This tournament is now closed

The 2022 World Cup came to an end with perhaps the greatest final of all time yesterday, as Argentina defeated France on penalties to allow Lionel Messi to finally get his hands on the famous trophy, 36 years after the great Diego Maradona did so in Mexico.

48% of the Superbru community predicted Argentina would win the final without the need for a penalty shootout and for almost 80 minutes of normal time, that looked a very good pick. The South Americans were dominant with manager Lionel Scaloni's decision to start Angel Di Maria on the left wing proving a particularly effective one, but we have Kylian Mbappe to thank for this final turning out to be one of the best there's ever been as the 23-year old scored twice in the space of 100 seconds to shift all of the momentum and force extra time.

30 minutes of desperation, fatigue and end-to-end action followed and when Lionel Messi's second goal of the game was cancelled out once again by Mbappe completing his hat-trick, penalties were required meaning 15% of the Superbru community were rewarded for a brave draw pick! Step forward Emiliano Martinez who, after making an incredible stop just before the end of extra time to ensure Argentina were still in the game, proved to be the difference in yet another shootout as he denied Kingsley Coman before Aurelien Tchouameni fired wide.

Argentina scored all 4 of their penalties, with Gonzalo Montiel's spot kick the decisive one that triggered an outpouring of celebration as La Albiceleste sealed their 3rd World Cup title.

Next up

Particularly after a final like that, we probably all need a lie down and a couple of days' rest following this World Cup!

However, we hope our Predictor game provided you with some real enjoyment throughout the tournament and if you've enjoyed making your picks on Superbru, we have plenty of other football Predictor games available.

The hectic schedule created by this mid-season World Cup means that some club action has already resumed while the return of the Premier League is now just a week away. Whether you're already playing our popular Premier League Predictor, keen to start right away with Round 17 on December 26th, or interested in starting in a couple of weeks once we're into the new year, you can setup a pool to begin with whichever round you like and we'd be delighted to have you playing along with us.

Thank you for joining our World Cup Predictor and congratulations to Argentina!