FIFA President Gianni Infantino: "It was the best group stage in World Cup history"

FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed his opinion on the group stage of the 2022 World Cup.

“I saw all the matches. It was the best group round in World Cup history. This is very promising for the rest of the tournament. The matches were of excellent quality, they were held at excellent stadiums. We already knew this, but the audience was incredible. On average, more than 51,000 people came to the match.

We also have record numbers on television. The World Cup was watched by two billion viewers, it's really incredible. Fantastic atmosphere, great goals, incredible excitement and surprises.

For the first time in history, teams from all continents reached the playoffs. This suggests that football is truly becoming global. We hope the tournament will continue and end the same way it started - with a fantastic success. I am sure that we will reach five billion viewers worldwide. We just want to bring joy and smiles to people around the world. This is what football is about, this is what the World Cup is about," Infantino said in an interview with FIFA's official website.