The year 2022 has arrived, but not alone, it brought some exciting football events along with it. More precisely, the most awaited tournament of this year is the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Followed by other exciting tournaments waiting to unveil themselves in the coming days. So let us have a look at the Major Football events to look forward to in 2022.

Major football events to look forward to in 2022:

#1. January 09 - February 06: Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)

This year's AFCON is going to happen in Cameroon. The country will host 24 teams that will go Head-to-head for the continental trophy from January 9. Currently, Algeria is the defending champion (2019).

#2. January 20-February 6: AFC Women's Asian Cup 2022:

The continental championship will take place in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Pune. Being the host country, India will participate in the event. The 20th edition of the AFC tournament will feature 12 teams from Asia. Five teams will qualify for the main event directly while two of them will progress to the inter-confederation play-offs.

#3. May 28: UEFA Champions League Final:

The most competitive club competition will come to an end and will come down to the 2 best teams who will go for glory as Saint Petersburg's Gazprom Arena will host the final of the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League.

#4. June 8 - June 14: 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification third round:

The third round of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification will be held between June 8 to June 4. 24 teams are divided into six groups of four teams each. Every group will be allocated with a venue where all the matches will be played in a single round-robin format.

#5. October 11-October 30 - FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup:

India will be the hosts of the mega event and as they are the hosts, but this time it's the U-17 Women's World Cup. India will participate in their second World Cup.

#6. November 21 - December 18 - FIFA World Cup 2022:

The biggest and the most awaited sporting event of 2022 – The FIFA World Cup will get underway in Qatar. As a matter of fact, it will be the first football World Cup to host in the Middle East.

Many great players have taken the football pitch and left the fans in awe. However, only a few players have gone on to win various trophies in their careers. In this special article, we will take a look at an elite list of players who have won the most trophies in football as a player. 

Argentine football star Lionel Messi is the player with most trophies in football history. In his career so far, with club and country, he has won 46 major trophies. Moreover, he is one of the very few players to win FIFA World Cup. Ballon d'Or, and UEFA Champions League in his career. 

But, yes, the below list only counts the major trophies won with teams and only only individual awards. We wanted to be clear with that at the start. With this list of "11 players who have won the most trophies in football history," we will able to judge which player has been a part of a winning team mostly. 

Though, it is not always the case that when you win a trophy, you have a big role to play in that. But, in this list, all the players listed always had big contributions to their team's success. So, without further a due, let's checkout the list. 

Top 11 players with the most trophies in football:

11. Vitor Baia (34 trophies)

Vitor Baia spent most of his career with FC Porto except playing two years for Barcelona. Baia started his career with FC Porto in 1988 and left the club to join Barcelona in 1996. 

Before retiring in 2007, he played for Barcelona in two stints and won the La Liga in 1997-98 season. His most success came his boyhood club FC Porto, where he won the Liga Portugal 10 times.

However, the biggest achievement was to win the UEFA Champions League in 2004 with the Dragons. Under the visionary eyes of Jose Mourinho, they created one of the greatest underdog success stories in European football.

In a total, Baia won 25 trophies with the Porto while adding the rest to his collection of glories for Barcelona. Unfortunately, he was not able to add any trophy while playing for Portugal.

10. Kenny Dalglish (34 trophies)

Scottish legend Sir Kenny Dalglish is Liverpool's one of the most legendary players. Apart from playing 13 years for the Reds, he played for Celtic for 8 years at the start of his career.

For Liverpool FC, he won a club record 8 Premier League titles along with three Champions League titles. He had won 7 English Super Cups and 2 FA Cup titles as well.

While playing for Celtic, he became the Scottish Champion four times.

9. Angel di Maria (35 trophies)

One of the most underrated players in modern football history, Di Maria always had to shine under the shadows of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Di Maria played alongside Lionel Messi for Argentina and then shared club dressing room with Cristiano at Real Madrid.

With his latest trophy for Benfica in the Portuguese Super Cup, he now has won 35 trophies in his career. Di Maria won five Ligue 1 titles with PSG and won his only Champions League title with Real Madrid.

Read Also | Football facts: 10 players who have played most games with Lionel Messi

However, just like Lionel Messi, his international success bloomed late in his career. He won the Copa America twice in 2021 and 2024. But, his major success was to win the FIFA World Cup 2022, where he scored an important in the final.

