Here is a list of some interesting facts about the FIFA World Cup 2022 that you should check out.

• The inaugural Winter World Cup

Due to the oppressive summer heat in Qatar, it is relocated from its typical timeframe of June to July. The Qatar World Cup will take place from 21 November to 18 December 2022. As a result, it is the inaugural winter World Cup.

• Second Ever in Asia and First in the Arab World.

After the event in South Korea and Japan in 2002, this will be the second World Cup held in Asia and the first World Cup ever to be contested in the Arab world.

• Most Expensive

Regarding the budget of the arrangements, the World Cup in Qatar will be the most expensive in the tournament’s history. The host country reportedly spent an astounding €200 billion to prepare its infrastructure for the event. It entails constructing roadways, hotels, and other structures.

• Female Referees

According to Surprise Sports, three female match referees will oversee the matches of a Men’s World Cup for the first time. The three female match officials are Salima Mukansanga from Rwanda, Stephanie Frappart from France, and Yoshimi Yamashita from Japan.

• Increased numbers of Substitutes.

A team can make five substitutions in the first 90 minutes plus additional time. Previously, it was 3. Due to a rule change, coaches can now select players from deeper benches.

• Semi-automated Offside Detection

In this World Cup, FIFA will employ semi-automated offside recognition technology for the first time. The setup comprises 12 specialized cameras with 29 data points to follow the ball and each player individually. Additionally, an IMU sensor will be inserted into the match ball to determine the ball’s precise location. A 3D animation of the offside activity will be generated simultaneously and broadcast on TV and the big display. 

• Most accessible

With less than an hour’s drive between each venue, The FIFA World Cup 2022 will be the most accessible FIFA World Cup ever. 

• Most Spectators

About 28,000 scheduled airline and charter flights will operate out of Qatar airports during the FIFA World Cup. Between November and December 2022, when the mega-sporting event will be held, the nation anticipates receiving at least 3.5 million passengers.

• Last World Cup with 32 teams

The FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022 will also be the final one to include 32 teams. Sixteen additional teams, for a total of 48, will compete in the World Cups beginning in 2026.

•  Tourism Zones

The organizing committee made a deal with the government so that both the fan fests and the hotels are declared “tourism zones,” which will lessen the socio-cultural shock because religion forbids drinking alcohol, among other things.

In November, the first hotel in Dubai with a football theme will open, allowing football supporters to stay there throughout the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and take shuttles to and from Doha during the day. NH Dubai, located on Palm Jumeirah’s western side, will become a popular destination for fans traveling to Qatar to see the world’s largest football event ever held there.

International football supporters wanting to stay in the UAE have increased their demand for hotel accommodation in recent weeks as the FIFA World Cup approaches its November 21 start date. The Expat Sports travel agency’s “Football Supporters Dubai Experience” will provide a package that includes transportation to and from the airport, lodging at the brand-new NH Dubai The Palm, and flights from Dubai to Qatar.

This is a brand-new contribution to Dubai’s hospitality scene, said Sue Holt, executive director of Expat Sport, the only sales representative for authorized matchday hospitality. “To provide our guests with a special and immersive experience, we are working with official FIFA World Cup partners.”

“There will be foreign visitors coming to this area for the first time, so being in a relaxed atmosphere with other like-minded people in a breathtaking location on The Palm should make this a delightful and unforgettable vacation.” As a professional sports tour company, we fully know football fans’ often-specific travel requirements compared to other tourists. 

The NH Dubai The Palm, scheduled to launch in early November with 533 rooms, will become a football mania hub over the month-long competition. Hotel customers will access sporting activities and contests throughout the event, and the sports bar will be converted into a fan zone. The hotel will provide greeting packages, passes, and concessions to other authorized fan zones where fans may watch the match for those traveling to Doha for a single day and staying there. 

Bus services will be provided for spectators to watch other matches at official fan zones throughout the city, such as Dubai Harbor, the Coca-Cola Arena, and Football Park at DIFC.

For a group match, hospitality plans with parking, meals, and beverages start at $950 (Dh3,500). The costliest hospitality plan is $4,950 (Dh18,000) per person for a group stage game for a spot in the Pearl Lounge. A six-course dinner, music, beverages, and a customized travel agency service are all included. For $22,450 (Dh82,450), a stadium luxury suite may be rented for a fancy dining experience.

One of the leading low-cost carriers in the Middle East, Air Arabia, will now offer daily flights for those who have purchased tickets to the most eagerly awaited international FIFA World Cup 2022. The airline operates daily shuttle flights alongside flydubai, Qatar Airways, and Saudia Airlines.

