Qatar 2022: Two-year countdown nears

Indian Super League Prediction

April 19 2024, 07:30 PM

Odisha

Kerala Blasters

Bengaluru/Doha, November 20: Saturday, November 21, marks the two-year countdown for the FIFA 2022 World Cup to be held in Qatar.

In a break from tradition, the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup will be held in the winter window, with the tournament starting on November 21 and finishing on December 18, which is the Qatar National Day.

Qatar is building only eight stadiums for the one-month tournament, which is going to to be the first of its kind to be held in the Middle East and entire Arab world.

Three stadiums -- Khalifa International, Al Janoub and Education City -- are already complete and safely hosted many matches in 2020 in spite of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Three more tournament venues -- Al Rayyan, Al Bayt and Al Thumama -- are in the final stages of construction: The main works at the remaining two stadiums - Ras Abu Aboud and Lusail - are set to be over by 2021.

The compact nature of the tournament, modern landscape and fascinating culture offered will guarantee a unique experience in Qatar 2022.

Among the many distinctive features, travelling fans will have the opportunity to potentially attend more than one match a day during the group stage, which will feature an exciting schedule with four daily fixtures, as announced earlier this year.

Jewel in the desert

The Education City Stadium, which was unveiled in June is one of the major attractions of the eight venues. Like diamonds, the stadium's design represents quality, durability and resilience.

Known as 'Diamond in the Desert', the 40,000-seater located in Qatar's education, research and innovation hub, will host matches up to the quarterfinals of the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

From the scratch

The Al Janoub Stadium, which was the first venue to be built from scratch had opened in May, 2019. Before that the Khalifa International Stadium was the first venue to open, following an extensive renovation in 2017.

Work is also going on at frenetic pace at the Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, which is primarily being made from shipping containers and Lusail, which is set host the final, with both the venues expected to be complete by 2021.

Infrastructure development

Countrywide infrastructure is also being delivered at a rapid pace, including the state-of-the-art Doha Metro - which was successfully utilised by fans during the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019.

Qatar 2022, which is a 28-day affair, will be the the most compact FIFA World Cup in modern times. All the stadiums are in close proximity to one another and will be linked by an ultra-modern transport infrastructure, meaning short travel times.

FIFA praises Qatar

FIFA President Gianni Infantino praised Qatar's brave efforts amidst a raging pandemic.

"2020 has surely been a challenging year for the entire world, and football was no exception. Despite the difficulties, steady progress was made, showing yet again Qatar's continued commitment, under the leadership of the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. I'm sure Qatar will host an unforgettable FIFA World Cup in two years' time, which'll no doubt build a legacy long beyond 2022".