The 2022 World Cup had no shortage of moments to remember, from Ecuador’s thrashing of hosts Qatar in the opener all the way to Lionel Messi and Argentina’s heroic triumph over France in Sunday’s final.
They say a parent can’t choose a favorite child, so how does a soccer fan pick a favorite goal from a month of action in Qatar?
This weighty task should not be left to just opinion. So we broke it down to a science. Sort of. Each goal was rated out of 10 in five categories: placement/power, technical skill, audacity, moment and celebration. You’ll notice that three of those categories have nothing to do with the actual scoring of the goal itself. That’s because the best goals at this stage aren’t just the ones that hit the side netting, or are struck on an acrobatic volley. They’re the ones that when you think back on this tournament years down the road, you remember as being defining moments of what made the 2022 World Cup so great.
With that in mind, here are the top 10 goals from the 2022 World Cup.
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Honorable mentions:
Nahuel Molina, Argentina vs. Netherlands: This is the assist of the tournament from Messi, who threads the needle to find Molina for the opener. The goal itself, while solid, was unremarkable.
Ángel Di María, Argentina vs. France: Yup, it was another slick move by the Argentines that was finished off by Di María. This deserves a mention more for the moment than anything else—it put La Albiceleste two goals up in the final.
Aurélien Tchouaméni, France vs. England: There may be some qualms with this one not making the cut, which would be understandable. It was a perfect strike out of nowhere that gave Les Bleus the lead in the quarterfinal showdown, but the combination of quality and significance doesn’t quite measure up with the others on the list.
Rafael Leão, Portugal vs. Switzerland: This was a beauty from the young forward, who cut onto his right foot and curled the ball so perfectly into the corner that Yann Sommer stayed rooted to the spot. But because it was Portugal’s sixth in a round of 16 romp, this doesn’t quite make the list.
Gonçalo Ramos, Portugal vs. Switzerland: Another one from Portugal’s last 16 blowout, Ramos opened the scoring in that game with a blast to the near post. It was a great goal and moment for the young striker, who was starting in place of Cristiano Ronaldo.
10: Paik Seung-ho, South Korea vs. Brazil
- Placement/Power: 9
- Technical skill: 9
- Audacity: 8
- Moment: 1
- Celebration: 2
Total: 29
It did little to ease the sting of a brutal round of 16 loss, but Paik’s goal is one of the long shots of the tournament. The strike had a high degree of difficulty to it. To hit it from that distance off the half-volley is no joke, especially considering it beat Liverpool goalkeeper Allison.
It may have taken a deflection off a Brazilian defender, but we’ll turn a blind eye to that. It doesn’t receive any marks for the timing, though, as that match was already well out of hand.
9. Vincent Aboubakar, Cameroon vs. Serbia
- Placement/Power: 7
- Technical skill: 10
- Audacity: 13
- Moment: 3
- Celebration: 0
Total: 33
Here we arrive at the most audacious goal of the World Cup. Aboubakar didn’t just chip the goalkeeper in a critical group-stage match, which would have been bold enough. He full-on scooped the ball so high it found the roof of the net after the bounce. It’s a goal that would’ve made even some of the world’s best showboaters blush.
The moment was dampened by an incorrect offside call—hence why the celebration was given zero points. But Aboubakar’s goal—one of two in the group stage for the Al Nassr striker—was likely the cheekiest of the tournament.
8. Takuma Asano, Japan vs. Germany
- Placement/Power: 7
- Technical skill: 8
- Audacity: 5
- Moment: 8
- Celebration: 7
Total: 35
This was a classic case of a moment of individual excellence that outshone a team with more collective talent. In this case, it came from the quick feet of Asano, who does everything brilliantly in this goal. The first touch is sublime, the strength to hold off the defender is key and then the shot powered over Manuel Neuer is a rocket into the roof of the net. And just like that, Japan stole a victory from mighty Germany.
7. Luis Chávez, Mexico vs. Saudi Arabia
- Placement/Power: 10
- Technical skill: 8
- Audacity: 8
- Moment: 6
- Celebration: 4
Total: 36
The best direct free kick of the tournament comes from the unheralded Mexican midfielder. In just his third start in a competitive match for the national team, the 26-year-old ripped a set piece from a distance that most players wouldn’t even attempt shooting from. It was a perfectly placed shot at a time when Mexico desperately needed a goal to keep its knockout stage hopes alive. While it didn’t matter in the end, it’s a moment that El Tri can hold onto as it looks to rebuild before co-hosting the tournament in 2026.
