FABRIZIO BENSCH / REUTERS
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The construction of stadiums in Qatar was not entirely transparent.
And that doesn't just mean the many deaths during construction.
The stadiums should be sustainable, like Stadium 974 in Doha, which consisted of freight containers, among other things.
Fifa said it was the first climate-neutral World Cup in history.
Critics find this misleading.
The organization "Carbon Market Watch" showed Fifa a yellow card for a "bad duel".
Photo: Patrick Smith - FIFA / FIFA via Getty Images
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As with any major sporting event involving a Japanese team, this year there was a mixture of admiration and amazement as the fans left after their team's games and quickly cleaned up the stadium.
Photo: IMAGO/Yukihito Taguchi / IMAGO/USA TODAY Network
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The Moroccan win over Spain was celebrated beyond Morocco.
Despite political differences, the Arab world rallied behind the team.
Commuters cheer on the Doha Metro.
Photo: MARTIN DIVISEK / EPA
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He's the reason Cristiano Ronaldo was benched: Gonçalo Ramos (number 26) scored a hat-trick against Switzerland in his starting XI debut at this World Cup.
Captain Bruno Fernandes kicked the ball in a friendly way.
Photo: JEWEL SAMAD / AFP
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Jawad El-Yamiq himself can't seem to grasp the Moroccan run at this World Cup in this picture.
In fact, in this picture he is mourning a missed chance against Spain.
Photo: Martin Meissner / AP
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It was tragic for Brazil and superstar Neymar in the quarter-finals: After a dream goal by Neymar, Croatia actually equalized and won the game on penalties.
Neymar himself did not appear and was probably intended as the fifth and last shooter.
By then Croatia's goalkeeper Dominik Livaković had already decided the game.
Photo: GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP
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He is the newcomer to the coaching position at this World Cup: Walid Regraui took over the divided Moroccan team from Vahid Halilhodžić in August.
And formed a team that beat three co-favourites: Belgium, Spain and Portugal.
Photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
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Lionel Messi was no different in the semifinals against Croatia.
Marcelo Brozović pulls on the pants of the world footballer, which should be worth a lot, especially after the dream solo before Argentina's 3-0.
Messi was directly involved in two goals, he scored another - safely from the penalty spot.
Photo: HANNAH MCKAY / REUTERS
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The Argentine team is so dangerous at this World Cup because they don't just have football virtuosos like Messi.
But also players like David MacAllister, who takes the horns of Croatian superstar Luka Modrić in this picture.
For Modrić it should have been the last World Cup.
Even if there is no officially announced decision about the future of the 37-year-old.
Photo:
Natacha Pisarenko / AP