Di Maria retired from international football after the 2024 Copa America final.

8. Cristiano Ronaldo (36 trophies)

Arguably one of the greatest players in the history of football, Cristiano Ronaldo has 36 trophies in his cabinet at the moment. The Portuguese legend won his latest trophy for Portugal, as he lifted the UEFA Nations League 2025 for his country.

Ronaldo, who started his club career with Sporting CP, won the Portuguese Super Cup with the club in 2003. That was the start to a historical career which gave football fans joy for over two decades.

Read Also: Top 10: Most Free-kick Goals In Football History (Updated)

The Portuguese legend flourished under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. He then joined Real Madrid, where he won four of his five UEFA Champions League titles. Ronaldo has won a title for every club he has played for so far.

However, one of his biggest achievements as a player was to win the UEFA European Cup with Portugal in 2016. Besides scoring over 900 career goals, Ronaldo's success for every team is what makes him a legend.

7. Ryan Giggs (37 trophies)

Ryan Giggs played all his life for one football club; Manchester United. In his 24-year career at the club, he won a total of 37 trophies, a record for the club.

Not only that, with 13 Premier League titles, he is league's most successful player ever. With the Red Devils, he also went on to win two UEFA Champions League title.

For United, he played 963 games and has 168 goals and 265 assists, another record for United.

6. Sergio Busquets (38 Trophies)

Sergio Busquets, the FC Barcelona and Spain legend is one of the most underrated players ever to play. The central defender was part of one of the greatest international team which won 2010 FIFA World Cup and 2010 Euros for Spain.

Read Also: Barcelona team that won "EVERYTHING" in 2009: Busquets to leave as the last man of that team

The former Barcelona captain won 9 La Liga titles. Not only that, he won 7 Spanish Cups and Spanish Super Cups as well for the Catalan club.

However, his biggest achievement in club football was to win three UCL titles for Barcelona. His latest trophy is the 2024 Supporters’ Shield winners with Inter Miami CF.

5. Maxwell (38 trophies)

Maxwell, the Brazilian left back might be the only unknown player on this list. The defender achieved most of his success playing for PSG in France.

However, he found success with FC Barcelona as well. But, joined PSG to find more chances as well.

Maxwell's first trophy was with Cruzeiro, winning the Brazilian Cup in 2000. Soon the joined Ajax, wining two Dutch League titles.

His move to Barcelona via Inter Milan and FC Empoli saw him winning the UEFA Champions League title in 2011. But his most success came with PSG, winning the Ligue 1 four times in a row from 2013 to 2016.

Read Also: Messi vs Ronaldo: The hat-trick battle

4. Gerard Pique (39 trophies)

Another player from that legendary Spanish and Barcelona team, who features in this list. Although known for his career at FC Barcelona, Gerard Pique had success with Manchester United as well.

It might be quite revealing for many that, he played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, against whom he had some tough battles later.

Read Also | Reliving Barcelona's Golden Era: A Tribute to Footballing Brilliance

Pique won 9 La Liga titles for Barcelona to go with 3 UCL titles for the club. But before reaching there he had won the Premier League and Champions League for United in the 2007-08 season.

He was also an integral part of the Spanish team which won the FIFA World Cup in 2010 and UEFA Euro in 2012.

3. Andres Iniesta (39 trophies)

Probably the best midfielder of the modern era, Andres Iniesta with 41 trophies is the third most successful footballer ever.

Another important player of that iconic Spanish and Barcelona team, Iniesta found success early in his career. He won his first major trophy with Spain U-17 team winning the U-17 Euros in 2000. He followed that up with the U-19 Euro title next year.

His Barcelona career started in 2002 which continued till 2018. In those 17 year at Barcelona, he won 32 trophies. Post that, he joined Japanese club Viseel Kobe where he won three trophies as well.

Read Also | Andres Iniesta: Who has won the most trophies for FC Barcelona?

Along with all club level success, Iniesta's greatest achievement was to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup alongside lifting the 2008 and 2012 Euro Cup. His goal in the 2010 World Cup final to hand Spain their first-ever World Cup, is regarded as one of the greatest World Cup moments.

