47 of the best 2022 World Cup photos from Getty Images

The World Cup is one of the most dramatic events in sports and these photos from Getty Images captured every striking moment.

The photographers of Getty Images did a fantastic job of capturing the 2022 World Cup from every angle — the highs and the lows, the biggest moments and the most dramatic goals.

Their staff has shared some of their favorite images from the tournament and explained the stories behind the photos.

Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Winner’s Trophy after the team’s victory during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022, in Lusail City, Qatar.

This image of Lionel Messi on the shoulders of Sergio Aguero is reminiscent of the scenes in 1986 as Maradona of Argentina held the World Cup trophy aloft in the Azteca Stadium. This time there was a moment of comedy as Messi had to avoid hitting his head as they passed under the crossbar.

— David Ramos

Lionel Messi of Argentina lifts the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Winner’s Trophy after the team’s victory during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022, in Lusail City, Qatar.

It was the moment I was hoping for to end the great story of this Final. I was assigned to cover the match from the catwalk. A position in the roof of the stadium that offers a unique bird’s view on the field of play. I was up there, equipped with my harness, safety lanyards and helmet to cover one of the most amazing football finals ever. We all had the famous image in mind from the World Cup 1986, when Maradona was carried through the stadium on shoulders. We hoped for something similar. We had to wait a long time as Messi spent time with the family after the ceremony but then it happened. I shot this frame with Messi surrounded by fans and photographers to show the gravity of the moment.

— Matthias Hangst

Emiliano Martinez of Argentina saves the second penalty from Kingsley Coman of France in the penalty shootout during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022, in Lusail City, Qatar.

Emiliano Martinez saves…what a final! Honestly, at 2-0 down at halftime I never expected France to come back into the match. But not only did they manage that but also had a chance to win but Martinez made a fantastic save during the penalty shootout. This save put the pressure on France. In this photo, I wanted to isolate Martinez from all the surroundings and focus on his big moment. It was an incredible final to witness – Argentina as World Champions again after last winning in 1986 which was my first World Cup.

— Shaun Botterill

Achraf Dari of Morocco reacts after the 0-2 loss during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 semi-final match between France and Morocco at Al Bayt Stadium on December 14, 2022, in Al Khor, Qatar.

As a team who did so well at the World Cup, it was important to also show Morocco’s disappointment after losing against France, who then qualified for the final. I took this from the catwalk up above. It’s always hard to pick up a position there because a lot of things are happening on the field and around the stadium. So, the best way is to pick a position and then stick to it, and hope you will get the best action, celebration, or in this case defeat.

— Maja Hitij

Kylian Mbappe of France reacts during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 semi-final match between France and Morocco at Al Bayt Stadium on December 14, 2022, in Al Khor, Qatar.

Kylian Mbappe is the star of the French side, and he came very close to scoring a brilliant goal in their Semi-Final match against Morocco. This image is his reaction to watching his shot come agonizingly close, throwing his hands and head to the sky in anguish. By shooting this tight, it really accentuates the emotion on his face.

— Dan Mullan

Fans look on during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 semi-final match between France and Morocco at Al Bayt Stadium on December 14, 2022, in Al Khor, Qatar.

The photo is taken from a catwalk angle, so we are above the fans with your camera, so I was overlooking the Moroccan fans in the Semifinal match against France. I like the sea of read and pops of white and green throughout.

— Maja Hitij

Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates after the 3-0 win during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 semi-final match between Argentina and Croatia at Lusail Stadium on December 13, 2022, in Lusail City, Qatar.

While taking this photo, I thought, “will this be Messi and Argentina’s World Cup?” With so many fans here to support the team, his face lights up when he sees them and knows here, they are one step closer to winning and achieving the one thing he hasn’t won so far.

— Shaun Botterill

Julian Alvarez of Argentina celebrates with Lionel Messi of Argentina after scoring his team’s third goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 semi-final match between Argentina and Croatia at Lusail Stadium on December 13, 2022, in Lusail City, Qatar.

I was not lucky enough this World Cup to get a nice celebration photo after Messi or Argentina scored. But I like this picture because it shows how he is celebrating with a younger player who scored a goal thanks to his pass. So, this was a bit after the team celebrated and left the huddle and then Messi and Julian Alvarez hugged.

— Maja Hitij

Jude Bellingham of England speaks to Referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarter-final match between England and France at Al Bayt Stadium on December 10, 2022, in Al Khor, Qatar.

