Summary
The pandemic-led unprecedented situations all around us have affected us on many levels. Even the FIFA World Cup 2022 is not spared. That is why a lot of new things are happening to make the event possible. All these efforts have made this year’s World Cup special in various ways.
Body
FIFA World Cup is a quadrennial event that every football lover waits eagerly. It is the most loved tournament among the players too. They can create best opportunities to carve a successful career in football by performing well in the World Cup tournament. Till now, the tournament has been organized in Brazil, Italy, France, Japan, a few countries to name. But, for the first time, the World Cup has moved to a Middle-East country, Qatar.
An exciting football tournament to look forward to
Qatar has made many interesting arrangements to make this football spectacle one-of-its-kind in the entire history of World Football. This country is famous for its cuisine and hospitable nature of the residents. The tourists will be provided with world-class facilities so that they can enjoy the tournament to the maximum.
Qatar is already soaked in football fever. It is seeing the football fervor going wilder with the Arab Cup which is happening at all the stadiums where the World Cup games are scheduled. This tournament has served as the right ‘starter’ to the feast the world is going to enjoy in November-December 2022. Also, by organizing this event, Qatar has tested all the venues to determine their readiness to have a world-class event.
With such mammoth preparations and proactive approach in place, the Qatar 2022 World Cup is expected to be the grandest possible.
New season, in a new place
The FIFA World Cup is a summer event usually. But, being an Arab nation, the weather in summer in Qatar is not sports-friendly. To give the exotic players weather conditions similar to their specific home countries, the event is slated for November 2022. It is for the first time that the World Cup is going to be played in November.
Prevailing conditions led by pandemic justify this delay to a large extent. If we take the pandemic factor into account, it is another point that makes this year’s World Cup special. Several qualifying matches had to be cancelled due to the viral outbreak and created different dynamics on the tally sheet. Hence, it has already become a novel experience for the football lovers.
Restricted travelling
The World Cup 2022 is going to be managed in a bio-bubble like environment, another outcome of the pandemic’s effect. Perhaps, this is the reason all stadiums in Qatar are situated or developed within the 50km radius from Doha’s International airport.
It is seen in the World Cup played during other continents that players required to cross several time-zones to travel from one location to another. Length and frequency of travels had become an important factor to affect the games’ outcomes. So, this edition may see this factor eliminated as the players may not require travelling much. For obvious reasons, the health of the players will be under constant scanner during the matches.
Mixed opinions, mired with controversies
Is it the pain of losing on the chance to host the World Cup or something else? The statements made by various FIFA officials about the tournament being organized in a Middle-East country has led people to think on these lines. A lot of controversies have become the center of discussions surrounding this World Cup.
FIFA world cup 2022 betting tips
Some people have raised concerns related to human rights, as they see migrant workers employed for building stadiums as a violation and not an opportunity to earn. Another buzz is related to bribing. The money has motivated the authorities’ decisions, claim a few insiders. Certainly, whether the decision was good or bad, the drama around the same will unfold in November.
A few speculations around the poor attendance at the stadiums are also doing the rounds. The organizers fear that the event should not meet the same fate as IAAF World Athletics Championships held in 2019 in Qatar; it witnessed dismally poor footfall. However, the record bookings of the tickets online done so far must have changed the opinion a bit.
A tournament certainly not for money!
Various countries in the past have looked up to FIFA as a source of humongous revenues. However, monetary gains are not the prime focus of one of the richest countries of the World, Qatar. The country is seeing this tournament as an opportunity to make a mark at the global level.
Improvement in international relations, a chance to come close to other parts of the world, and an attempt to showcase the essence of Qatar life to the foreigners are some of the reasons propagated by the host city for looking forward to this tournament. Even that is being called ‘sports washing’ by the critics. They call it as an attempt to improve the image and reputation using sport as a pretext.
Upheavals in domestic leagues schedules
The change of the time to the winter season may bring some turbulence to domestic leagues’ plans. That is going to give a tough time for league organizers.
Countries will have to send a dedicated squad for the World Cup. It can create a leeway for the new talents in the visiting countries’ football space.
A few established names playing for the last time
Neymar, Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will be contending in this tournament for the last time in this year’s edition of the World Cup. It is certainly an emotional moment for all the fans of these players; hence, one may expect different upsets in the points tally. Also, it can contribute to the more footfall of fans who may love to see their poster boys playing live.
Conclusion
A new destination, controversies, travelling requirements, bio-bubble conditions, there are several factors that have made the FIFA World Cup 2022 unique and interesting. How teams will fare in the changed conditions is something almost everyone is eagerly waiting to find out. Departing of a few established names have also added to the drama. All these changes have kept bookmakers on toes; the odds market is already buzzing with action as a result.