Iniesta called it a day in 2024 after spending a year at the Emirates Club. 

2. Dani Alves (43 trophies)

Before Lionel Messi took over as the player with most trophies in football history, it was Dani Alves who had the record. The defender won 23 trophies in eight years at Barcelona.

Dani Alves won six La Liga and three Champions League titles with Barcelona. He then won 19 more titles while playing for Juventus, PSG, and Sao Paulo. He won domestic titles in Italy, France, Brazil and Spain as, which makes him one of the greatest of his era.

Read Also: All the FIFA World Cup winners and runners-up since 1930

The defender won six major titles with his national team, Brazil. He started his Brazil career by winning the U-20 FIFA World Cup in 2003. Alves then won two Copa America titles in 2007 and 2019. He concluded his international career by winning the Olympic gold in 2021.

Despite the recent off-field controversies, with 43 trophies in his cabinet, Dani Alves is one of the greatest ever to play the game.

1. Lionel Messi (46 trophies)

Leo Messi is the player with the most trophies in football history. With his latest triumph at the 2024 Supporters’ Shield winners, the magician from Argentina won his 46th trophy in his career.

Messi won back-to-back four international trophies with Argentina within three years. He won the Copa America 2021 and then went on to win the Finalissima 2022. Then he capped off his greatest achievement by winning FIFA World Cup 2022.

The Argentine maestro has also won the Olympic Gold Medal with his country in 2008. His latest international success came in Copa America 2024.

In club football history, Messi is the most successful player with 41 club trophies to his name. He started his career with his boyhood club Barcelona and played 18 seasons for the club, scoring a record 672 goals.

Read Also | Top 10 La Masia Graduates who ruled football

The 8-time Ballon d'Or winner won four Champions League titles with Barcelona. Alongside European success, he won 10 La Liga titles as well, most for Barcelona. He has also won Spanish Cup seven times.

After his great stint at Barcelona, Messi went to the French League to play for PSG. However, he was unable to bring the UCL to the French giant, he won the French League with them. In addition, he won the French Super Cup for the season 2022-23 with PSG.

After a stunning show at the AFC Asian Cup 2023, Qatar and Jordan are all set to face each other in the quest for glory on Sunday at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar. Jordan defeated the mighty South Korean in the first semi-final to qualify for their first-ever AFC Asian Cup final while home team Qatar went past Iran to be in their successive final after winning the title back in 2019.

But, do you know, once both the teams used to be ranked below the Indian Football team in the FIFA Rankings?

Yes, in 2018, both Jordan and Qatar were ranked lower than India. As per the FIFA Men's World Rankings dated 7 June 2018, Jordan were ranked 110, Qatar 98 and India 97. However, things have changed now, and we need to understand why Indian football has lagged.

Let's take a closer look at the factors that have contributed to India's slow progress in football.

Number of matches played

Firstly, the number of matches played by Jordan and Qatar is enormous compared to India. Since the start of 2018, Jordan have played a total of 88 games, and Qatar played 93 games in this period. In contrast, India have only managed to play 64 games. This shows how the governing bodies of both Qatar and Jordan's National Football teams have managed to give their teams a chance to play against tough teams and get better along the way.

Also Read: Top 10 Indian-origin footballers who could represent India, if OCI and PIO players were permitted

Lacking of top-level strikers other than Chhetri

To win a football match the one must thing is to find the nets between the opponent's goal sticks. And, India have been guilty of not finding enough good strikers in that period who could make a great partnership with Sunil Chhetri. The lack of Indian strikers in the Indian Super League, the best league in the country has been a reason for that as well.

If you take the example, in the 9 seasons of ISL till now, none of the Indian strikers have been able to come out as the top scorer of the season. On the other hand, in Jordan Pro League's last ten seasons, four times a Jordanian player came out as the top scorer of the season. In the Qatar Stars League, two times a Qatari player came out as the top scorer of the season. Overall in both the leagues in Qatar and Jordan, you would see players from their own country in the top list of goal scorers in every season.

League Structures

Between the Indian Super League, Jordanian Pro League and Qatar Stars League, only the Indian Super League do not follow the relegation process in their league structure. Indian Super League follow only the promotion structure while the other leagues follow both the relegation and promotion process which encourages more competition and better results.

