2022 Finalissima

For the futsal competition, see 2022 Futsal Finalissima.

The 2022 Finalissima (lit. 'Grand Final'; Spanish: Finalísima) was the third edition of the CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions, an intercontinental football match between the winners of the previous South American and European championships. The match featured Italy, winners of UEFA Euro 2020 (held in 2021), and Argentina, winners of the 2021 Copa América. It was played at Wembley Stadium in London on 1 June 2022. The match, a revival of the Artemio Franchi Cup last played 29 years prior, was organised by UEFA and CONMEBOL as part of a renewed partnership between the two confederations.

2022 Finalissima

Event	CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions
Italy Argentina 0 3
Date	1 June 2022 (2022-06-01)
Venue	Wembley Stadium, London
Man of the Match	Lionel Messi (Argentina)[1]
Referee	Piero Maza (Chile)[2]
Attendance	87,112[3]
Weather	Clear night 17 °C (63 °F) 47% humidity[4]
← 1993 2025 →

Argentina, the defending champions, won the match 3–0 for their second CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions title.^[5]

Background

In 1985 and 1993, the winners of the prior UEFA European Championship and Copa América tournaments played in the Artemio Franchi Cup (also known as the European/South American Nations Cup), a one-off match organised by UEFA and CONMEBOL.^[6] It was the national team equivalent to the former Intercontinental Cup on the club level, which was played between the winners of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League and Copa Libertadores. France won the 1985 Artemio Franchi Cup in Paris, while Argentina won the 1993 match in Mar del Plata. However, the competition was discontinued thereafter.^[7] The Artemio Franchi Cup can be considered a precursor of the King Fahd Cup/FIFA Confederations Cup, played in 1992 for the first time and organised by FIFA from 1997, which featured the title holders of all the continental championships and FIFA World Cup.^[8] After the 2017 edition, FIFA announced on 15 March 2019 that the tournament would be abolished.^[9]

On 12 February 2020, UEFA and CONMEBOL signed a renewed memorandum of understanding meant to enhance cooperation between the two organisations. As part of the agreement, a joint UEFA–CONMEBOL committee examined the possibility of staging European–South American intercontinental matches, for both men's and women's football and across various age groups.^[10] On 28 September 2021, UEFA and CONMEBOL confirmed that the UEFA European Championship and Copa América winners would face each other in an intercontinental match, with the agreement initially covering three editions starting in 2022. The first edition was confirmed to take place during the June 2022 international window at a venue to be confirmed.^[11] On 15 December 2021, UEFA and CONMEBOL again signed a renewed memorandum of understanding lasting until 2028, which included specific provisions on opening a joint office in London and the potential organisation of various football events. The match was confirmed to take place in London on 1 June 2022, with the venue yet to be decided.^[12] On 22 March 2022, UEFA announced the match would take place at Wembley Stadium.^[13] At the same time, the brand identity was revealed, and UEFA announced that the "CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions" was the new name for the Artemio Franchi Cup.^[14]

Teams

Team	Confederation	Qualification	Previous participations (bold indicates winners)	FIFA Ranking March 2022[15]
Italy	UEFA	Winners of UEFA Euro 2020	None	6
ArgentinaTH	CONMEBOL	Winners of the 2021 Copa América	1 (1993)	4

Italy qualified for the match by virtue of winning UEFA Euro 2020 (held in 2021), having defeated England on penalties in the final, also held at Wembley, for their second UEFA European Championship title.^[16] Argentina qualified by winning the 2021 Copa América, defeating Brazil 1–0 in the final for a record-equalling 15th Copa América title, their first trophy in 28 years.^[17][18]

