The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is one of the most controversial ones in history. As a professional football player, it’s probably the most grueling time.
Due to the Corona pandemic, many tournaments and competitions had to be postponed, and the match calendar is bursting at the seams. Many players barely had a break after the 2021 European Championship before the regular season with the clubs already started again.
Things aren’t looking better either in the foreseeable future, because the next big event is coming up in the winter of 2022: The World Cup in Qatar.
Due to the enormous heat in the summertime in the desert state, the tournament has been moved to the winter months for the first time in history. A novelty that has some consequences, like the fact that the World Cup is being held in the middle of the regular season.
This is actually a no-go, especially for European clubs. Also due to this circumstance, the 2022 World Cup will be one of the shortest in the history of the tournament (28 days).
When Will the 2022 World Cup Start in Qatar?
The 2022 World Cup will officially start on November 21, 2022 at 1 p.m. local time with the opening match.
As mentioned earlier, the World Cup will be one of the shortest in history. There are only twelve days available for the group stage. Normally, the group matches have always been allocated a period of 15 days so far. For the knockout phase, 16 days are allotted.
Only the 1978 World Cup in Argentina was even shorter, with 25 days. The final of the 2022 World Cup will take place on December 18.
World Cup 2022, host Qatar: Not to Be Underestimated
Qatar is a rather small light on online sports betting for South African players and the world football map. Nevertheless, coach Félix Sánchez’s team should not be underestimated. The Spaniard has been working as a coach for the federation since 2013.
At that time, he started as a coach of the U19s and took over the U20s as well as the U23s in the following years, before he was promoted to head coach of the senior national team.
Qatar is part of the Asian Football Confederation and was even Asian champion in 2018/2019. To be well prepared for the upcoming tournament, they didn’t just schedule friendly matches.
For example, the national team took part in the American Gold Cup. There, they only failed in the semifinals against the eventual winner USA (0:1). Qatar is also competing in Group A of the World Cup qualifiers.
Qatar is 42nd in the FIFA world rankings, ahead of nations such as Norway, Egypt, Greece, and Scotland.
The Looks of the 2022 World Cup
By default, 32 teams will also participate in the upcoming World Cup. For a long time, however, this was not considered certain. FIFA had considered allowing 48 teams to participate in the future. However, this idea was ultimately rejected.
As usual, the teams will duel in the round of 16 after surviving the group stage. In the quarterfinals, the teams will then battle it out for a place in the semifinals. There, the two finalists will be determined.
The World Cup 2022 Final in Qatar
As mentioned, the final will take place on December 18 in 2022. The two finalists will meet at the Lusail Iconic Stadium. The stadium is still under construction and is expected to seat a total of 86,250 enthusiastic spectators when it is completed. The stadium is located just outside the Qatari capital Doha.
Image Courtesy: www.facebook.com/worldqatar2022