Air Arabia stated it had scheduled more than 200 extra flights to accommodate the high demand on the route during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in an official notice on the airline’s website. These additional flights will go between Sharjah International Airport and Hamad International Airport in Doha along the same route as the current flights. The start date for these flights is November 21st, 2022, on a Monday.

From the usual three flights between Doha and Sharjah, the low-cost carrier will operate 14 flights daily. These flights will run during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, with the final flight on December 18, 2018, the day of the last game.

These shuttle flights are solely accessible to pass holders, like other carriers operating shuttle flights throughout the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. On these shuttle flights, travelers can bring 10 kilograms of hand luggage. Bookings for these shuttle flights can now be on the Air Arabia website. The starting fare is about AED 530 for one-way travel.

Ticket holders must sign up for a Hayya card through the main website to reach Qatar, gain entry to the venues, and receive transport services to and from the venues via the Doha Metro from Hamad International Airport.

According to Adel Al Ali, group chief executive officer of Air Arabia, “shuttle flights will give fans convenient, dependable, and timely access in and out of Doha to enjoy the games and return directly after.” Air Arabia advised all passengers to carefully arrange their journeys, getting to Doha at least four hours before a game and leaving four hours after it.

Additionally, Flydubai confirmed match-day flights that would make it simple for ticket holders to travel between Dubai and Doha. Throughout the FIFA World Cup 2022, the airline runs up to 30 round-trip flights daily.

Qatar Airways announced last week that it would briefly adjust its flight schedule to accommodate the anticipated increase in flight demand during the FIFA World Cup 2022. Akbar Al Baker, chief executive of Qatar Airways, stated that “we have to withdraw from numerous locations to relieve load and provide a place for other carriers to come to Doha and use the slots, which otherwise would be practically impossible to sustain.”

As thousands of football enthusiasts prepare to use nearby nations as a base for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, hotels in Dubai anticipate being nearly packed in the last months of the year.

The FIFA World Cup, which starts on November 21 and is contested every four years, has drawn the most enthusiasm from countries with a long record of winning. Fans from South American and European countries are making most hotel reservations because they anticipate their teams will advance further in the tournament.

According to Radisson Hotels’ cluster senior executive David Allen, group reservations are widely accepted. “We are seeing a lot of demand here because there is little to no supply in Qatar,” he said.

The groups are making reservations from the more famous World Cup winners, including Spain, Brazil, Argentina, and Germany. Reservations of 50 and 100 are being made at a time, indicating that many South Americans are coming in groups and will undoubtedly have a strong base here.

There are various accommodation options in Doha for visiting football enthusiasts in Qatar. Several pricey or fully booked choices range from specific fan camps in temporary accommodation 40 minutes outside the city to cruise ships stationed in the sparkling West Bay.

According to Mr. Allen, Dubai is a popular choice. “We are cautious not to block reservations for teams from the Netherlands and Germany, for example, because we must be cautious about gathering rival fans. Although it is something we are aware of, it should be obvious. I don’t think there will be any problems.”

With Air Arabia and flydubai running a collective total of more than 45 daily shuttle flights from Dubai and Sharjah into Doha, the UAE has become a popular choice for fans. All match pass holders with a current Hayya fan ID and a valid visitor visa for Qatar are permitted to travel, and they must be in Doha at least four hours before and return from the venue four hours after the match. Numerous hotels in Dubai are anticipated to run miniature fan zones and install giant screens from which fans may watch games during the month-long competition.

According to Varun Ahuja, sales director at Aloft Dubai South, “the forthcoming Qatar World Cup has produced an air of confidence in the tourism business, with a surge in hotel reservations across the Emirates for November and beyond.”
“We have accepted hotel reservations from fans and traveling individuals, primarily from Latin America, the UK, and Germany.
“Family reservations with a perfect length of stay somewhere between five and seven days are also beginning to appear,” the spokesperson added.

Due to their unwillingness to receive the covid-19 vaccine, several players might be asked to enter coronavirus quarantine upon arriving at this year’s FIFA World Cup.

Presently, there are no player exceptions to Qatar’s entrance regulations, which demand that all non-vaccinated international players spend five days quarantined in a hotel.

It emerged after Crystal Palace football club was pressured by the authorities to drop players from their team tour to Singapore and Australia. They “did not meet the entrance criteria” when it was scheduled. Chelsea also announced that N’Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek would skip their pre-season tour to the United States of America due to their “Covid vaccination status.”

