Two years to Qatar 2022

On a day like today but in 2022, that is, in exactly two years, the Qatar World Cup will start, the most different in history by many nuances, the main one, without a doubt, its location on the calendar. It will be the first World Cup in autumn and will run from November 21 to December 18. Will also the first World Cup event in the Middle East.

Quite a challenge that the Qatari country has been preparing with determination since it was announced that it would host the tournament. Eight stadiums will host the matches. Four have already been inaugurated: the Khalifa Stadium (the only one that is not newly created, but has been renovated), Al Janoub Stadium –in Al Wakrah–, Education City and Al Bayt. The other four are moving at great speed on the construction site. The last to see the light will be the Ras Abu Aboud and the great jewel in the crown, the Lusail, the 80,000 spectator venue that will host the final.

All the stadiums are of the very latest generation and they have built-in air conditioningAlthough at the time the tournament is played it may not be necessary because the average temperature is around 23 or 25 degrees. In addition to stadiums, Qatar has made a large outlay to prepare the country for the World Cup. The Doha metro has been created that will connect all the stadiums and the airport, hotels and infrastructure have been improved.

The Qatar World Cup It will have the main feature that it will be played in its entirety within a radius of 40 square kilometers. Never before has a World Cup been played in such a small country. This will mean that the teams will not have to change hotels throughout the tournament or travel between venues, with the comfort that this implies. In addition, it will allow fans to enjoy more than one game a day using the transport networks that link the different stadiums, something never seen before in a World Cup.

Classification. The controversy that has accompanied Qatar since it was designated as the headquarters has been ebbing over the years. The García Report prepared by FIFA discarded the suspicions generated regarding the cleanliness of his choice as host. The theme of the workers in the stadiums has also been solved, as the latest United Nations reports show in which it is noted that the working conditions of the workers, who are all migrants, are more regulated and standardized.

As for sports, the Qatar World Cup 2022 It will be the last with 32 teams before expanding to 48. Zones like the South American (CONMEBOL) have already started the qualifying phase. In Europe it will do so in March with some groups that will be raffled on December 7. The coronavirus pandemic has delayed all the premundislist prolegomena, but the initial date has not suffered alterations. Two years left. Two to enjoy an exotic, different, unique World Cup.

Qatar World Cup stadiums

Ras Abu Aboud. Removable

40,000 viewers. The newest of the stadiums, as it is made up of containers that are stacked in the Lego style. After the tournament it will be disassembled and recycled. The idea and design are from a Spanish firm, Fenwick Iribarren. It will be finished by 2021.

Khalifa. The only remodeled

40,000 viewers. Doha's historic sports venue was remodeled for the World Cup event and has a larger and more modern look. It was the first to open. He did it with the final of the Emir's Cup in 2017. Venue of the last World Athletics World Cup.

Lusail. Stage of the grand finale

80,000 viewers. Crown jewel. It will host the Grand Final of the World Cup on February 18, 2022. It is newly built and will have a whole new city around it with all kinds of facilities. It is expected that it can be fully completed by the end of 2021.

Al Thumama. Like a gahfiya

40,000 viewers. It represents the gahfiya, the traditional cap used in the Arab world with slits through which the air enters. Group stage and quarterfinal matches will be played there. It will be inaugurated in 2021 along with other stadiums under construction.

Education City. Triangles and lights

40,000 viewers. Its triangular shapes in design are like those of diamond crystals. There will be games in it in the group stage and the quarterfinals. It ended this year and was inaugurated in June 2020 with a virtual act in the midst of the pandemic.

Al Janoub. Like fishing boats

40,000 viewers. One of the stadiums with a more avant-garde design, it represents the very common fishing boats of Qatar. It was already inaugurated with the final of the Emir Cup in 2019. It will host matches in the group stage and even in the round of 16. It is in Al Khor.

Al Rayyan. Family and desert

40,000 viewers. It will host group stage and round of 16 matches. It is the home of the Al Rayyan team of the Qatar Stars League. It represents many shades of Arab culture, including family and the desert. In a few months it will be inaugurated.

Al Bayt. The one with the opening game

60,000 viewers. Another of the important stages of the World Cup, as it will host the opening match on November 21, 2022. It represents the famous jaimas of the Arab culture of the desert. It is completely finished, but has not yet been inaugurated.