The Qatar 2022 campaign
Costa Rica recovered from losing 7–0 to Spain by beating Japan 1–0. That win restored a qualification possibility before Germany won the final group fixture 4–2. Costa Rica finished fourth on three points. The Japan result is central because it prevented the opening defeat from defining every part of their campaign, even though progression remained out of reach.
Reading the record
Costa Rica recorded 1 win, 0 draws and 2 defeats across 3 matches, scoring 3 goals and conceding 11. FIFA’s match summaries record 7 attempts on target from 12 total attempts during their campaign.
Shoot-outs decide which team advances, but their kicks are excluded from the goal totals above. Matches decided on penalties count as draws in this win–draw–loss record; extra-time goals count towards the match score.
Matches to revisit
The Japan victory is the turning point to revisit between Spain and Germany.
Final Group E standings
Costa Rica finished fourth with 3 points. The top two teams advanced to the round of 16.
| Team | P | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Spain | 3 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Germany | 3 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| Costa Rica | 3 | 3 | 11 | -8 | 3 |
The route, match by match
- 23 Nov · Group E
Spain 7–0 Costa Rica ↗
Spain make an emphatic opening statement
Al Thumama Stadium · 19:00 Qatar time
Match context & statistics - 27 Nov · Group E
Japan 0–1 Costa Rica ↗
Costa Rica interrupt Japan's momentum
Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium · 13:00 Qatar time
Match context & statistics - 1 Dec · Group E
Costa Rica 2–4 Germany ↗
Germany win the match, but not qualification
Al Bayt Stadium · 22:00 Qatar time
Match context & statistics
Sources and method
FIFA’s complete Qatar 2022 match-report hub ↗
Campaign totals are calculated from Costa Rica’s match results and the individual FIFA statistical reports linked on each match page. The overview is an editorial retrospective by Qatar22 Editorial.