FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar: All You Need to Know
07:21 GMT 19.11.2022 (Updated: 09:58 GMT 30.11.2022)
© Sputnik / Grigory Sysoev
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The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup 2022 - the first one to take place in the Middle East and the Arab world - will take place from November 20 to December 18 in Qatar, Doha.
The countdown to the football world's most spectacular event - this year's FIFA World Cup - has entered the home stretch, promising a riveting showdown between men's football teams representing 32 countries that have successfully worked their way up through the preceding three years of the qualifying phase of this quadrennial tournament.
There are several "firsts" associated with this seismic event in the sporting calendar, which only serves to add to the swelling excitement around the Gulf country gala which is expected to attract live audiences of an estimated one and a half million fans.
When Does the World Cup Start?
The much-anticipated International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup 2022 event is set to last a month, starting on November 20 and concluding on December 18, with the announcement of the winner squad.
A family is seen at the harbour backdropped by the 974 Stadium in Doha on November 17, 2022 ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
© JUAN MABROMATA
Who Is Hosting the World Cup?
The Middle-Eastern state of Qatar, which straddles a peninsula jutting into the Arabian Gulf, is doing the honors. The tiny Arab nation of 2.9 million people won the right to hold the championship on its soil in December 2010, after triumphing on a ballot of FIFA's 22 executive members and beating the US, South Korea, Japan and Australia.
Edition No 22 of the event since it was first conceived by the popularly loved sport's global governing body back in 1930 is the first to be hosted in the Middle East. In an unexpected tweak to the customary timeframe, this is also the first World Cup to be played at the end of the calendar year instead of in May, June, or July. This was decided by the weather - in summer Qatar boils in relentless heat and high humidity and during a heatwave, temperatures have been known to hit 50˚C (122˚F).
The spectacular soccer extravaganza will also be the last to offer a 32-team format. The following, the 2026 World Cup - hosted jointly by the US, Mexico and Canada - will widen the field to allow for 48 teams to take part.
Where Will World Cup Matches Be Played?
The football bonanza is to be spread out across eight stadiums in five cities in Qatar, such as Lusail, Al Khor, Al Rayyan, Al Wakrah and the capital Doha. What is anticipated to be a stunning opening ceremony will unfold on the premises of Al Khor's stadium called Al Bayt. Able to accommodate at least 60,000 spectators, the sports venue has also been designated as the locus for one of the World Cup semi-final clashes.
The trailblazing debut bout at the @022 World Cup is to be a face-off between Qatar (the host team) and Ecuador, kicking off Group A at 11:00 Eastern time.
The trailblazing debut bout at the @022 World Cup is to be a face-off between Qatar (the host team) and Ecuador, kicking off Group A at 11:00 Eastern time.
Who Has Qualified For World Cup?
As the World Cup clash takes place once every four years, national teams battle it out to become eligible to enter the main fray during the preceding three years. After FIFA accorded each region with their own number of so-called ‘qualifying berths,’ the teams of 31 countries battled it out for the right to take part in this year’s event - as well as the host nation Qatar, which automatically qualified.
Europe's UEFA qualification stages saw 13 nations qualify: Germany, Denmark, France, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, England, Switzerland, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland and Wales. The four countries to make it into the event from South America's CONMEBOL were Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador and Uruguay.
The four successful qualifiers from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) were Iran, South Korea, Japan and Saudi Arabia. The African continent is sending off five nations to compete - Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia, Morocco and Cameroon. The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) is sending four teams - Canada, USA, Mexico and Costa Rica. Finally, Australia is taking part as a member of the Asian confederation.
Who Crashed Out of World Cup 2022?
After losing to North Macedonia, the European Football Championship winners of 2020, Italy, were obliged to pass up a chance to vie for the main prize. This is the second time in a row that Italy's squad has been subjected to this humiliation. Colombia's and Chile's national soccer squads failed to scramble into CONMEBOL's qualifying line-up.
England's Harry Kanem left, shoots to score past Italy's goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma during penalty shootout of the Euro 2020 soccer championship final match between England and Italy at Wembley Stadium in London, Sunday, July 11, 2021
© AP Photo / Paul Ellis
It should be noted that with the exception of Europe, no two football squads representing the same territorial sector are group-paired.
What Are the World Cup 2022 Groups?
Here is how the groups line up:
Group A
Qatar
Ecuador
Senegal
The Netherlands
Group B
England
Iran
USA
Wales
Group C
Argentina
Saudi Arabia
Mexico
Poland
Group D
France
Australia
Denmark
Tunisia
Group E
Spain
Costa Rica
Germany
Japan
Group F
Belgium
Canada
Morocco
Croatia
Group G
Brazil
Serbia
Switzerland
Cameroon
Group H
Portugal
Ghana
Uruguay
South Korea
Once the group phase of the Qatar 2022 event, lasting from November 20 until December 2, is ended, from December 3 the eight teams that have not been knocked out will progress to the quarter-finals, then four to the semis and then, on December 18, the last remaining two go head to head in the final.
Workers walk past a FIFA World Cup sign in Doha on November 16, 2022, ahead of the Qatar 2022 World Cup football tournament.
© DAVID GANNON
Who Are the Favorites to Win the World Cup?
South America’s Brazil and Argentina are leading the odds in the betting on who will eventually hoist the trophy at the conclusion of the 2022 World Cup.
Legendary forward Lionel Messi is the man Argentina is betting on to help it lift the coveted prize. The soccer celebrity, 35, has made no secret that this World Cup will be the last of his illustrious career.
The Brazilians, who ceded defeat to Argentina in last year’s Copa America finals, are relying on such big-gunners as Neymar, Richarlison and Raphinha to triumph at the Cup for the sixth time. Their last victory in this competition was in 2002.
The champions of Euro 2016, Portugal, have assembled their best players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes to tackle any rivals in their hopeful path to victory.
4 November 2022, 10:33 GMT
As for the last winner of the World Cup, France’s team outplayed Croatia with a score of 4 to 2 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia's capital, which was the host-country four years ago, in 2018.
