The 22nd Cup in history will be different, not only because it will be held in November and December, outside the traditional months of June and July, but also because it will be held for the first time in an Arab country with a Muslim majority.
The time has come for the ball to roll. The Qatar 2022 World Cup begins this Sunday, with the opening match between Qatar and Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium. It will be the first World Cup to be played in the Middle East and the last to be played with the current format of 32 teams, since in 2026 it will be extended to 48 participants.
The 22nd Cup in history will be different, not only because it will be held in November and December, outside the traditional months of June and July, but also because it will be held for the first time in an Arab country with a Muslim majority.
The only rookie country is Qatar, classified ex officio for being the host, while the most notable absence will once again be Italy. The current European champions missed the appointment again, being the first time that a world champion missed two World Cups in a row after failing in Russia 2018.
The game format will be the same that has been applied since France 1998. The calendar consists of 62 games, 46 of them in the group stage. Eight groups of four teams, with three games for each one. The two best ranked advance to the next round. From the round of 16 onwards, the matches are direct elimination.
The winners of the semifinal advance to the final and the losers will have to play the match for third place. The final will be held on Sunday 18 December at the Lusail Stadium.
Eight will be the stadiums and five the cities chosen as venues: Rayyan, Jor, Lusail, Doha and Al Wakrah.
The total investment was close to 200 billion dollars, a staggering figure when compared to the 15 billion dollars spent in Brazil in 2014 or the 12 billion dollars invested in Russia in 2018.
The World Cup will also see Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa and Andrés Guardado join Antonio Carbajal, Rafael Márquez, Lothar Mattahüs and Gianluigi Buffon as the only players to appear in five tournaments.
the stadiums
There will be eight stadiums that will receive the competition, six of which are of recent construction and one from the last century, but which was remodeled for the World Cup.
The venues are Al Bayt Stadium, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Stadium 974, Lusail Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Education City Stadium and Al Janoub Stadium.
The ball
Al Rihla is the 14th Adidas ball in the World Cup, which launched the first official ball of the German firm in 1970. The name Al Rihla means journey and its design and colors are inspired by the sails of a dhow. Seamless Speedshell panels combine textures and diamond-shaped engravings that add spin and precision to your shots. Its colorful prints have a glossy finish.
The cover is made of 70% polyurethane, 20% recycled polyester and 10% viscose. It has a rubber bladder and a seamless, heat-sealed design. It bears the FIFA Quality Pro seal and the FIFA World Cup logo stamped on it.
The base is white, with colored triangles fused between blue, red and yellow.
The pet
La’eeb will be the 15th World Cup mascot dating back to 1966, when Willie debuted in England in 1966. His name means “skilled player” in Arabic. Coming from the metaverse of pets, a parallel universe that cannot be described in words and each one can imagine as he wants. La’eeb encourages everyone to believe in themselves.
La’eeb has a youthful and fun character, which infects security wherever it goes. She hails from a parallel universe where all the tournament mascots come from, and where the ideas that bring to life the characters that inhabit everyone’s imagination reside.
The football party is about to begin and it promises to make you live a totally different end of the year.
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