6. Lionel Messi, Argentina vs. Mexico
- Placement/Power: 8
- Technical skill: 8
- Audacity: 6
- Moment: 8
- Celebration: 7
Total: 37
The importance of this goal cannot be overstated in the grand scheme of Argentina’s dream World Cup run. La Albiceleste had lost its opener to Saudi Arabia and failed to produce any great scoring chances in the first half against Mexico. Enter Messi, who showed he still only needs a sliver of space to pull off something magical. The strike itself was inch-perfect. Perhaps more important was the cascade of momentum that it created that never seemed to leave Argentina for the rest of the tournament.
5. Neymar, Brazil vs. Croatia
- Placement/Power: 6
- Technical skill: 8
- Audacity: 8
- Moment: 8
- Celebration: 8
Total: 38
Brazil’s early exit means Neymar’s goal will go down as the second-greatest forgotten moment from this tournament. Having been held silent for the better part of 105 minutes, he burst into action and showed the pace and technical quality that make him one of the world’s best forwards. His balance and wherewithal to round the keeper and fire it home are what make this goal so great—and on top of that, it brought him level with Pelé for Brazil’s all-time men’s record (77). But alas, it wasn’t meant to be his crowning moment, as Croatia equalized and won in penalties to spoil a legendary semifinal matchup with Argentina.
4. Salem Al-Dawsari, Saudi Arabia vs. Argentina
- Placement/Power: 9
- Technical skill: 8
- Audacity: 8
- Moment: 7
- Celebration: 7
Total: 39
The moment the ball found the back of the net off the foot of Al-Dawsari was the moment this tournament was turned on its head. Having won just one World Cup match since 1994, Saudi Arabia had overcome a deficit to miraculously lead against Argentina, and it was on a perfect hit from the 31-year-old winger. Even goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez seemed to be caught by surprise by the strike. And now despite a group-stage exit, the Saudis have an all-time moment to cling to from Qatar.
3. Richarlison, Brazil vs. Serbia
- Placement/Power: 7
- Technical skill: 10
- Audacity: 10
- Moment: 4
- Celebration: 8
Total: 39
The early goal of the tournament contender didn’t quite reach the top of the list (partially because the Brazilian striker one-upped himself.) Few teams have a flair for the acrobatic quite like Brazil, and Richarlison made that clear with this wonder-goal in the team’s opener. It’s debatable whether or not he actually meant to pop the first touch into the air, but what he did after is undeniably great. And the celebration was typically Brazilian, which is to say it was audacious in its own right.
Is it wrong not to have a goal with this level of skill and audacity ranked first? Maybe, but we’ll explain why.
2. Kylian Mbappé, France vs. Argentina
- Placement/Power: 8
- Technical skill: 9
- Audacity: 6
- Moment: 10
- Celebration: 7
Total: 40
And here sits the greatest forgotten moment of this tournament, although it won’t be soon lost in the memory of Sunday’s glorious final. Mbappé’s second goal of the match capped a miraculous turnaround that seemed, for a moment, destined to fall in France’s favor. The goal itself was astonishing: Mbappé hit it on the volley from the edge of the 18-yard box with a ridiculous amount of pace while falling to the ground. The stakes don’t get any higher, either. But what would’ve been an all-time great equalizer instead goes down as one of several twists in an all-time great final.
1. Richarlison, Brazil vs. South Korea
- Placement/Power: 5
- Technical skill: 10
- Audacity: 12
- Moment: 5
- Celebration: 10
Total: 42
Every ounce of Brazil’s stylish play came out in this move. First, the gall of Richarlison to head the ball to himself like he’s alone in his backyard in a World Cup knockout stage match. Then, the slick passing moves followed by a cool finish from the man who started it. Jogo does not get any more bonito than that one. It was followed by the tournament’s best celebration: 61-year-old manager Tite learning his striker’s “pigeon dance” on the fly.
