Group C of the 2022 FIFA World Cup took place from 22 to 30 November 2022. The group consisted of national association football teams representing Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland. The top two teams, Argentina and Poland, advanced to the round of 16. Argentina won the group, defeating Poland and Mexico having lost their first match against Saudi Arabia. Poland and Mexico both finished on four points, winning matches over Saudi Arabia and losing to Argentina. Poland finished second on goal difference, defeating Saudi Arabia 20, whilst Mexico only won 21. This marked the first time that Mexico did not advance past the first round since 1978.
Teams The teams were decided by the World Cup draw that took place on 1 April 2022. The group was set to receive one team from each pot, which sorted all World Cup teams by position on the FIFA World Rankings. The first team drawn was Argentina, who secured qualification as a pot one team following their second place finish in CONMEBOL qualification. The second pot team, Mexico qualified as runner-up in the third round of CONCACAF qualifying. The third team was Poland, who was the UEfA second round path B winner. Saudi Arabia were the pot four team, having won Group B in the third round of AFC qualifying.
+FIFA World Cup Group C draw Draw position Team Pot Confederation Method ofqualification Date ofqualification Finalsappearance Lastappearance Previous bestperformance FIFA Rankings March 2022 October 2022 C1 1 CONMEBOL CONMEBOL round robin runners-up 16 November 2021 18th 2018 Winners (1978, 1986) 4 3 C2 4 AFC AFC third round Group B winners 24 March 2022 6th 2018 Round of 16 (1994) 49 51 C3 2 CONCACAF CONCACAF third round runners-up 30 March 2022 17th 2018 Quarter-finals (1970, 1986) 9 13 C4 3 UEFA UEFA second round Path B winners 29 March 2022 9th 2018 Third place (1974, 1982) 26 26 Notes
Standings
In the round of 16: The winners of Group C, Argentina, advanced to play the runners-up of Group D, Australia. The runners-up of Group C, Poland, advanced to play the winners of Group D, France.
Matches Matches took place from 22 to 30 November 2022. All times listed are local, AST (UTC+3).
Argentina vs Saudi Arabia Argentina had faced Saudi Arabia four times prior to the tournament, most recently in 2012, a 0–0 friendly. Argentina took the lead in the 10th minute with a penalty from Lionel Messi, awarded for a foul on Leandro Paredes, which he rolled into the left corner. Argentina would have three further first-half goals ruled out for marginal offsides, once from Messi and twice from Lautaro Martínez. In the second half, Saudi Arabia would quickly find an equalizer, with Saleh Al-Shehri converting a low shot into the net's right corner in the 48th minute. Saudi Arabia then took the lead five minutes later when Salem Al-Dawsari curled the ball into the right corner of the net from just inside the penalty area. Following nearly fourteen minutes of stoppage time caused by a delay in the match due to Saudi defender Yasser Al-Shahrani colliding with his own goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais, Saudi Arabia managed to see out the victory.
Saudi Arabia's victory ended Argentina's 36-match unbeaten streak, dating back to 2019. According to Gracenote, the win was the "most surprising" in World Cup history, with many calling it one of the biggest World Cup upsets of all time. This was also the first World Cup since 1990 in which Argentina lost their opening match. Following their eventual victory in the final, Argentina became just the second side to win the tournament despite losing their first game; Spain did the same in 2010 after losing their opener against Switzerland.