Venue

Wembley Stadium in London, the venue of the match

The match was held at Wembley Stadium in London, England.^[19] Wembley Stadium opened in 2007 on the site of the original stadium, the demolition of which took place between 2002 and 2003.^[20][21] Owned by the Football Association (FA), it serves as England's national football stadium. The stadium was a host venue of UEFA Euro 2020, including the final, won by Italy on penalties over England. The original stadium, formerly known as the Empire Stadium, opened in 1923 and hosted matches at the 1966 FIFA World Cup, including the final, which saw hosts England beat West Germany 4–2 after extra time, and at UEFA Euro 1996, including the final, in which Germany defeated the Czech Republic. Wembley also hosts the annual FA Cup Final, doing so since the White Horse Final of 1923 (excluding 2001 to 2006, when the stadium was being rebuilt).^[22]

Squads

Both national teams had to submit a squad of 23 players – of which three had to be goalkeepers – by 29 May 2022, three days prior to the match.^[23]

Italy

Italy announced a 39-man preliminary squad on 23 May 2022.^[24] The squad was extended to 45 players on 27 May, with eight players added while Domenico Berardi and Andrea Pinamonti withdrew injured.^[25] The final squad was announced on 30 May.

Manager: Roberto Mancini

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Alessio Cragno	(1994-06-28)28 June 1994 (aged 27)	2	0	Cagliari
2	2DF	Giovanni Di Lorenzo	(1993-08-04)4 August 1993 (aged 28)	19	2	Napoli
3	2DF	Giorgio Chiellini (captain)	(1984-08-14)14 August 1984 (aged 37)	116	8	Juventus
4	2DF	Leonardo Spinazzola	(1993-03-25)25 March 1993 (aged 29)	18	0	Roma
5	3MF	Manuel Locatelli	(1998-01-08)8 January 1998 (aged 24)	21	3	Juventus
6	2DF	Manuel Lazzari	(1993-11-29)29 November 1993 (aged 28)	2	0	Lazio
7	2DF	Alessandro Florenzi	(1991-03-11)11 March 1991 (aged 31)	47	2	Milan
8	3MF	Jorginho	(1991-12-20)20 December 1991 (aged 30)	43	5	Chelsea
9	4FW	Andrea Belotti	(1993-12-20)20 December 1993 (aged 28)	42	12	Torino
10	3MF	Federico Bernardeschi	(1994-02-16)16 February 1994 (aged 28)	38	6	Juventus
11	4FW	Matteo Politano	(1993-08-03)3 August 1993 (aged 28)	4	3	Napoli
12	3MF	Matteo Pessina	(1997-04-21)21 April 1997 (aged 25)	12	4	Atalanta
13	2DF	Emerson Palmieri	(1994-08-03)3 August 1994 (aged 27)	26	0	Lyon
14	1GK	Alex Meret	(1997-03-22)22 March 1997 (aged 25)	2	0	Napoli
15	2DF	Francesco Acerbi	(1988-02-10)10 February 1988 (aged 34)	23	1	Lazio
16	3MF	Bryan Cristante	(1995-03-03)3 March 1995 (aged 27)	23	2	Roma
17	4FW	Gianluca Scamacca	(1999-01-01)1 January 1999 (aged 23)	3	0	Sassuolo
18	3MF	Nicolò Barella	(1997-02-07)7 February 1997 (aged 25)	36	7	Internazionale
19	2DF	Leonardo Bonucci	(1987-05-01)1 May 1987 (aged 35)	115	8	Juventus
20	3MF	Lorenzo Pellegrini	(1996-06-19)19 June 1996 (aged 25)	21	3	Roma
21	1GK	Gianluigi Donnarumma	(1999-02-25)25 February 1999 (aged 23)	42	0	Paris Saint-Germain
22	4FW	Giacomo Raspadori	(2000-02-18)18 February 2000 (aged 22)	9	3	Sassuolo
23	2DF	Alessandro Bastoni	(1999-04-13)13 April 1999 (aged 23)	11	0	Internazionale

Argentina

Argentina announced a 35-man preliminary squad on 13 May 2022.^[26] The squad was reduced to 29 players on 20 May.^[27] The final squad was announced on 1 June.

