You will be treated to a spectacular show filled with controversy, passion, moments of player brilliance, and lots of goals. Qatar is the host nation for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, a competition you expect to surpass its predecessors in terms of stadium attendance and viewership. Also, the Qatar world cup is being held towards the end of the year instead of summer. The following are some exciting things you should know about the 2022 competition:
Host nation
Qatar, a small monarchical country in the Persian Gulf, has about 2.7 million citizens. Approximately 300,000 citizens are indigenous, while the rest are migrants from other countries, especially Asia. Qatar shares its only land border with Saudi Arabia, and you might know it for exporting enormous amounts of natural gas and oil. Also, Qatar is the parent country of the international broadcaster Al Jazeera, a channel that has attracted numerous criticisms over the years. Even though Qatar is approximately ten times the size of New York City, all games will be held in a tight circle of eight stadiums around the country's capital, Doha.
Tournament Controversy
Discussions have concentrated on how Qatar's massive migrant laborers, many of whom are from South and East Asia, contribute to the country's construction industry. According to a 2019 study, hundreds of laborers perished after working up to 10 hours per shift, six days a week, in temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius.Qatar abolished the restrictive kafala system by implementing a minimum wage for all workers. Kafala barred workers from changing professions and effectively placed them under the control of their employers. This led many employees to live in filthy and overcrowded hostels.Even by regional standards, Qatar ranks low on LGBTQ+ rights indices and criminalizes same-sex sexual activities. Various European countries have condemned Qatar's discriminatory policies towards the LGBTQ+ community. These nations include:
- Germany
- England
- Netherlands
- Wales
- Denmark
The European nations had threatened to wear "One Love" armband in support of the marginalized group. However, FIFA had to jump in and ban these nations from going against Qatari norms, which would have led to a relatively volatile competition. To gain global acceptance, Qatar declared that LGBTQ+ couples traveling for the World Cup could stay in the same room. Moreover, the police will be instructed not to intervene in public displays of affection or pro-LGBTQ+ demonstrations.
Climate Crisis and World Cup Timing
Qatar had initially proposed the 2022 tournament to be held in the summer after winning the bid to host the event. However, in 2015 FIFA declared that a winter tournament would be more appropriate. This was to prevent you from experiencing summer temperatures that often reach 50°C and average 36°C.Doha says that its robust stadium designs will result in low carbon-emitting travel, which will be a tremendous achievement for the world cup. However, air conditioning and the hundreds of millions of liters of desalinated water needed to keep the fields to the standard have raised numerous concerns.
Tournament Favorites
Numerous worldwide soccer stars, including Neymar, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Kylian Mbappé, are preparing for the start of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. Brazilian attacking players such as Neymar, Richarlison, and Antony are among the best in the world. Brazil dominated the World Cup qualifying, scoring 40 goals and conceding five. Being the only nation to qualify for every world cup, Brazil expects to have no trouble getting to the knockout stages and, hopefully, the final.
Argentina finished second in the qualifiers with 39 points, trailing only Brazil, scoring 27 goals and conceding eight. Argentina's trip to Qatar is more significant because this World Cup could be Lionel Messi's last. Other than this title, Messi has accomplished everything in his long career. Denmark beat the French twice in the UEFA Nations League earlier this year, and it will be a tough test for Kylian Mbappé’s French side. Because a group-stage departure is unlikely, Didier Deschamps' team will aim to win their group and potentially avoid Argentina till the final.
New Technology
Match balls will feature a real-time sensor that records spatial positional data throughout the competition. This will be the first World Cup to deploy such a system. The available optical tracking capabilities will improve the accuracy and efficiency of VAR and offside evaluations. FIFA's deployment of the ball sensor will act as a public test case over the following four weeks.
Conclusion
Dubbed to be the greatest tournament in World Cup history, the Qatari World cup is already living up to expectations. The tremendous controversy, extensive technology, national rivalry, superstar-filled contest, and the glory of witnessing a World Cup are reasons why you should watch it.
