There is no doubt football or soccer is the most famous sport in the world. To crown it all, the World Cup is the ultimate football competition that brings global countries together to compete for the trophy. Hence, are you ready for the Qatar FIFA world cup 2022?
Although the competition runs for less than a month, it takes almost a decade of preparation to get ready.
Word cup in Qatar
This year’s FIFA world cup is happening in Qatar from the 20th of November 2022. Although Qatar is one of the smallest countries in the world both in terms of size and population, the country has set up some of the best infrastructures such as stadiums for the event.
Most reports indicate that this year’s WorldCup will cost an average of 200 billion dollars making it the most expensive ever.
2022 Qatar World Cup Controversies
This year’s competition has had its fair share of controversies. These vary from issues such as gay rights, alcohol consumption, and treatment of migrant workers.
Migrant workers controversies have been the most persistent with most critics saying workers (who mostly come from Africa and Asia) have been overworked and underpaid. There are also reports of a high number of deaths due to poor working conditions. However, the actual number remains unclear due to conflicting reports.
As a Muslim country, Qatar still outlaws same-sex relationships. An issue that has seen a lot of protests from some activists, fans, and even players.
Recently, the country also turned back on its promise to allow the sale of alcohol in the stadiums leaving some fans very frustrated.
Football Expectations
Despite these controversies, there is an air of excitement across the world by fans who are eagerly waiting for the action to start.
Some of the well-renowned players such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are taking part in what some analysts term as their last world cup.
Their presence together with other top stars is expected to make the tournament exciting and competitive.
The country expects at least 1.5 million visitors from around the World. This number of tourists accounts for almost 50% of the country’s population of 3 million people.
First world cup 2022 game
The first game for the 2022 world will involve both Qatar and Ecuador. The host country expects to perform well by using the home advantage.
However, they are not the favorites to win the competition. Most analysts speculating the cup could end up either in Argentina, Brazil, or the usual European-France.
World Cup Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony for the FIFA 2022 world cup is 5 pm Qatar time. It precedes the opening match and the broadcast will be done globally.