Governing bodies

Although the Jordanian Pro League and Qatar Stars League are run by their football associations named Jordan Football Association and Qatar Football Association respectively, the Indian top-tier football league have a different system. The Indian Super League is administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL).

Sadly AIFF can not take any major decision while FSDL, which is run by a company named Reliance, take the majority of decisions as the commercial partner. Now, when the top governing body of Indian Football has to go through FSDL to make decisions, it is quite evident that they take the second seat when comes to making major decisions for the league.

Preparation time

While Indian head coach Igor Stimac has been very vocal about having camps before major tournaments, the AIFF has not been able to give them that. The Indian team had to play the Asian Games and AFC Asian Cup 2023 without any practice games ahead of the tournaments while teams like Jordan and Qatar even faced each other to prepare well before the tournament. Qatar played two friendlies while Jordan played three friendlies ahead of the tournament.

It has been quite like this for the Indian National Football team for long where the AIFF was not been able to provide longer times to the coaching staff and the team to prepare well before any major tournament which made it hard for them to find ways to fight against better teams on the pitch.

In conclusion, we can admit that not only teams like Jordan and Qatar have outdone AIFF and Indian Football team in terms of everything, we have only AIFF and the football structure in India to blame for the slow progress of football in India. And, we do not even know when it will change the gear.

Indian Football team had to suffer their second defeat in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 against Uzbekistan in Qatar. After getting heartbroken by Australia in the first match of Group B, India were outplayed by a better-ranked Uzbekistan by 0-3 on Thursday. However, even after two back-to-back defeats, the Indian Football team can qualify for the next round of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 and we will tell you how.

Three goals in the first half of the India vs Uzbekistan match from Abbosbek Fayzullayev, Igor Sergeyev and Sherzod Nasrullayev were good enough to push India to the bottom of Group B with zero points in two games. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan with four points now have bettered their chances of qualifying for the next round. Not only that, if they can beat Australia in their last game, they will qualify as the group-topper from Group B.

Also Read: India vs Uzbekistan AFC Asian Cup 2024 Highlights | Another disappointment for the Blue Tigers as they suffer a 3-0 loss against the dominant Uzbekistan

How can the Indian Football team qualify for the next round of AFC Asian Cup 2023?

Although the Blue Tigers' chance to qualify for the next round of the AFC Asian Cup is very low, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for them.

In Group B of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 Tournament, Australia are the only team that have won all of their games. Uzbekistan won one and drew one against Syria, while Syria lost one game and drew one. On the other hand, India have lost all of their games in the tournament so far.

So, how can an Indian football team qualify for the next round despite losing all of their games so far? The answer lies in the AFC Asian Cup rules. 

Which teams will advance to the next round from the group stage in AFC Asian Cup 2023?

Here are the teams which will advance to the next round from the group stages in the AFC Asian Cup 2023:

1. Group Winners of 6 groups

2. Group Runners-up of 6 groups

3. 4 best third-placed teams from the group stage

The tournament started with four teams in six groups and in the round of 16, twelve teams will qualify from the round 1/group stage as the winners and runners-up of their respective groups. Meanwhile, the rest four places will be filled by the four best third-placed teams from the entire group stage.

So, how can India qualify for the knockout stages of the AFC Asian Cup 2023?

India's fate in the ongoing AFC Asian Cup will be in their hands when they face Syria on Tuesday. The Indian team need to secure three crucial points in this match to keep their hopes alive of advancing to the knockout stage as one of the four best third-placed finishers from the group stage. So, it will be a must win game for India when they take on Syria on Tuesday.

India will take on mighty Australia in their fifth AFC Asian Cup in Qatar at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Doha, on Saturday, January 13, 2024. Australia come into the AFC Asian Cup as one of the tournament favourites having won the competition in 2015 while this is the first time the Blue Tigers have qualified for AFC Asian Cup in back-to-back editions. As the Indian men's football team prepares for the India vs Australia AFC Asian Cup 2024, here are all the details you need to know.