While Loftus-Cheek was also a member of the English team that advanced to the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2018, he has not competed for his side since that tournament. Kante was one of the heroes of France’s 2018 FIFA World Cup victory and might be a key player in defense of their trophy.

Potential English team members Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze, as well as Belgian attacker Christian Benteke, were among the players who did not participate in Crystal Palace’s tour. The club simply confirmed that those absent were “not currently fit,” without saying if they were staying home because of their Covid vaccination status.

Among the other significant omissions were Wilfried Zaha, Michael Olise, James McArthur, Jeffrey Schlupp, and Will Hughes. Those who were dropped will be “located in South London for a domestic training and games schedule headed by assistant manager Osian Roberts,” according to a statement from Crystal Palace.

The day following their match against Leeds United in Perth, Australia, they announced a pre-season friendly against Queens Park Rangers. They told two more games that had been planned expressly for players who had been left behind. At the pandemic’s peak, countries like Australia and the US banned unvaccinated international players.

Before their nation’s opening match starts, the unvaccinated players in the squad of the FIFA World Cup must be allowed to finish their quarantine in Qatar. 

“All players are required to abide by the most recent Ministry of Public Health instructions and Qatari government travel advice. As the competition draws near, complete information on COVID-19 safety precautions will be distributed to all partner organizations, according to FIFA.

Qatar Airways, the national flag carrier of the state of Qatar, which is renowned for its convenience, luxury, and elegance on board, announced that its fiscal year’s profits exceeded $1.5 billion, representing its highest-ever earnings. 

As it gets ready to handle a record-breaking influx of tourists for the upcoming FIFA World Cup football matches, Qatar Airways, one of the biggest airlines in the Middle East known for its safety and higher standards, marks the highest ever revenue collected by the state-owned carrier. Qatar Airways operates out of the capital city of Doha, on the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. The Middle East will host the FIFA World Cup 2022 for the first time this year.

According to the airline, revenue increased by 78% from the previous year to $14.4 billion. During the fiscal year 2021–2022, it handled 18.5 million passengers, an increase of more than 200 percent from the prior year. It represents a significant turnabout for the airline, which in the previous fiscal cycle had a stunning net loss of $4.1 billion due to the coronavirus epidemic and the suspension of its Airbus A380 and A330 wide-body aircraft.

The airline’s financial performance also reflects that travel has resumed due to successful vaccination efforts in numerous countries. The Qatari government provided Qatar Airways with a $3 billion bailout during the pandemic’s most difficult months, which helped keep its activities afloat as it struggled with the virus’s impact on long-haul travel prohibitions.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the Dubai government made a few million-dollar payments to its main rival, Dubai’s national flag carrier Emirates Airlines. The two airlines play a crucial role in the economies of their respective nations, which mainly rely on travelers and transit users.

Nevertheless, the airline claims that this year’s record profits are the consequence of choices made during the epidemic to develop Qatar Airways’ passenger and freight networks, including a more precise prediction of the global market recovery and strict cost management.

The 25-year-old carrier travels to far more than 140 locations, including Hartsfield Foreign Airport in Atlanta, where it contends with Delta Airways for international passengers at the busiest airport in the world.

Qatar Airways also has affiliations with FC Bayern München and Paris Saint-Germain, the European football clubs. The name of Qatar Airways is already well-known to football supporters in Europe. It has a marketing collaboration with the Brooklyn Nets in the US.

Adidas, a global leader in sportswear, unveiled the official match ball for the 2022 World Cup. The title of the ball is “Al Rihla,” which means “The Voyage” or “the expedition” in Arabic. Without a doubt, Qatar’s heritage, history, and other features served as inspiration for the title. As per Surprise Sports, the formal launch occurred on March 30, 2022.

This is Adidas’ 14th consecutive ball for the FIFA World Cup. For over 70 years, these two global organizations, FIFA and Adidas, have collaborated. Adidas has played a significant role in FIFA’s advancement of technology, footwear, and balls throughout the organization’s history. 

The host nation’s architecture and culture significantly impact the official match ball design. It has a completely redesigned panel shape. The panel’s design was influenced by the triangular sails of Qatari dhow sailboats. There are a total of 20 panels within every ball. In contrast, the color palette is similar to that of the flag of Qatar and classic white apparel for Arabs. Adidas’ research facilities, wind tunnels, and on-field testing yielded data used to create the Al-Rihla. The environment was also considered in the design of the new ball.

