FIFA 2022: What You Should Know

The FIFA World Cup 2022 is just around the corner. As the football world’s most waited-upon event, this one, which will be held in Qatar this year, is the last one to feature the current format. Come 2026’s tournament, the event will see a few significant structural changes. If you’re new to the world of football, you’ll likely want to know a thing or two before the World Cup begins. Below, we’ve put together a few key snippets of knowledge concerning everything you need to know about the upcoming competition.

The Middle East’s First World Cup

The 2022 FIFA World Cup will mark the first-ever world cup hosted in the Middle East. Qatar beat out the likes of the United States, Japan, South Korea and Australia to win the hosting bid announced by Sepp Blatter in 2010. While this marked a momentous occasion for the Middle East, the announcement was marred by news of the suspension of FIFA Executive Committee members who had their voting rights suspended after it was alleged that they would accept money in exchange for votes.

When Was The World Cup First Held?

To date, there have been a total of 21 men’s football World Cup competitions, and Qatar’s event will be the 22nd. FIFA’s World Cups date back as far as 1930, when Uruguay played host and then went on to beat Argentina in the final, with a score of 4 to 2. In the same tournament, the United States finished in third place. The World Cup has taken place every four years since 1930, except in 1942 and 1946, when the events were canceled due to World War II.

Brazil has the most FIFA World Cup wins, with five titles from 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. Germany and Italy are both in second place with a total of four wins each.

Where Will The Matches Take Place?

In total, there are eight different venues for the tournament, and they are spread over five different cities:

  • The Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail has a capacity of 80,000
  • The Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor can hold up to 60,000
  • Doha’s Stadium 974 can host 40,000
  • The Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, can seat 40,000
  • Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan has space for 45,416 spectators
  • Al Rayyan’s Education City Stadium has a capacity of 45,350
  • Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan seats 44,740
  • Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah can hold an additional 40,000 soccer fans.

The Lusail Iconic Stadium

Who Are The Top Contenders?

Just like you do your research when you place Australian NRL sports bets, you’ll need to do the same for picking a potential FIFA 2022 World Cup winner. The reigning World Cup champion is currently France. The team is comprised of young talent and although they crashed out at Euro, they will likely be more motivated to show that they’re the best in the world.

On the other hand, Argentina may well go far in the tournament. Last year, they ended their trophy drought and have not lost a single game since the 2019 Copa America final.