Manager: Lionel Scaloni

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Franco Armani	(1986-10-16)16 October 1986 (aged 35)	17	0	River Plate
2	2DF	Juan Foyth	(1998-01-12)12 January 1998 (aged 24)	14	0	Villarreal
3	2DF	Nicolás Tagliafico	(1992-08-31)31 August 1992 (aged 29)	39	0	Ajax
4	2DF	Nahuel Molina	(1998-04-06)6 April 1998 (aged 24)	15	0	Udinese
5	3MF	Alexis Mac Allister	(1998-12-24)24 December 1998 (aged 23)	4	0	Brighton & Hove Albion
6	2DF	Germán Pezzella	(1991-06-27)27 June 1991 (aged 30)	28	2	Real Betis
7	3MF	Rodrigo De Paul	(1994-05-24)24 May 1994 (aged 28)	39	2	Atlético Madrid
8	2DF	Marcos Acuña	(1991-10-28)28 October 1991 (aged 30)	41	0	Sevilla
9	4FW	Julián Álvarez	(2000-01-31)31 January 2000 (aged 22)	7	1	River Plate
10	4FW	Lionel Messi (captain)	(1987-06-24)24 June 1987 (aged 34)	160	81	Paris Saint-Germain
11	4FW	Ángel Di María	(1988-02-14)14 February 1988 (aged 34)	121	24	Paris Saint-Germain
12	1GK	Gerónimo Rulli	(1992-05-20)20 May 1992 (aged 30)	3	0	Villarreal
13	2DF	Cristian Romero	(1998-04-27)27 April 1998 (aged 24)	10	1	Tottenham Hotspur
14	3MF	Exequiel Palacios	(1998-10-05)5 October 1998 (aged 23)	18	0	Bayer Leverkusen
15	3MF	Nicolás González	(1998-04-06)6 April 1998 (aged 24)	19	3	Fiorentina
16	2DF	Lisandro Martínez	(1998-01-18)18 January 1998 (aged 24)	6	0	Ajax
17	4FW	Papu Gómez	(1988-02-15)15 February 1988 (aged 34)	13	3	Sevilla
18	3MF	Guido Rodríguez	(1994-04-12)12 April 1994 (aged 28)	23	1	Real Betis
19	2DF	Nicolás Otamendi	(1988-02-12)12 February 1988 (aged 34)	90	4	Benfica
20	3MF	Giovani Lo Celso	(1996-04-09)9 April 1996 (aged 26)	38	2	Villarreal
21	4FW	Paulo Dybala	(1993-11-15)15 November 1993 (aged 28)	32	2	Juventus
22	4FW	Lautaro Martínez	(1997-08-22)22 August 1997 (aged 24)	37	19	Internazionale
23	1GK	Emiliano Martínez	(1992-09-02)2 September 1992 (aged 29)	16	0	Aston Villa

Pre-match

Identity

The stadium with giant sized representations of both kits, before the match

UEFA revealed the brand identity for the match on 22 March 2022. The match was known as the Finalissima, Italian for "grand final". The logo was based on the laurel wreath, a symbol of victory. It features ribbons in the colours of the competing nations, the green, white and red of Italy on the left, and the white and light blue of Argentina. In addition, several ribbons are in platinum and gold, intended to highlight the significance of the match. According to UEFA, the ribbons are "symbolic of the strong bonds between CONMEBOL and UEFA, and of their commitment to the development of football beyond their geographical zones".^[14]

Ticketing

The stadium capacity was 86,000 for the match, with tickets sold to fans and the general public on a first-come, first-served basis via UEFA.com. Available from 24 March 2022, the tickets were available in four price categories: £25, £40, £55 and £99.^[28]

Officials

On 30 May 2022, 37-year-old Chilean referee Piero Maza was announced as the referee for the match, made as a joint appointment by CONMEBOL and UEFA.^[29] Maza had been a FIFA referee since 2018,^[30] though the match was his first senior international fixture as a referee.^[31] However, Maza did previously serve as a fourth official and VAR assistant at the 2019 Copa América,^[32] as well as a VAR at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup.^[33] He was joined by his fellow countrymen Christian Schiemann and Claudio Ríos as assistant referees. Spanish referee Jesús Gil Manzano served as the fourth official, with his compatriots Alejandro Hernández Hernández and Juan Martínez Munuera serving as the VAR and one of the VAR assistants, respectively. Tiago Martins of Portugal was the other VAR assistant.^[2]