At this level, small margins make the difference between winning and losing. Jude Bellingham was frustrated that a penalty was awarded but the player who made the foul was not red-carded. Being UK-based you can’t help but feel a little flat when the UK teams go out of the tournament.

— Shaun Botterill

Sofiane Boufal of Morocco celebrates with his Mother after the team’s 1-0 victory in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarter-final match between Morocco and Portugal at Al Thumama Stadium on December 10, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

As photographers, we are always seeking the human touch in our photos, and this was one that will live on forever for Sofiane Boufal of Morocco as he celebrated with his mother after the team’s 1-0 victory in the quarter-final match between Morocco and Portugal. Pure joy – there is nothing more rewarding than celebrating a big win over a team one isn’t expected to beat. What is even more gratifying is sharing that moment with teammates and family. In this case, Boufal brought his mother onto the pitch to dance at the moment. Lovely and memorable for all witnessing.

— Patrick Smith 

Youssef En-Nesyri of Morocco heads to score the team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarter-final match between Morocco and Portugal at Al Thumama Stadium on December 10, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

Youssef En-Nesyri of Morocco leaped above the Portugal keeper to score the winning goal and knocked Portugal out of the competition. I shot this goal with my hand-held camera, which in turn triggered the remote camera behind the goal, resulting in this image. It’s tough with the remote cameras to get things perfectly placed, but in this instance, it’s a really unique angle to see En-Nesyri looking right at the camera and Portugal’s keeper, Diogo Costa, in his rearview and the defender falling mid-air.

— Justin Setterfield

Argentina players celebrate after their win in the penalty shootout as Netherlands players react during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarter-final match between Netherlands and Argentina at Lusail Stadium on December 9, 2022, in Lusail City, Qatar.

The quarterfinal match between the Netherlands and Argentina was closer than I thought it would be. After extra time, two 15-minute extra time sessions, it went into penalty kicks. Throughout the match, it was very chippy. Both sides were going after each other aggressively and there were a lot of yellow cards issued throughout the match – not just on the field but on the benches too. I was working with a team of seven and we had a plan as to what each of us had to do if we went into penalty kicks.

I was shooting from an elevated position and had a remote camera set up in front of me that was initially framed on the goal. During the penalty kick, I adjusted it to where the teams were standing. I triggered the camera with a foot pedal so while I was shooting the actual kick, I fired the camera on the teams at the same time. I like to show both sides when it comes to reaction pictures. I call it happy and sad. This was a hard-fought contest and I knew that the reaction would be great. I wanted to show both team’s reactions to tell the story in one frame.

— Elsa

Raphael Guerreiro of Portugal celebrates with teammates after scoring the team’s fourth goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Switzerland at Lusail Stadium on December 6, 2022, in Lusail City, Qatar.

Raphael Guerreiro scored against Switzerland. We were expecting a close match, but Portugal ran up the score 6-1. Often after a player scores, they celebrate alone, and once joined by teammates they huddle together so we are unable to see faces. This celebration lined up well with layers of teammates – I like the shape they make together.

— Maddie Meyer

Croatia players celebrate after winning the penalty shoot-out during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between Japan and Croatia at Al Janoub Stadium on December 5, 2022, in Al Wakrah, Qatar.

After 90 minutes of normal time, and another 30 minutes of extra time, Croatia and Japan couldn’t be separated. So, a penalty shootout was the only way to decide a winner. As it turned out the Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic would be the star of the show, saving three penalties and putting Croatia through to the next round. The moment in this picture is Livakovic celebrating as his teammates run from the halfway line to join him and jump into his arms. The emotion on his teammates’ faces tells you everything you need to know about this match.

— Dan Mullan

Olivier Giroud of France attempts an overhead kick as Kamil Glik of Poland defends during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between France and Poland at Al Thumama Stadium on December 4, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

For this image, I was once again shooting from an elevated position near the center press tribune. France is a fun team to cover as they have many tremendously athletic players – Olivier Giroud is one of my favorites. From the elevated position, it is a bit easier to see the play develop. I can see who is open and can react a bit faster as there isn’t the traffic of other players blocking my view that I would normally have pitch level. I saw that Giroud was wide open as a high pass came his way. He nearly scored on this play.

— Elsa

Bukayo Saka of England scores the team’s third goal past Ismail Jakobs and Edouard Mendy of Senegal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between England and Senegal at Al Bayt Stadium on December 4, 2022, in Al Khor, Qatar.

