Despite some ribbing, Qatar is going to host the World Cup. FIFA has published regulations for the event, and it will take place from 23 August to 18 December 2022. The tournament will feature 32 teams in eight groups of four, followed by a 32-team round-robin and a final. It’s also the first time a World Cup will be held in winter.
The World Cup will be held in Qatar, a small country bordering the Persian Gulf. It has a population of nearly 3 million people. It is also the first country in the Middle East to host a men’s World Cup. The tournament will be played in eight stadiums across five cities. The stadiums can seat 40 to 80 thousand spectators.
The opening match will be played between Qatar and Ecuador at Al Bayt Stadium. It will feature some of the World Cup’s biggest names, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The stadium will hold about 60 thousand spectators, so it’s a good bet it will be packed. The stadium will also be used for the final.
In addition to the aforementioned ‘Shoomole’ (short for’smart’), it’s also worth noting that Qatar’s squad is a tad smaller than the usual plethora of players. This was the cheapest squad amongst the eight teams in the country’s group, with the market value being about 14 million euros. This is not to be confused with the most expensive, though.
The BBC reported that the World Cup 2022 opener will be played at the Al Bayt Stadium, a stadium renowned for its impressive acoustics. It’s also one of the largest in the Middle East, with a capacity of 80 thousand. It’s also the home of Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who swore in the tournament on Sunday.
The other important event was the release of the FIFA World Cup 2022 logo. The logo, which is a spiky tiger, is designed to resemble the one used for the World Cup in Russia. In a show of support, Budweiser shipped its products by ocean freighter to the Gulf state. The beer was stored in refrigerated warehouses.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was held at the Al Bayt Stadium, where a large crowd filled the stadium and surrounding areas. The opening ceremony featured a number of “firsts” including a Quran recitation and the Quranic equivalent of a music video. A performance by Qatari singer Fahad al-Kubaisi was also screened on a second-tier television channel. The Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, said the event was about all Arabs, not just those in Qatar. The World Cup was also a watershed moment for the Gulf state, and its citizens were expected to be on their best behaviour.
The best match of the tournament, however, is likely to be between the Netherlands and Ecuador. Both teams have proven to be formidable opponents, and it’s possible the Netherlands could go on to win the tournament. The team from France is also a formidable group, as they’ve got one of the top teams in the World Cup qualifying cycle.
