Qatar 2022 World Cup: 500-day countdown begins

Moment of pride

"Five hundred days to go means we're getting very close," said Al Khater.

"It brings the world together, it brings the Arab world together, it's a moment of pride in the history of this part of the world," he added.

Eight stadiums

Qatar is building only eight stadiums for the 28-day affair, which is going to to be the first of its kind to be held in the Middle East and entire Arab world.

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

Diamond in the Desert

The Education City Stadium, which was unveiled last year 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.

Breaking stereotypes

Qatar is preparing to welcome more than a million fans for the greatest single-sport event on earth, with its infrastructure projects having reached 95 per cent completion.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino had recently said that the tournament had massive potential to break down cultural stereotypes and bring people together through football.