This was from a round of 16 match, where everything was on the line. My position in this match was different from what I had been doing in the group stage. This time I circulated freely around the stadium, looking for different images that the typical photographer positions wouldn’t have. It was challenging, but at the same time, it gave me a lot of freedom. I took a chance with England’s attack and it turned out well. This photo was of the third and final goal and was taken from the stands. It allowed me to have a clean background and synthesize the full action of Bukayo Saka’s goal.

— Hector Vivas

Kylian Mbappe of France battles for possession with Matty Cash of Poland during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between France and Poland at Al Thumama Stadium on December 4, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

There are fantastic players in this tournament, and then there are the MEGA STARS of World football that steal all the attention! Kylian M’Bappe of France certainly fits that criteria and was also a star performer on this night scoring two sensational goals so I was looking for a picture to illustrate his skill and pace. I achieved this shot by using an incredibly slow shutter speed while panning my camera exactly in tune with his movement – not an easy technique to achieve such a sharp and clearly recognizable face. 

— Laurence Griffiths

Olivier Giroud of France celebrates after scoring the team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between France and Poland at Al Thumama Stadium on December 4, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

This image of Giroud’s celebration of the first goal against Poland in the quarter-finals was taken from an exclusive position on the catwalk of the Al Thumama stadium. The catwalk gives us a new perspective on the game, but in this particular case, I think the traces that his knees left on the grass as they slid during the celebration are the ones that really make the picture.

— David Ramos

Giovanni Reyna and Tyler Adams of United States look dejected after their sides’ elimination from the tournament during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between Netherlands and USA at Khalifa International Stadium on December 3, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

The USA is always a big story globally in any international sporting event, but even more so in the States with so much hope of this being the year the team advances further in the world’s biggest football tournament. After a thrilling goal that propelled them into the Round of 16, the team found themselves dejected after giving it their all and their sides’ elimination from the tournament after being defeated by the Netherlands. Having access to the bench as a partner with FIFA, this image summed up the heartache of Giovanni Reyna and Tyler Adams – and the entire squad.

— Patrick Smith

Walker Zimmerman of United States battles for possession with Christian Pulisic of United States during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between Netherlands and USA at Khalifa International Stadium on December 3, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

I was up in the catwalk which is a view that gives a different perspective to what we normally see on television. This is a really dynamic moment between these players that shows the impact of strength and power and fight for possession.

— Matthias Hangst

Aleksandar Mitrovic of Serbia protests to referee Fernando Andres Rapallini during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group G match between Serbia and Switzerland at Stadium 974 on December 2, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

Here, Aleksandar Mitrovic of Serbia protests to referee Fernando Andres Rapallini during the match between Serbia and Switzerland. With matches played at this high of a level, a few calls made by the referee can change the course of the game. Tension ran high in this extremely physical match, and you can see that in the look between these two!

— Maddie Meyer

Heungmin Son of Korea Republic speaks to his teammates after the 2-1 win during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group H match between Korea Republic and Portugal at Education City Stadium on December 2, 2022, in Al Rayyan, Qatar.

One of my favorite teams to photograph is South Korea. They always seem so positive. I’d shot their last match and their qualification to the next round wasn’t looking good. They got the result they needed by beating Portugal but were waiting for the other match to finish to see if they had done enough. Shooting for FIFA we are lucky to get in exclusive positions — Heungmin Son and his teammates were watching the other match on a mobile phone and as captain he was there encouraging his team to be positive and believe that they’d done enough, waiting for the whistle to blow.

— Shaun Botterill

Assistant referee Karen Diaz Medina looks on during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E match between Costa Rica and Germany at Al Bayt Stadium on December 1, 2022, in Al Khor, Qatar.

One of my favorite days of the tournament was the Costa Rica v Germany match. I was assigned to focus my coverage on the first female referee team of a World Cup match, made up of Karen Diaz Medina, Stephanie Frappart, and Neuza Ines Back. Referees have to be athletes themselves to work matches, and one of my goals was working to illustrate their fitness and intensity. This is an image of Karen Diaz Medina, dripping with sweat, watching a play from the corner flag. These women made history and I was so happy to be able to cover it.

— Maddie Meyer

Walid Regragui, Head Coach of Morocco, celebrates with the team after their qualification to the knockout stages during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group F match between Canada and Morocco at Al Thumama Stadium on December 1, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

Throughout the tournament, everything about Morocco has been brilliant to photograph. The passion from both the team and the fans is incredible. After every match they won, the team would throw their head coach into the air, he seemed to get higher every game. People often think that once the final whistle blows then we as photographers have finished, but there is so much that happens after so it’s important to keep shooting so you can capture moments like this.