Match Details

Match: India vs Australia

Tournament: AFC Asian Cup 2024

Group: B

Date: 13 January, 2024

Time: 5.00 pm IST

Venue: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Doha, Qatar

Also Read: Indian Sports Calendar January 2024: From AFC Asian Cup to ICC U-19 Men's WC, these are the biggest sports events in January

Have India faced Australia before this match in AFC Asian Cup?

Indian national men's football team have faced Australia before in AFC Asian Cup. India lost to Australia by 4-0 on 10 Jan, 2011 at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Qatar. Tim Cahill scored a brace for the Socceroos.

Which other teams are there in India's group in AFC Asian Cup 2024?

In Group B, India is cluubed alongside Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria.

Indian team squad for AFC Asian Cup 2024

Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Vishal Kaith.

Defenders: Akash Mishra, Lalchungnunga, Mehtab Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Pritam Kotal, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose.

Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Deepak Tangri, Lalengmawia Ralte, Liston Colaco, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Udanta Singh.

Forwards: Ishan Pandita, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir Singh, Rahul Kannoly Praveen, Sunil Chhetri, Vikram Partap Singh.

What is the current ranking of India and Australian football teams?

Currently, Australia are ranked at 25 in FIFA World Rankings while India are ranked 102 at the moment.

Also Read: Indian Football Team schedule for AFC Asian Cup and World Cup Qualifiers in 2024

Where can we watch the India vs Australia AFC Asian Cup 2024 match in India?

The India vs Australia AFC Asian Cup 2024 match will be televised on Sports18 and DD Sports channel in India.

How can I watch the India vs Australia AFC Asian Cup 2024 match online?

The match will be live streamed on Jio Cinema app and website. You can have the live commentary and updates of the match on Sportzpoint.com as well.

India will make their fifth appearance in the AFC Asian Cup. The Blue Tigers will play their opening Group B match against Australia on January 13, 2024 (17:00 IST), at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan before facing Uzbekistan on January 18 (20:00 IST) at the same venue. Stimac's men will then face Syria on January 23 (17:00 IST).

Also Read: Arsenal vs West Ham: The Gunners miss out on reaching the summit of the Premier League before New Year

India are all set to arrive in Doha on December 30 and prepare in a camp for the AFC Asian Cup. 

The Blue Tigers have competed in Qatar, playing four of their 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers matches there, including two against the hosts. Sunil Chhetri and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu were part of the Indian squad at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup which was also held in Qatar. Chhetri scored a goal each against Bahrain and South Korea.

"I'm looking forward to seeing our Indian fans in Doha. They came in massive numbers to support the Indian team during the qualifiers, and that was one of the reasons why we had two great performances against Qatar here. So, I'm well aware that there will be massive support for our boys. Hopefully, we can pay them back and celebrate some good results," said Stimac.

Stimac also opened up about the areas he wants his team to improve ahead of the clashes in the Asian Cup. He said, "The things we are looking to work on are defensive compactness, offensive transitions, and the set pieces, mostly. It will be very important to work on man-marking inside the box because I was not happy with that part of our game. In the last few games, we started leaking some unnecessary goals inside the box."

"All three of our opponents are very good technically, physically stronger with great speed. So, we are not going to have much difference in approach to all these three games, I can tell you that. We need to check the fitness level of our players at present and see how much we can develop in the next two weeks," he added.

India's Group B fixtures at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023

January 13, 2024: Australia vs India (17:00 IST, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
January 18, 2024: India vs Uzbekistan (20:00 IST, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
January 23, 2024: Syria vs India (17:00 IST, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor)

India's 26-member squad for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023

Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jhinghan, and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu are part of the 26-member squad. Central defender Anwar Ali missed out on the final squad due to an ankle injury. Despite fitness concerns, Sahal Abdul Samad makes his place into the squad for the AFC Asian Cup.

Your #BlueTigers 🐯 squad for the #AsianCup2023 🇮🇳🏆

More details 👉 https://t.co/dZnAhok4su#IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/fMrghLG2gk

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) December 30, 2023

Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Vishal Kaith.
Defenders: Akash Mishra, Lalchungnunga, Mehtab Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Pritam Kotal, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose.
Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Deepak Tangri, Lalengmawia Ralte, Liston Colaco, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Udanta Singh.
Forwards: Ishan Pandita, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir Singh, Rahul Kannoly Praveen, Sunil Chhetri, Vikram Partap Singh.