Introduction
Qatar made history in December 2010 after it won the rights to host the FIFA world cup 2022. It is the first middle eastern country to get the unique honour to host the football world cup. The country is now working hard to create a lasting legacy by hosting the world cup in an extraordinary way. This will be a tournament like no other and is scheduled to take place from 21st November to 18 December 2022.
The stadiums are so closely linked that fans can watch two matches in a day. The 2022 world cup will be the 22nd edition of the FIFA world cup which will be contested by the national teams of FIFA member associations. Generally, the FIFA world cup is held in the months of May or June. But due to the hot weather conditions at Qatar during summer, the games will be held in November and December of 2022.
Brief history about football
Football had originated in Britain in the early 19th century. Before the medieval times, there was a concept of folk football which was played in small towns and villages with minimum rules.
The later part of the 18th century witnessed industrialization and urbanization and that led to reduced leisure time and space for the working class. Industrial workers began to have Saturday afternoon off work and hence many turned to the new game of football. Some loved to watch while others loved to play.
Football had spread across Europe and people were in a need of starting an international organization to manage professional football games. In the year 1904 representatives from the football associations of Belgium, Denmark, France, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands founded the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). This FIFA Football Association handles most of the professional football tournaments and world cups too.
Rising press coverage of organized sports and modernization of transportation systems such as railways and urban trams enabled players and spectators to travel any distance to football games. Hence the average attendance of people going to these games began to rise rapidly. World war 1 eroded the public interest of people in other games and football became more popular.
About the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar
This will be the first time that the football world cup is taking place in the Arab world. The world cup international football championship will be contested only by the national teams of member associations of FIFA.
This tournament will be the last one that involves 32 teams since it will increase to 48 teams for the 2026 World Cup. France is currently the reigning World Cup champion. This time the game will be played from late-November to mid-December and is to be played in a reduced time frame of around 28 days.
Qatar was selected to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup after winning the bidding process. Around 22 FIFA executive committee members convened in Zurich, Switzerland on 2nd December 2010 to vote and select Qatar as the host country.
Branding and logo for FIFA World Cup 2022
The FIFA emblem was unveiled on September 3rd in 2019, during simultaneous events held at Doha, Qatar. The logo is designed to resemble a tournament trophy, which looks like the infinity symbol and the number 8. It also represents the interconnected event and the eight host stadiums.
It incorporates some imagery of shawls to signify the winter schedules and has a wave design that resembles the beautiful desert dunes. The typography uses kashida; which is a practice of elongating certain parts of characters in the Arabic script to add emphasis to the words.
The FIFA World Cup 2022 venue
The venues chosen for the world cup are being prepped up for the grand opening of the games. They were unveiled at the beginning of March 2010. Qatar intends to reflect the historical and cultural aspects through the creative design and construction of its splendid world-class stadiums. Each stadium is envisaged and designed based on four main priorities; legacy, comfort, accessibility and sustainability.
The stadiums will be built with the highest sustainability and environmental standards. It is being designed by a leading German architect Albert Speer & Partners and is built to serve many generations to come.
It will be equipped with cooling systems that are environmentally friendly and will overcome the challenging environmental conditions and aim to keep the stadiums cooler and more comfortable for the players and the audience.
These stadiums will be built with environmentally friendly materials and ecologically sustained solutions. Qatar expects the world cup stadiums to be compliant and certified by the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS).
The only indoor stadium among the eight will be the Al Bayt stadium. The other stadiums gearing up for this mega spectacle are Lusail, Khalifa, Al Janoub, Education City, Al Rayyan, Al Thumama and Ras Abu Aboud Stadium.
FIFA World Cup 2022 schedule
FIFA had confirmed the match schedule on 15 July 2020. In November 2022 the opening match featuring the hosts Qatar will be played at the Al Bayt Stadium at 13:00 local time. During the group stage matches, four matches will be played on each day. The Khalifa International Stadium will host the third-place match on 17th December. The final match will be played on 18th December 2022, in the Lusail Iconic Stadium at 18:00 local time.
Close proximity of the venues is a boon that will allow the organizers to optimize stadium allocation for spectators and also kick-off times for television audiences.
The following stadiums will be used for the group stage matches and each group will be allocated as per the details given below.
For groups A, B, E, F
Al Bayt Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium.
For groups C, D, G, H
Lusail Iconic Stadium, Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, Education City Stadium, Al Janoub Stadium.
Conclusion
The FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar is being touted to be a grand affair with the local government leaving no stone unturned to ensure a mega sporting spectacle for millions of football fans and viewers from around the world. The planning and construction of the stadiums have been meticulously done to create modern; state of the art facilities for all the stakeholders.
The current COVID 19 pandemic has slightly affected the morale of the people; but as of now, the games are bound to start as per schedule. If you are not visiting the stadiums for the games; just watch it live on your latest gadgets like mobile or TV to enjoy the game and stay updated.
Football is a great active game that can energize your life and make you fit. Get your football gear along with the branded jersey of your favourite teams to enjoy the world cup season and support your favourite team.
Be ready and prepared to enjoy the games and wait for the best global footballers to showcase their superior prowess on the field in Qatar; during the football world cup games in 2022.