Learn the Most Amazing Facts About the 2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup will go down in history as one of the most unique World Cup tournaments. For starters, this will be the first World Cup to be hosted in the Middle East. After quite a debate, Qatar got the honours to host the tournament, and so far, all preparations show that it’s going to be magical!
Whether you’ll take a trip to Qatar to watch the games live or stream the matches from the comfort of your home, this World Cup is not to miss out! Better yet, you can add to the fun and try World Cup 2022 betting and see whether your favourite team will add some change to your pockets.
Before anything else, here are some interesting facts you need to know about the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The FIFA 2022 World Cup Will be Most Headliners’ Last World Cup
We can’t escape our age, and no one knows this better than football players. This year’s World Cup is a grim reminder that many well-known football players, like Robert Lewandowski, Karim Benzema, Luiz Suarez, Luka Modric, Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer, and Thiago Silva, may soon call it quits.
We shall bid farewell to the GOATs, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as well. Cristiano, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, will forever be one of the greatest players in football history. The 37-year-old will halt his career, having played for three international leagues. In an interview, Messi confirmed that the 2022 FIFA World Cup would be his fifth and last World Cup tournament.
The World Cup Will be the First in the Middle East
Except for the Middle East, every region has hosted a World Cup tournament. This year, the World Cup will mark the first time the competition has been planned and staged in this region. But how did this constitutional monarchy on the Arabian Sea host the glorious tournament?
In 2010, the World Cup committee held a draft, and many major players were permitted to bid for the FIFA 2022 venue. Qatar showed its strength by making a $200 million proposal, beating out weaker offers from Australia, the United States, and England at $42.7 million, $5 million, and $24 million, respectively. Qatar’s win was a nice change of pace, pioneering the World Cup journey in the Arabian World.
The FIFA 2022 World Cup Will be Played in the Least Number of Stadiums Ever
Another intriguing aspect of the 2022 FIFA World Cup is that it will be played in the fewest stadiums. Only eight venues are being built to accommodate all FIFA World Cup 2022 matches, and this is the fewest number of venues in recent years.
The most exciting part is that seven of these eight stadiums are entirely new and built from the ground up, while only one ancient stadium has been refurbished, a total record in recent events.
The Most Expensive World Cup
One hotly debated aspect of the 2022 FIFA World Cup is that Qatar will host the most expensive World Cup in history. The big question was whether Qatar had the necessary infrastructure and facilities to host the World Cup.
But, Qatar was willing to spend big, and the projected infrastructure budget, which includes stadiums, hotels, and roadways, was more than $220 billion US dollars. It will be exciting to see how the $220 billion tournament unfolds!
First World Cup to Be Held During the Winter
The FIFA World Cup’s schedule for previous tournaments mostly runs from May to July. However, the FIFA World Cup 2022 will be hosted by Qatar in November and December.
Why? Because Qatar is a desert country that experiences heat waves in June and July. So, the World Cup has been delayed for November and December to improve playing conditions. The weather will be pleasant at that time, allowing spectators and participants to experience the tournament comfortably.
Qatar is the First Host Country to Have Never Played in the World Cup Before
Ironically, Qatar had never participated in any World Cup tournament before it hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup. As football skyrocketed in the country, Qatar established a football association to regulate and manage its sports activities.
Since then, Qatar has been trying to qualify for the FIFA World Cup but has always fallen short. The closest they came was in 1990 when they managed to pull the finals of the AFC qualifying round but still failed. This year, however, Qatar automatically qualified for the World Cup as a host nation.
First World Cup that Queen Elizabeth ll Won’t Witness
The FIFA World Cup began in 1930, while the queen was born in 1926. Throughout her reign, the queen was closely affiliated with the World Cup and would even casually spectate and root for her country. The FIFA 2022 World Cup will be the first where the late Queen Elizabeth II won’t be present.
With the mantle handed over to Qatar, we can only wait to see how exciting the tournament will be this time. The clock is ticking, and it’s less than a month until the Qatar World Cup 2022 kicks off!
