We kunnen de aankomende tijd weer dagelijks naar de meest populaire sport competitie ter wereld kijken. De FIFA World Cup neemt deze keer plaats in Qatar. Maar liefst 32 teams nemen het tegen elkaar op in wel 65 wedstrijden. De extravagante openingsceremonie vond op 20 november plaats in het Al Bayt Stadium. Onder andere Oscar-winnende acteur Morgan Freeman was aanwezig. Samen met social media influencer Ghanim al-Muftah gaf Freeman een inspirerende boodschap over inclusiviteit gevolgd door verzen uit de Koran te reciteren. Hier zijn 10 feiten over het FIFA Wereldkampioenschap 2022 in Qatar die je waarschijnlijk nog niet wist.
- Eerste WK in de winter
Normaal gesproken neemt de FIFA World Cup in de zomer plaats. Maar nu het evenement plaatsvindt in de Arabische wereld hebben de organisatoren ervoor gekozen om het in de winter te organiseren. In de zomer is het namelijk behoorlijk heet, te heet voor voetbal. In de winter is de temperatuur een stuk comfortabeler.
- Laatste WK voor voetballegendes Messi en Ronaldo
Football fans around the world are worried that for star players Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, it will probably be the last international tournament they play. Football legends such as Messi and Ronaldo always scored excellently in popularity. That is why they were always high on the list for online betting at bookkeepers like bet777. It's heartbreaking news for football fans, the legends are certainly among the most talked about players in the history of football.
- Smallest host country so far
Both in terms of land area and population, Qatar is the smallest host country so far. Qatar is only 11,571 km² in size and even smaller than New York City. the population of Qatar is less than three million.
- The first World Cup in the Middle East
This is the first World Cup to be organized in the Middle East. In addition, Qatar is only the second country to host the FIFA World Cup in all of Asia.
- Probably a record number of visitors
Perhaps one of the most interesting facts about the World Cup in Qatar is the expected number of visitors. During the event, the country will host visitors from all over the world. To welcome this record number of visitors, there will be around 1300 flights a day to Qatar throughout the month.
- Qatar is the first Muslim country to host the World Cup
Qatar is not only the first host country in the Middle East to host the World Cup, it is also the first Muslim country to receive this honor. Hence, the World Cup began with the recitation of verses from the Holy Qur'an.
- First female referees at the Men's World Cup
It is the first time that in addition to male and female referees will lead the men's matches.
- Most expensive World Cup so far
The FIFA World Cup in Qatar is the most expensive World Cup so far. It is estimated that the cost of the infrastructure investments amounts to 220 million dollars. The World Cup in Qatar is almost ten times more expensive than the World Cup in Brazil and Russia. The costs were high, among other things, because Qatar had to build seven new brand new stadiums. Despite Qatar having built all these new stadiums, the country has the least number of stadiums so far. In total, the matches will be played in eight football stadiums.
- It is the first time that Qatar participates in the World Cup
Host countries that host the World Cup are automatically qualified for the event. Previously, Qatar never made it through the qualifying rounds. This year is the first time that Qatar can participate in the World Cup. Unfortunately, Qatar is also the first country to lose an opening match at the World Cup.
- The most compact World Cup
All stadiums for this World Cup are located within a radius of 55 kilometers from the center of Doha. This means that teams and fans do not have to fly between matches as with other host countries.