5 funniest moments from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Like any other World Cup, this year’s edition of the biggest tournament in the world was filled with plenty of unforgettable moments. 

From the Asian teams’ upset against traditional football powerhouses, to Morocco’s magical run to become the first African nation to reach the semi-finals, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 certainly did not disappoint.

Apart from the many memorable moments, there were also numerous funny ones as well throughout the tournament. 

Here are five of them:

Saudi Arabia managed to pull off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history as they beat fan favourites and third-ranked Argentina 2-1 in the opening Group C match on Nov 22.

Given that the Argentines came into the game with an impressive 36-match winning streak, many expected an easy win for themover 51st-ranked Saudi Arabia. The Falcon’s unexpected victory understandably left the Saudis in a state of euphoria. 

However, one fan perhaps got a little too excited following the win, as he walked into a live South Korean news broadcast to ask: “Where is Messi?”

As he humorously searched his surroundings to ‘look’ for the Argentine forward, the South Korean presenter could not help but laugh along with some onlooking Saudi fans in spite of the interruption of the broadcast.

But the situation got even more amusing later on in the tournament. The Saudi fan was spotted supporting Argentina in the team’s 3-0 semi-final win over Croatia, and posted a video explaining that he switched sides as he “made a promise” to his Argentine fans that he would support them if they made it to the finals. 

While it might have been quite a shameless thing to do, you have to give props to the guy for being a good sport and living up to his word.

Another World Cup sensation came in the form of Abubakr Abbass, otherwise known as the ‘metro guy’.

The 23-year-old Kenyan international working as a World Cup employee rose to fame after charming thousands of fans in Doha by performing his duties as an usher and chanting the word “Metro”.

His seemingly mundane job of directing fans to the Souq Wafiq Metro Station was captured the attention of many due to his enthusiasm, which earned him a great deal of internet fame as well, with close to 35 million views on TikTok under the hashtag #metroguy.

The FIFA World Cup committee also recognised the 23-year-old’s positive influence on the tournament and awarded him with an opportunity to watch the group-stage clash between England and the United States.

To the amusement of many fans, he even got the chance to stand in front of the nearly packed Al Bayt Stadium and chant “Metro!” before the game.

Through the years, the Brazil football team have become characteristically known for its exciting style of play which places great emphasis on skillfulness and style.

Just as with any other World Cup, football fans from all around the world got to witness some of the Brazilian flair at this year’s tournament, most notably in their 4-1 knockout stage win against South Korea.

The most memorable of Brazil’s four goals came in the 29th minute of the game, where forward Richarlison spectacularly juggled the ball with his head and combined with defenders Marquinhos and Thiago Silva to earn their third goal.

The celebrations, however, were just as eye-catching as the goal, as the entire Brazilian team – along with 61-year-old coach Tite – joined Richarlison to perform his signature ‘pigeon’ celebration.

While Brazil subsequently saw a quarter-final exit against Croatia, they were still able to make this year’s World Cup a memorable one, especially for Tite who resigned from his managerial post shortly after their exit.

Morocco made history as they became the first African nation to make it to the semi-finals stage in the World Cup. Among their standout players this tournament is 24-year-old Achraf Hakimi, who scored a decisive penalty to the win over Spain at the knockout stage.

Despite the weight of the entire nation on his shoulders, Hakimi dispatched a panenka shot in the penalty shootout calmly to help Morocco win in the quarter-finals. 

As Hakimi’s teammates sprinted to him with pure elation and the fans in the Education City Stadium went wild, Hakimi pulled out a rather unexpected celebration that left many fans confused, yet amused.

Hakimi’s penguin waddle celebration was something he commonly did with Spanish defender and current Paris Saint-Germain teammate Sergio Ramos. 

This led to speculations from many fans online that Hakimi’s celebration was a tribute to Ramos and some form of ‘payback’ for the Spaniard, who had surprisingly been left out of the Spanish World Cup squad.

The final matches of the group stage never fail to deliver entertaining games as teams give their all to earn qualification to the knockout stages.

Over at the Khalifa International Stadium, an intense Group A match between Senegal and Ecuador was underway with qualification to the knockout stages at stake for both sides. However, highlights of the game extended beyond that on the pitch, as in the 82nd minute, the camera caught something highly unexpected and hilarious among the stands.

A Moroccan fan was seen dancing along with a large sea of Senegalese fans who were celebrating their side’s 2-1 lead. Perhaps what made it funnier was that he was able to perform every move almost perfectly, making it seem as though he was one with the Senegalese supporters.

The Moroccan fan even made an appearance once more in Senegal’s next match in the knockout stage game against England. Despite the defeat of the Lions of Teranga in that game, he was still seen in high spirits as he joined the Senegalese fans in cheering on the team.

While it was undeniably one of the funniest moments at this year’s World Cup, many fans online also pointed out that there was a deeper meaning behind the act of the Moroccan supporter, as it showed the beauty of football in bringing people across the world together.