FIFA’s 22nd tournament will take place in Qatar from 21 November to 18 December 2022. This is the first time that a Muslim country will host the World Cup. Previous World Cups took place in May, June, or July. However, Qatar’s excessive summer heat makes this impossible, hence a previously unthought of decision to hold it toward the end of 2022.
Soccer’s World Cup is a massive sporting event with 32 national teams vying for glory and being crowned world football champions. Here is some background on this upcoming tournament:
Qualifying games are underway
FIFA’s World Cup is held quadrennially. During the intervening years, a lot is happening behind the scenes. Host countries build stadiums and other facilities that FIFA must approve before allowing a World Cup tournament to go ahead.
Additionally, qualifying matches take place to determine which 32 teams get to play in a World Cup. Pennsylvania sports betting operations have seen an increase in bets on qualifying games and expect that bettors will become even more active once the tournament proper kicks off. Nations are divided into regions, and a set number of teams from each may represent their countries at a World Cup.
For example, CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean) may only send three or four teams, while Europe may send 13. Nations qualify after a series of fixtures between teams from each federation or region.
Lead-up to FIFA’s World Cup
In the months and weeks leading up to the tournament, qualifying teams start showing off their sports uniform choices, getting local fans excited for the games ahead and ready to support their national team. Soccer is seen as a unifying force for good that brings citizens together to celebrate two shared passions: soccer and winning.
The host nation
Fans are already booking FIFA World Cup travel packages to the host nation and look forward to experiencing some world-famous Qatari hospitality during their stay. Qataris are excited to host this event and see their national team in action as hosting nations’ teams automatically qualify to play.
The lead-up to this World Cup has not been without controversy. Some FIFA member nations complained that the vote to make Qatar the host nation for 2022 was rigged. Investigations are still ongoing. Additionally, there have been persistent rumors about the poor treatment of immigrants brought into Qatar to build stadiums and other facilities.