GK 23Emiliano MartínezRB 26Nahuel MolinaCB 13Cristian Romero CB 19Nicolás OtamendiLB 3 Nicolás Tagliafico CM 7 Rodrigo De PaulCM 5 Leandro Paredes RW 11Ángel Di MaríaLW 17Papu Gómez CF 10Lionel Messi (c)CF 22Lautaro MartínezSubstitutions:DF 25Lisandro Martínez FW 9 Julián Alvarez MF 24Enzo Fernández MF 8 Marcos Acuña Manager:Lionel Scaloni GK 21Mohammed Al-Owais RB 12Saud Abdulhamid CB 17Hassan Al-TombaktiCB 5 Ali Al-Bulaihi LB 13Yasser Al-Shahrani DM 8 Abdulellah Al-Malki RM 9 Firas Al-Buraikan CM 7 Salman Al-Faraj (c) CM 23Mohamed KannoLM 10Salem Al-Dawsari CF 11Saleh Al-Shehri Substitutions:MF 18Nawaf Al-Abed DF 2 Sultan Al-Ghannam DF 4 Abdulelah Al-Amri FW 25Haitham Asiri DF 6 Mohammed Al-Breik Manager: Hervé Renard
Man of the Match: Mohammed Al-Owais (Saudi Arabia)
Assistant referees: Tomaž Klančnik (Slovenia) Andraž Kovačič (Slovenia) Fourth official: Maguette Ndiaye (Senegal) Reserve assistant referee: El Hadj Malick Samba (Senegal) Video assistant referee: Pol van Boekel (Netherlands) Assistant video assistant referees: Bastian Dankert (Germany) Abdelhak Etchiali (Algeria) Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea (Spain) Stand-by assistant video assistant referee: Nicolas Danos (France)
Mexico vs Poland Mexico and Poland had played eight times previously, including once in a World Cup, the 3–1 first group stage victory for Poland in 1978, and most recently in 2017, a 1–0 win for Mexico in a friendly. The only shot on target of the first half was from Mexico's Jorge Sánchez, which was punched away by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny. In the 54th minute, Poland captain Robert Lewandowski was awarded a penalty after the video assistant referee judged that Héctor Moreno had fouled him inside the penalty area. Guillermo Ochoa saved the penalty taken by Lewandowski, diving to his left, and the game stayed goalless. At the other end of the field, Mexico had a chance to win the game as a ball into the penalty area from Edson Álvarez went towards Henry Martín who attempted to head the ball beyond Szczęsny; however, the Poland goalkeeper managed to beat the ball away.
Poland failed to win their opening match in a World Cup for the eighth time, having won just one of their nine opening tournament games, though for the first time since 1986, they did not lose the opener.
GK 13Guillermo Ochoa (c)RB 19Jorge Sánchez CB 3 César MontesCB 15Héctor Moreno LB 23Jesús GallardoDM 4 Edson ÁlvarezCM 16Héctor Herrera CM 24Luis ChávezRF 22Hirving LozanoCF 20Henry Martín LF 10Alexis Vega Substitutions:MF 8 Carlos Rodríguez FW 9 Raúl Jiménez FW 21Uriel Antuna Other disciplinary actions: — Jorge Theiler Manager: Gerardo Martino GK 1 Wojciech SzczęsnyCB 18Bartosz BereszyńskiCB 15Kamil GlikCB 14Jakub KiwiorDM 10Grzegorz KrychowiakCM 13Jakub KamińskiCM 19Sebastian Szymański RW 2 Matty CashLW 21Nicola Zalewski CF 20Piotr Zieliński CF 9 Robert Lewandowski (c)Substitutions:MF 6 Krystian Bielik MF 24Przemysław Frankowski FW 7 Arkadiusz Milik Manager:Czesław Michniewicz
Man of the Match: Guillermo Ochoa (Mexico)
Assistant referees: Anton Shchetinin (Australia) Ashley Beecham (Australia) Fourth official: Stéphanie Frappart (France) Reserve assistant referee: Neuza Back (Brazil) Video assistant referee: Shaun Evans (Australia) Assistant video assistant referees: Nicolás Gallo (Colombia) Martín Soppi (Uruguay) Juan Soto (Venezuela) Stand-by assistant video assistant referee: Djibril Camara (Senegal)
Poland vs Saudi Arabia Poland and Saudi Arabia were playing for the fifth time, the most recent previous match a 2–1 win for Poland in a friendly match in 2006. Piotr Zieliński scored the opening goal for Poland in the 39th minute when he shot high to the net from six yards out after the ball was passed from the right. At the end of the first half, Saleh Al-Shehri was fouled in the box and awarded a penalty kick. However, Salem Al-Dawsari's attempt was saved by Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny diving low to his right. In the second half, an error by Abdulellah Al-Malki led to Robert Lewandowski winning the ball and scoring his first World Cup goal in the 82nd minute shooting low to the net, as Poland would win the match 2–0. This was the first time Poland had gone unbeaten in their opening two World Cup games since 1986.