— Catherine Ivill

Referees Stephanie Frappart, Neuza Ines Back and Karen Diaz Medina walk off the pitch after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E match between Costa Rica and Germany at Al Bayt Stadium on December 1, 2022, in Al Khor, Qatar.

Here, Referees Stephanie Frappart, Neuza Ines Back and Karen Diaz Medina walk off the pitch after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E match between Costa Rica and Germany. This match was historic because it was the first one refereed by an entirely female team of referees on the pitch. This image came after the final whistle of the women walking off of the pitch. I like it because it gives a sense of scale. Though the stadium is huge these women hold a strong presence as they did during the match.

— Maddie Meyer

Gavi of Spain kicks off during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E match between Japan and Spain at Khalifa International Stadium on December 1, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

For this World Cup, we were allowed to shoot from the catwalk for certain matches. Shooting from the catwalk allows me to play with shapes and the graphics of the pitch. Every match I shot the opening kickoff, and this was the best way to make it interesting that I could come up with from that vantage point. Most of my catwalk matches were played at night so there wasn’t light or shadows on the field to use in a picturesque sort of way, so I had to use other elements to make something interesting.

— Elsa

Mexico players walk off the pitch at half time during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match between Saudi Arabia and Mexico at Lusail Stadium on November 30, 2022, in Lusail City, Qatar.

Surprisingly, Mexico had a really disappointing World Cup. I always look forward to shooting their matches as they are so well supported with passionate and extremely noisy fans, but sadly the team just did not deliver for them. As a photojournalist, I am always looking for an image to tell the story of the match. I was positioned in the media tribune, high above the Team benches, so at halftime, I always look to shoot players walking off the field. It’s rare that they all come off in a formation that makes a picture but on this occasion, things went to plan.

— Laurence Griffiths

Iliman Ndiaye of Senegal battles for possession with Piero Hincapie of Ecuador during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group A match between Ecuador and Senegal at Khalifa International Stadium on November 29, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

This image is a funny one from the match between Ecuador and Senegal. The timing was just right to have the ball cover the face of Piero Hincapie. These matches have so much intensity sometimes a lighter photo like this is a good one to have in our coverage.

— Maddie Meyer

United States players line up for the national anthem prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between IR Iran and USA at Al Thumama Stadium on November 29, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

Once the match kicks off, us photographers have assigned seats and you’re not allowed to move from there, but before that we are able to move around with a bit more freedom. One of the moments that is good to capture is the national anthems – you see both the passion and pride of the players as they sing their anthem. At this tournament, the countries’ flags are paraded on the field as their teams enter and are then positioned off to the side. With that in mind I managed to position myself directly behind the flag and shoot the players singing the national anthem in front of the famous stars and stripes.

— Dan Mullan

Angelo Preciado of Ecuador reacts after the 1-2 loss during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group A match between Ecuador and Senegal at Khalifa International Stadium on November 29, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

All of these players spend four years preparing to go to battle on the pitch with the hopes of hoisting the World Cup. But for a large portion of them, they never make it out of the Group Stage. Angelo Preciado of Ecuador reacted on the bench after their 2-1 loss during the match between Ecuador and Senegal. As a photographer, I often feel as if victory is easy to capture. But communicating the shattering of dreams is often a difficult one as you really must blend into the scene without affecting it with your presence. Preciado was so in the moment of loss that I was able to work my way closer and closer until this image filled the frame to tell the sadness of their loss.

— Patrick Smith

Photographers look on from the sidelines as Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal reacts prior to kick-off during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group H match between Portugal and Uruguay at Lusail Stadium on November 28, 2022, in Lusail City, Qatar.

It’s amazing the attention certain players get from the world’s media. Cristiano Ronaldo generated a lot of headlines at this tournament, sadly not for his performances on the pitch which ultimately lost him his place in the starting lineup. Regardless, he remains one of the most iconic players and the demand for content is amazing. I felt this picture illustrated the massive media attention that surrounds his every move.

— Laurence Griffiths

Youri Tielemans of Belgium looks on during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group F match between Belgium and Morocco at Al Thumama Stadium on November 27, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

Not overly sure why this happened but I’m glad it did. I’m sure fans of Belgium or Morocco would know for sure why but it was a great few seconds when the crowd all turned on their phone lights and lit up in the background. Shooting on a long lens with a wide aperture, the bokeh created by the many pinpoints of light, created the effect. I just had to be patient and wait for someone or something to be close enough to the lens to create the effect. Luckily for me, Youri Tielemans was wandering past and in profile, I thought it made a lovely frame.

