FIFA World Cup QATAR 2022 – Everything We Know

Close up World Cup Trophy by Rhett Lewis

Like clockwork, every 4 years, the world is treated to the biggest football event, with several nations bringing forth the crème de la crème of their stars in an attempt to be crowned the champions of the world. 

The inaugural FIFA World Cup tournament was held 90 years ago, precisely on 12th July 1930, with the South American country Uruguay as the host. 

Fast forward to 2022 and the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup will be going down in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022.

So how will this tournament be different from its predecessors?

Normally, the games are held in May, June or July. This will not be the case because Qatar’s summer heat temperatures range between 30 to 42 degrees Celsius and it would not be ideal to conduct any sporting activities in such conditions. This is the reason why the games will be held partly in November and December.

32 teams will be competing in Qatar. This means that 64 games will be played. There are 8 groups, each composed of 4 members. The same format that has been used all along will still be maintained with the top 2 teams from each group proceeding to the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals with the last two teams facing off in the final match of the tournament.

Africa hasn’t been left behind. 5 countries, Cameroon, Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal will be flying the continent’s flag high. It is unfortunate that no African country has ever won the FIFA World Cup. One of the best finishes by an African side has to be Senegal’s shocking 2002 Quarter Final stint.  

Preparations

Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan by Hatem Boukhit

With millions of people set to travel to the Middle East to witness this tournament, Qatar had to pull all the stops towards ensuring a successful event. 7 stadiums, an entire airport and a public transport facility are some of the facilities that are now complete with 80 days to go to the first match.  

 FIFA World Cup 2022 Official Soundtrack

FIFA through its Chief Commercial Officer Kay Madati announced a multi-song soundtrack aimed at bringing  passionate fans closer to the spirit of the FIFA World Cup like never before.

Hayya Hayya (Better Together) by Trinidad Cardona, Davido and Aisha was released as the first soundtrack on 1st April and now has over 18 Million views on YouTube. The second single titled Arhbo (Slang for Welcome) by Ozuna & GIMS also hit the airwaves on the 19th of August.  Just like these two, we can only hope the other songs yet to be released will be just as feel-good as these two.

Which team will you be supporting?

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