FIFA world cup 2022 : Venue, teams, groups, fixtures

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be the 22nd running of FIFA World Cup competition, It is scheduled to take place in Qatar this year.

FIFA world cup 2022 : Venue, teams, groups, fixtures

This will be the first World Cup ever to be held in the Arab world, and the second World Cup held entirely in Asia after the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan.

In addition, the tournament will be the last to involve 32 teams, with an increase to 48 teams scheduled for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Due to Qatar’s intense summer heat, this World Cup will be held from late-November to mid-December, making it the first tournament not to be held in May, June, or July; it will be played in a reduced timeframe of around 28 days.

The first match played at the tournament will be contested between Senegal and the Netherlands at Al Thumama Stadium, Doha.

The final is due to be held on 18 December 2022, which is also Qatar National Day. The reigning World Cup champions are France.

FIFA world cup 2022 Venue

A tournament claimed by the organizers to be “the best tournament ever”, controversies have followed it around ever since FIFA’s contentious decision to host it in Qatar.

https://youtu.be/2x74pCPnIFU

Despite this, it promises to be a World Cup of changes, of uniqueness, of unpredictability, and surely feature high quality football for fans to follow, as they cheer their team on, and their heroes strive for glory.

A World Cup can be considered the pinnacle of football, and everyone will be dreaming it will be their team lifting the iconic trophy over their heads.

As Qatar is mainly desert, the climate in summer is unsuited for such high-intensity sport. With temperatures potentially rising up to 45 C, it was obvious that there would be a scheduling change, which was the case.

For the first time in the tournament’s rich 92-year history, it will be played in winter, from 21st November to 18th December, to veer around the issue of heat.

At this time, the temperature will likely be no higher than 30 C, based on studies from the average temperatures in Doha from 1991-2020. This is obviously a more suitable temperature for football.

Qatar was definitely underequipped for a sporting event of this magnitude, as they have built seven new stadiums, along with a new airport, new roads, and a new Metro. 

Teams

The 32 countries qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup are Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Germany, The Netherlands, Uruguay, Croatia, Denmark, Mexico, the United States, Senegal, Wales, Poland, Australia, Japan, Morocco, Switzerland, Ghana, Korea Republic, Cameroon, Serbia, Canada, Costa Rica, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ecuador. And hosts Qatar will lead the way in the opening match of the tournament.

Out of all these countries, the top favorites to win the tournament will be in the following order: Argentina, France, Brazil, Portugal, England, Spain, Germany, and Belgium.

Potential Cinderellas will be Uruguay, Poland, Canada, Denmark, Croatia, Switzerland, Senegal, the Netherlands, and Wales.

The rest of the countries don’t appear to have a major chance to get far in the tournament.

FIFA world cup 2022 groups 

Inside Group A, hosts Qatar will share the spotlight with Ecuador, Senegal and the Netherlands. Group B has England, Itan, United States and Wales in an almost all-English affair.

Inside Group C, title contenders Argentina lead the charge against Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland. Group D has France, Australia, Denmark and Tunisia.

Group E will have Spain against Costa Rica, Germany and Japan inside the infamous Group of Death. Sector F has Belgium, Canada, Morocco and Croatia. Brazil leads Group G against Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon.

Last but not least, Ronaldo’s Portugal leads Group H against Uruguay, Ghana and the Republic of Korea. First matches kick-off on November 21 and the final is set for December 18.

Fixtures