FIFA World Cup: Top 5 biggest matches of Qatar 2022 have finally been revealed

The research by sports betting site Nostrabet analysed the number of tweets containing the official fixture hashtag for each team’s first two games of this year's showpiece in Qatar.

The study revealed that tweets containing #ENGIRN on the day of England’s incident-packed game with Iran totaled 538,974 – by far the highest amount in the tournament so far, and more than the second and third most tweeted matches combined.

Commenting on the study, a spokesperson for Nostrabet said: “It’s fascinating to see which games have generated the biggest reaction on social media, with the top matches generating hundreds of thousands of posts.

Richarlison of Brazil scores his side's second 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.Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images Business Insider USA

"There has been plenty to talk about during this World Cup both on and off the pitch, and with half of the games already played, it will be interesting to see how social media reacts as we prepare for the knock-out stages and the stakes get even higher.”

Here's a list of the top 5 biggest matches of the 2022 World Cup so far:

#1 England vs Iran - 538k+ Tweets

Bukayo Saka (R) of England scores during the Group B match between England and Iran at the 2022 FIFA World Cup on November 21, 2022. AFP

England's opening game match against Iran provided plenty of reasons for discussion on social media, from the eight-goal haul and exciting performances from young stars, to the gruesome clash of heads between Iran goalkeeper Ali Beiranvand and Majid Hosseini, and the record amount of injury time that was added.

#2 Wales vs Iran - 336k+ Tweets

Iran players celebrate after defeating Wales AFP

The second most tweeted game of the opening two rounds of World Cup action was Wales vs Iran.

The #WALIRN hashtag was used 336,631 times on the day that Iran scored twice in injury time to secure a 2-0 win following a red card for Wales keeper Wayne Hennessey.

#3 France vs Australia - 176k+ Tweets

Mbappe scored France's third goal in their win over Australia Pulse Nigeria

The third most tweeted game was France’s impressive 4-1 win over Australia, with the hashtag #FRAAUS being used 176,133 times on the day of the game as Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud helped the 2018 champions defeat the Socceroos.

#4 Germany vs Japan - 166k+ Tweets

Substitute Asano scored the winner for Japan against Germany Pulse Nigeria

In fourth place is Japan’s massive win over Germany which generated 166,612 tweets with the #GERJPN hashtag.

Japan came from a goal down to win the 2014 winners 2-1 in one of the opening group game upsets at the 2022 World Cup.

#5 Argentina vs Saudi Arabia - 158k+ Tweets

Saudi Arabic shock Argentina Pulse

Completing the top five was Saudi Arabia’s stunning upset of Argentina, which produced 158,013 posts containing #ARGKSA on the day of the game.

The Saudis came from a goal down at halftime to record a huge win over the Albiceleste - who had already had three goals ruled out for offside in the first 45 minutes.

At the other end of the scale, Japan vs Costa Rica generated the fewest tweets of the World Cup so far, with just 11,406 uses of #JPNCRC on the day of the game.

While Uruguay’s 0-0 draw with South Korea was similarly uninspiring, as it prompted 16,042 posts containing #URUKOR.

The same day also featured the third least tweeted game, with Switzerland v Cameroon (#SUICMR) receiving 18,202 posts.

Overall, the fixture hashtags have been used a combined 2,947,534 times since the tournament started on 20 November.

The day of fixtures that has generated the most tweets so far is 21 November, the first Monday of the World Cup, which produced 643,724 posts containing the fixture hashtag for one of the day’s games.

The second most tweeted day was 25 November, which prompted 487,560, while the third biggest day was 22 November, with 410,327 tweets.

Revealed: Top 5 biggest matches of World Cup so far – according to Twitter

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