The football World Cup was introduced by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and was played in 1930 for the first time. Since then it has been played every four years. Till date, twenty one FIFA World Cups have been played and Qatar World Cup is going to be the twenty second. The tournament is all set to be held in Qatar from November 20 to December 18 but it is not the time of year when World Cups are usually held. So why did they schedule it for the last months of the year while the world cup is usually held during the mid months of the year?
Qatar is a middle east country where the climate is very hot. This is why during months of May and June it becomes extremely hot due to which the tournament had to be postponed to November – December.
Though it is the first time the FIFA World Cup will be held in a middle east country, Qatar is not the first Asian country to host the FIFA World Cup. This will be the second time that the World Cup will be hosted by an Asian country after the 2002 World Cup which was co-hosted by Japan and South Korea.
Qatar World Cup Venues
The Qatar World Cup will not just be played in one City or one stadium. The World Cup is the biggest level football competition in which 64 matches are going to be played this time. These 64 matches will be played by 32 teams in a total of eight stadiums across five different cities of Qatar.
The designated Venues for the FIFA World Cup 2022 are following:
Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail
Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah
Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor
Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan
Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan
Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan
Stadium 974 in Doha
Al Thumama Stadium in Doha
FIFA and Qatar football federation made sure that all the venues of FIFA World Cup 2022 are located within a 55-km radius of the nation’s capital city of Doha. One of the most surprising facts about the Venues of FIFA World Cup Qatar is that apart from Khalifa International Stadium, which was constructed and has been in use since 1976, every other stadium of the World Cup has been constructed over the span of the past three years. And the one and only aim of their construction is the FIFA World Cup. The Khalifa International Stadium will host the third place playoff match.
Lusail Iconic Stadium, Qatar
Out of all the eight stadiums, Lusail Iconic Stadium has the highest capacity in terms of sheltering population. This is why Lusail stadium is going to be the most crowded in upcoming World Cup days. 10 of 64 matches will be hosted in this Stadium including the final and closing ceremonies.
Al Bayt Stadium is in second place hosting the second highest number of matches (nine). While Lusail is set to host closing ceremonies, Al Bayt Stadium will be the one to host opening ceremonies including the FIFA World Cup 2022 opening match between the host Qatar and Ecuador on November 20.
Al Janoub Stadium, Qatar
Al Janoub Stadium is located in one of the oldest inhabited cities of Qatar, situated 22 km South of the Central Doha. Al Janoub Stadium has a capacity of 40000 which is half as compared to Lusail Iconic Stadium. Stadium’s captivating and lucrative designs reflect the wind-filled sails of Qatar’s traditional dhow boats in order to preserve the city’s history of fishing and pearl. For centuries these beautiful crafts have been sailed through Gulf waters. After the tournament ends, the stadium’s capacity will be reduced and some of its part will be donated to other sporting projects.
Khalifa International Stadium, Qatar
Khalifa International Stadium, also known as National Stadium was built in 1976. It is a multi-purpose hall in Doha and stands as the oldest stadium among eight stadiums. It’s named after Khalifa Bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar’s former Emir. Khalifa International was the one to host the final of 2011 AFC South Asian Cup. It has also hosted the Arabian Gulf Cup and IAAF World Athletics Championship (2019).
Education City Stadium
Education City Stadium is located in the city of Al Rayyan, Qatar. It is one of the seven stadiums which were built with the FIFA World Cup 2022 in mind. On September 3, 2020, Education City Stadium hosted its first official match in the 2020-21 Qatar Stars League Season. The Stadium is located within several University Campuses at the Qatar Foundation’s Education City with a capacity of 45,350.
Stadiums for Group Stage
If you have read our previous articles, you must know that the FIFA World Cup Qatar is divided into two phases. First is the group phase and the second is the knockout phase. The group phase will run from November 20 to December 2 in which a total of eight groups consisting of four nations each will play. These groups matches have also been divided among the stadiums in following manner:
Group A,B, E and F will play matches hosted by Al Bayt Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium and Al Thumama Stadium.
Groups C, D, G and H will play matches hosted by and in Lusail Iconic Stadium, Education City Stadium, Stadium 974 and Al Janoub Stadium.