GK 1 Wojciech SzczęsnyCB 18Bartosz BereszyńskiCB 15Kamil GlikCB 14Jakub Kiwior RM 2 Matty Cash CM 6 Krystian BielikCM 10Grzegorz KrychowiakLM 24Przemysław FrankowskiAM 20Piotr Zieliński CF 7 Arkadiusz Milik CF 9 Robert Lewandowski (c)Substitutions:MF 13Jakub Kamiński FW 23Krzysztof Piątek Manager:Czesław Michniewicz GK 21Mohammed Al-OwaisRB 12Saud AbdulhamidCB 4 Abdulelah Al-Amri CB 5 Ali Al-BulaihiLB 6 Mohammed Al-Breik DM 8 Abdulellah Al-Malki CM 16Sami Al-Najei CM 23Mohamed KannoRW 9 Firas Al-BuraikanLW 10Salem Al-Dawsari (c)CF 11Saleh Al-Shehri Substitutions:MF 18Nawaf Al-Abed DF 2 Sultan Al-Ghannam FW 20Abdulrahman Al-Aboud MF 24Nasser Al-Dawsari FW 19Hattan Bahebri Other disciplinary actions: — Laurent Bonadei Manager: Hervé Renard
Man of the Match: Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
Assistant referees: Bruno Boschilia (Brazil) Bruno Pires (Brazil) Fourth official: Kevin Ortega (Peru) Reserve assistant referee: Michael Orué (Peru) Video assistant referee: Drew Fischer (Canada) Assistant video assistant referees: Armando Villarreal (United States) Nicolás Taran (Uruguay) Leodán González (Uruguay) Stand-by assistant video assistant referee: Martín Soppi (Uruguay)
Argentina vs Mexico
Argentina and Mexico had faced each other in 35 previous matches including at the FIFA World Cup on three previous occasions, with Argentina winning all three matches: a 6–3 group stage victory in 1930, a 2–1 round of 16 win in 2006, and another round of 16 victory by a 3–1 scoreline in 2010.
After a goalless first half, Lionel Messi put Argentina in the lead in the 64th minute with a shot from outside the penalty area. Enzo Fernández made it 2–0 and secured the win in the 87th minute with a curled finish in the top right corner of the net. Messi's assist for Fernández's goal made him the first player to record assists at five different World Cups. The match's reported attendance of 88,966 was the highest for a World Cup fixture since the 94,194 spectators at the Rose Bowl for the 1994 final.
GK 23Emiliano MartínezRB 4 Gonzalo Montiel CB 19Nicolás OtamendiCB 25Lisandro MartínezLB 8 Marcos AcuñaCM 7 Rodrigo De PaulCM 18Guido Rodríguez RW 11Ángel Di María LW 20Alexis Mac Allister CF 10Lionel Messi (c)CF 22Lautaro Martínez Substitutions:MF 24Enzo Fernández FW 9 Julián Alvarez DF 26Nahuel Molina MF 14Exequiel Palacios DF 13Cristian Romero Manager:Lionel Scaloni GK 13Guillermo OchoaCB 2 Néstor Araujo CB 3 César MontesCB 15Héctor MorenoRWB26Kevin Álvarez LWB23Jesús GallardoCM 24Luis ChávezCM 16Héctor Herrera CM 18Andrés Guardado (c) CF 22Hirving Lozano CF 10Alexis Vega Substitutions:MF 14Érick Gutiérrez FW 9 Raúl Jiménez FW 21Uriel Antuna FW 25Roberto Alvarado Manager: Gerardo Martino
Man of the Match: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
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) Roberto Díaz Pérez del Palomar (Spain) Jérôme Brisard (France) Stand-by assistant video assistant referee: Jerson dos Santos (Angola)
Poland vs Argentina