— Clive Mason

Players walk onto the pitch prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E match between Spain and Germany at Al Bayt Stadium on November 27, 2022, in Al Khor, Qatar.

The players walk into the pitch prior to the match between Spain and Germany. Everything around the pre-match show is well organized and planned. I wanted to show this and the walking of the teams worked quite well to illustrate it. It looked the same every day. It’s always nice to have a different look from another perspective which is normally not seen on TV.

— Matthias Hangst

Players walk out of the tunnel prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E match between Japan and Costa Rica at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on November 27, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

Being inside the tunnel gives us a different way of telling the story of the game, and in this Japan v Costa Rica game, I had the opportunity to photograph this moment before the game. This was one of the last games that were played in the group stage at 1 p.m, so I had intense sun in the stadium and I was able to do this play of light where I was exposed to the light from inside the tunnel, letting the sunlight from outside would be overexposed giving this result.

— Hector Vivas

Belgium players huddle prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group F match between Belgium and Morocco at Al Thumama Stadium on November 27, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

Belgium always does this big team huddle. It’s part of their pre-match routine so you can plan for it as a photographer. I wanted to get a shot that brought people right into the heart of the squad so instead of trying to shoot over the backs, I quickly ducked down and stuck the camera between a player’s legs. You have to get in and out quickly because you don’t want a player to step back and fall over you.

— Michael Regan

Keysher Fuller of Costa Rica controls the ball under pressure from Takuma Asano of Japan during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E match between Japan and Costa Rica at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on November 27, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

Having unreal access for the Japan and Costa Rica game, I was locked to the safety railings of the catwalk of Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. This vantage during the day gave our team a unique angle to tell the story of the game. As Keysher Fuller of Costa Rica controlled the ball under pressure of Takuma Asano of Japan, the shadows lined up perfectly. It’s one of my favorite images of the tournament as it’s clean, graphic and telling.

— Patrick Smith

Richarlison of Brazil celebrates after scoring their team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group G match between Brazil and Serbia at Lusail Stadium on November 24, 2022, in Lusail City, Qatar.

Richarlison had one of the most spectacular goals in the World Cup during this game against Serbia and this was the celebration of the first of his goals. My position on the pitch at the time was next to the team benches, a position for FIFA photographers that gives us different photo options than other photographers, but at the same time, you have to deal with the warm-up of substitute players in front of you and television cameras. This was one of the last moments of their celebration and I captured it with a 400mm lens — focusing in on his pure emotion.

— Hector Vivas

Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal converts the penalty to score their team’s first goal past Lawrence Ati Zigi of Ghana during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group H match between Portugal and Ghana at Stadium 974 on November 24, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

Remote cameras are crucial to our game coverage at major events and help set us apart from competitors. Setting up remote cameras throughout the stadium gives us a vantage point on the field of play in areas where you otherwise would not be able to sit and shoot handheld. In football photography, a remote camera behind the goal is bread and butter – you do it every game, but it doesn’t always yield. So, you keep setting it up, game after game, hoping you’ll get something sharp, hoping you’ll be able to clearly see an athlete’s face, hoping you’ll capture the peak moment of a big play. In this photo, with the remote placement and focus set by myself, and the camera triggered by my colleague Clive Brunskill, frozen in time is the moment Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty to score a goal for Portugal, making him the first man to score in five different World Cup tournaments. I really like the look of suspense on Ronaldo’s face, as well as the dive during the save attempt by Lawrence Ati Zigi of Ghana.

— Sarah Stier

Jamal Musiala of Germany reacts after a missed chance during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E match between Germany and Japan at Khalifa International Stadium on November 23, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

Here, Jamal Musiala is reacting to a missed chance against Japan. It was Germany’s first match and as always Japan isn’t an easy opponent. They always seem to be improving with the majority of their players playing outside Japan. Germany is a team that starts tournaments slowly but their form recently hasn’t been good so there was a lot of pressure on the team to perform well. This picture was taken in the second half and was probably the best chance they had to win the game. Musiala has been one of the best players of the World Cup even though he is very young. I am pretty sure that he will be a big star in the future. He already stands out at Bayern Munich and will only get better, and hopefully next time I have a celebration picture!