Match

Details

Italy	0–3	Argentina
	Report	La. Martínez 28' Di María 45+1' Dybala 90+4'

1 June 2022 (2022-06-01)

19:45 BST

Wembley Stadium, London

Attendance: 87,112^[3]

Referee: Piero Maza (Chile)

Italy[4]

Argentina[4]

GK 21 Gianluigi Donnarumma RB 2 Giovanni Di Lorenzo  72' CB 19 Leonardo Bonucci  39' CB 3 Giorgio Chiellini (c)  46' LB 13 Emerson Palmieri  77' DM 8 Jorginho CM 12 Matteo Pessina  62' CM 18 Nicolò Barella  77' RF 10 Federico Bernardeschi  46' CF 9 Andrea Belotti  46' LF 22 Giacomo Raspadori Substitutions: DF 6 Manuel Lazzari  46' FW 17 Gianluca Scamacca  46' MF 5 Manuel Locatelli  46' DF 4 Leonardo Spinazzola  62' DF 23 Alessandro Bastoni  77' Manager: Roberto Mancini

GK 23 Emiliano Martínez RB 4 Nahuel Molina CB 13 Cristian Romero  85' CB 19 Nicolás Otamendi  22' LB 3 Nicolás Tagliafico DM 18 Guido Rodríguez CM 20 Giovani Lo Celso  90+1' CM 7 Rodrigo De Paul  76' RF 10 Lionel Messi (c) CF 22 Lautaro Martínez  85' LF 11 Ángel Di María  90+1' Substitutions: MF 14 Exequiel Palacios  76' DF 6 Germán Pezzella  85' FW 9 Julián Álvarez  85' MF 15 Nicolás González  90+1' FW 21 Paulo Dybala  90+1' Manager: Lionel Scaloni

Man of the Match: Lionel Messi (Argentina)[1] Assistant referees:[2] Christian Schiemann (Chile) Claudio Ríos (Chile) Fourth official: Jesús Gil Manzano (Spain) Video assistant referee: Alejandro Hernández Hernández (Spain) Assistant video assistant referees: Juan Martínez Munuera (Spain) Tiago Martins (Portugal)

Match rules[29] 90 minutes Penalty shoot-out if scores level Maximum of twelve named substitutes Maximum of five substitutions[note 1]

Statistics

First half[34] Statistic Italy Argentina Goals scored 0 2 Total shots 5 6 Shots on target 2 3 Saves 1 2 Ball possession 48% 52% Corner kicks 3 1 Fouls committed 5 10 Offsides 1 0 Yellow cards 1 1 Red cards 0 0

Second half[34] Statistic Italy Argentina Goals scored 0 1 Total shots 2 11 Shots on target 1 6 Saves 5 1 Ball possession 42% 58% Corner kicks 0 3 Fouls committed 8 6 Offsides 2 0 Yellow cards 2 0 Red cards 0 0

Overall[34] Statistic Italy Argentina Goals scored 0 3 Total shots 7 17 Shots on target 3 9 Saves 6 3 Ball possession 45% 55% Corner kicks 3 4 Fouls committed 13 16 Offsides 3 0 Yellow cards 3 1 Red cards 0 0

Notes

1. Each team was given only three opportunities to make substitutions, excluding substitutions made at half-time.

References

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3. Bate, Adam (1 June 2022). "Italy 0–3 Argentina: Lionel Messi's side win the Finalissima at Wembley after goals from Lautaro Martinez, Angel Di Maria and Paulo Dybala". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 12 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
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24. "Trentanove convocati per le gare di giugno: torna Spinazzola, prima chiamata per Frattesi e Pinamonti" [Thirty-nine called up for the June matches: Spinazzola is back, first call for Frattesi and Pinamonti]. Italian Football Federation (in Italian). 23 May 2022. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
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External links

• Finalissima