Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 Gets A Fabulous Start

Sports Bureau

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup kicked off on 20 November and will culminate with the final on 18 December 2022. The mega event, FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, had a fabulous start on November 20 at the crowded Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor. The highlight was BTS star Jung Kook’s performance at the opening ceremony along with the official World Cup song Dreamers. Hollywood superstar Morgan Freeman gave a thrilling commentary with a nostalgic take on the previous editions of the FIFA World Cups.

The reigning World Cup champions are France. Many things make Qatar World Cup unique. The prime one is the special honor of the first World Cup being held in the Arab world. It will also be the second World Cup in Asia.

Qatar World Cup games have the shortest timeframe of 28 days. The winter months of November and December have been chosen to evade the strong summer heat in Qatar. The late November to mid-December in Qatar skips the conventional timelines of May, June, or July.

Qatar expects a boost for economy and image

Qatar expects November’s soccer World Cup will pump as much as $17 billion into its economy and expects 1.2 million visitors during the event.

Nasser Al Khater, the CEO of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, told Bloomberg Television that the global limelight on the country will showcase its “surge and rapid expansion from a small pearl-diving enclave to Gulf metropolis, energy power, and a transit hub.”

The local organizing committee of the Qatar World Cup is fully confident of presenting an unforgettable tournament experience, according to Fatma Al Nuaimi, the executive director for communications.

Last tournament with 32 teams

The Qatar World Cup is also special as the last tournament that will play 32 teams. By 2026, the total number of teams will be increased to 48. The 2022 FIFA World Cup bids came from Australia, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, and the United States.

Doha skyline — Skyline of Doha, the capital of Qatar

The 22-member FIFA Executive Committee in Zürich on 2 December 2010 finalized Qatar as the host. Qatar will also be making its debut in the FIFA World Cup and earn the distinction as the second host to make a tournament debut after Italy in 1934.

Qatar is the smallest nation to host WC

Qatar is the smallest nation by area ever to have been awarded a FIFA World Cup. Switzerland, another small country hosted the 1954 FIFA World Cup. But it was three times bigger than Qatar and hosted only 16 teams instead of the current 32.

The Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, one of the leading venues of the World Cup venue has been built by Indian construction major Larsen & Toubro.

The first match between Qatar and Ecuador

The 2022 World Cup will kick off on Sunday, November 20 at the Al Bayt Stadium with the host Qatar taking on Ecuador in Group A. The final on 18 December 2022 will coincide with Qatar National Day.

It will be played at the Lusail Stadium. England will play on the second day with their Group B match against Iran.

French team — **Defending champions France**

All eyes are on France and Brazil

Leading soccer tipster Martin Green's best bets for the 2022 World Cup, based on the odds are the following.

Brazil +450
France +550
England +600
Spain +750
Germany +1000
Argentina +1000
Belgium +1200
Portugal +1200
Netherlands +1400
Denmark +2800

Brazil is a hot favorite with many who think it will lift the Qatar World Cup. Brazil is currently the No. 1 team in the FIFA rankings and has a history of winning the World Cup five times, the highest by any nation. France enters the 2022 FIFA World Cup fray as the defending champions with two most dangerous attackers namely, Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappé who will lead the offensive.

FIFA president with QFF — **FIFA chief Gianni Infantino (R) and Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani, President of the Qatar Football Federation**

Teams participating in the Qatar World Cup

1. Qatar

2. Germany

3. Denmark

4. Belgium

5. France

6. Croatia

7. Spain

8. Serbia

9. Switzerland

10. England

11. The Netherlands

12. Portugal

13. Poland

14. Wales

15. Brazil

16. Argentina

17. Uruguay

18. Ecuador

19. Canada

20. Mexico

21. The United States

22. Costa Rica

23. Tunisia

24. Cameroon

25. Morocco

26. Senegal

27. Ghana

28. Iran

29. South Korea

30. Saudi Arabia

31. Japan

32. Australia

Meanwhile, Qatar is leaving no stone unturned in making the visitors most comfortable at the global sporting event.

Qatar world Cup CEO — **Nasser Al Khater, the CEO of Qatar World Cup 2022**

To ensure seamless accommodation for fans, it has leased many luxury cruise liners, enabled homeowners to rent properties to visitors, and plans have been drawn up to enhance shuttle flights to help fans stay in nearby countries.