— Stuart Franklin

Marcelo Brozovic of Croatia defends a free kick during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group F match between Morocco and Croatia at Al Bayt Stadium on November 23, 2022, in Al Khor, Qatar.

In this moment, I saw how the freekick was happening for Morocco and the shooter was right-footed. It wouldn’t make a great picture from where I was positioned if I stayed on him, but then I saw Marcelo Brozovic of Croatia lay down behind his teammates who built the wall. I thought that’s maybe a funnier picture when they all jump up and Brozovic on the field, so I shot it tight to bring the attention more to him on the ground. I was happy with the result which I think turned out quite funny and different from most action shots.

— Lars Baron

Mohammed Al-Owais of Saudi Arabia collides with teammate Yasser Al-Shahrani during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia at Lusail Stadium on November 22, 2022, in Lusail City, Qatar.

This was an awkward moment when the goalkeeper came out to clear his lines while colliding with his own defender and an Argentinian player. It’s one of those moments where all three players made an attempt to play the ball but in the end, they all clashed and left a few sore heads afterward. Taken from the tribune, it’s a very clean angle shooting on a 500mm lens which shows the moment nicely with arms and legs at many different angles.

— Julian Finney

Craig Goodwin of Australia celebrates scoring his side’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group D match between France and Australia at Al Janoub Stadium on November 22, 2022, in Al Wakrah, Qatar.

My second match at the World Cup was the meeting between Australia and France and having been in the perfect position the night before for a goal celebration, I didn’t really expect to get another really nice celebration picture that quickly. Little did I know that against all odds, Australia would open the scoring against the reigning world champions and Craig Goodwin would run straight at me screaming with delight as French keeper and captain Hugo Lloris was left on his knees in the background to gather the ball.  As we all know, the result swung back in the favor of the French but it’s a nice celebration frame that I was happy to be in a position to capture.

— Clive Mason

Iranian fans arrive at the stadium prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between England and IR Iran at Khalifa International Stadium on November 21, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

The stadiums for the World Cup are architecturally stunning but the outside areas where fans arrive didn’t prove to be the most photogenic. For this image, I was looking for an area outside the ground that had a clean background. As a couple of Iranian fans walked past with face paint and flags, I asked them for a quick picture, and they spontaneously went for a kiss which resulted in a nice image.

— Justin Setterfield

Players battle for position during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between England and IR Iran at Khalifa International Stadium on November 21, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

I was positioned in the media tribune high over the goal England was defending against Iran. From my position, I am always looking for this type of shot from a free kick or a corner. I love watching the players pushing and shoving as the ball comes into the penalty area. And on this occasion, the free kick was taken at the perfect angle for all players to be looking in my direction as they desperately tried to be the one to connect with the ball.

— Laurence Griffiths

Enner Valencia of Ecuador celebrates with teammates after scoring their team’s first goal from the penalty spot during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group A match between Qatar and Ecuador at Al Bayt Stadium on November 20, 2022, in Al Khor, Qatar.

This image was from the opening game of the World Cup scored by Enner Valencia of Ecuador against host nation, Qatar. You can make all kinds of plans photographing football, but it mainly comes down to luck and being in the right place as happened with this picture. Before this moment, Valencia, the goal scorer, was fouled by the Qatar goalkeeper which made a great frame. He then fell to his knees right in front of me after converting the penalty and lead the celebrations with the whole team looking towards the heavens. This was very early in the game and a nice moment to capture – and pretty rare the whole team is involved with a goal celebration in this way.

— Michael Steele

Dancers perform during the opening ceremony prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group A match between Qatar and Ecuador at Al Bayt Stadium on November 20, 2022, in Al Khor, Qatar.

This was from the opening game, and I originally didn’t have it on my schedule. Not having any other assignments for that day, I raised my hand to go to some positions that weren’t covered during the game. My goal for this game was to have a picture of the opening ceremony from a central position in the stadium and this was the result – beautiful lighting, the country flags coming together and FIFA logo marking the moment in time.

— Hector Vivas

Lionel Messi of Argentina kisses the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Winners’ Trophy while holding the adidas Golden Boot award after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022, in Lusail City, Qatar.

I was positioned more in the middle (near the tunnel) to cover the trophy lift. The place was packed with photographers and other guests, but the position was quite central to the trophy, which was still not given to the team. So, when Messi received his player award, it was the first time he passed the FIFA World Cup winners trophy, so he stopped for a bit, before going to a stage to pose with his Golden Boot award and kissed this so wanted trophy.

— Maja Hitij