The new match ball has significant technological advancements for improved performance. “CRT Core” is the name of the core design. It will increase the ball’s precision by increasing its consistency and stability. Secondly, it will make the ball spin more and glide farther. Moreover, a unique textured polyurethane skin known as “SPEEDSHELL” is present on the outer layer panels that exhibit outstanding performance, including low-temperature resistance, wear resistance, tear resistance, and robust flexibility. The football players benefit from having a genuine feel and touch when they kick the ball. The new and enhanced panels will improve its flight stability and swerving. 

It also has surface debossing to keep its shape and provide long-term shape retention. Durability was given priority during the ball’s design. The colorful view on the iridescent background was colored with water-based inks and adhesive. A sensor within the ball sends information to the semi-automated Artificial intelligence system500 times per second that will help to track the ball.

Currently, the official website of Adidas offers the opportunity to purchase the official match ball “Al-Rihla.” Pro, Winter, Training, and Club are just a few examples of the various size, colors, and design options. FIFA and Adidas have started several programs to expand local community participation in sports and promote equity.

Although it is anticipated that alcoholic beer will be offered in World Cup venues in Qatar, visitors may only be permitted to bring non-alcoholic beverages to their seats. The 2022 World Cup will be the first to be held in a Muslim nation with such stringent alcohol and moral prohibitions in the 92-year history of the event.

FIFA and the local Qatari organizers are still developing plans to facilitate all spectators who desire alcohol at matches when the event begins in the Muslim-majority nation in November.

A policy for the majority of visitors and spectators at the eight different stadiums and longtime World Cup sponsor Budweiser still needs to be negotiated less than four months before the start of the FIFA World Cup. Hospitality packages selling “premium beverages” at arenas have been offered since February 2021.

Budweiser Zero and Budweiser will be available for FIFA World Cup 2022 spectators to drink during the competition, according to a statement released by Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Budweiser. The preferred solution is to enable customers to bring non-alcoholic Budweiser Zero to their seats while providing beer with alcohol on stadium grounds before and after matches. 

FIFA stated in a press release that we would be verifying and trying to make an official announcement in the coming days. The organization further revealed that it is considering using drink containers for potential branding as the game will be televised to several million audiences.

Since FIFA chose Qatar as the host nation in 2010, questions have been raised about how the Middle Eastern country will handle fans who want to consume alcohol. The following year, FIFA and Anheuser-Busch renewed their sponsorship deal till 2022. The 1986 Tournament served as the foundation for their partnership.

Brazil hosted the 2014 World Cup, and FIFA pressured state legislators to establish a special law to exclude the event from the prohibition on selling alcohol in stadiums. Initially opposed to alcohol being offered in stadiums, Qatari officials vowed to “come up with a design that accommodates everybody a decade ago. 

When organizing football tournaments, such as the 2019 Club World Cup, Qatar has examined its alcohol policies. Drinks were sold for $6 at a golf course outside of Doha at a significantly discounted price from what they would often cost at posh hotels and resorts. A fault in the plan in 2019 forced spectators to travel for an hour to matches on buses without restrooms during rush hour. 

The World Cup, which will take place from November 21 to December 18, is expected to be re-considered for the golf club location. At the 32-team competition, event organizers anticipate 1.2 million spectators.

FIFA, the international governing body of the football association, has revealed that semi-automated offside equipment will be used at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar this year. According to FIFA, the technology will reduce the average time needed to make an offsides judgment from 70 seconds to approximately 20 to 25 seconds.

The semi-automatic system comprises 12 monitoring camera systems positioned beneath stadium roofs. The ball’s location is tracked 50 times per second, while optical monitoring information examines 29 data spots on each player, including their limbs and extremities.
A sensor within the World Cup ball sends information to the video command center 500 times per second.

This system uses artificial intelligence to track each player’s legs and the exact “kick point” in real-time. The software will integrate this information when footballers commit offside offenses to create warnings automatically. Authorities in a nearby command center get notifications, confirm the choice, and instruct referees on the field on what call to make.

This procedure will decide offside judgments more quickly and precisely, as per FIFA. To “inform all fans as clearly as possible” about why the decision is made, the data produced by the sensors and the football will also be used to develop automatic animations that may be displayed on screens in the stadium and during TV broadcasts.

It is the most recent demonstration of how sports use automated technology to assist referees in making decisions. At the 2018 World Cup, FIFA first adopted VAR, or the Video Assistant Referee, which enables referees to examine calls using screens on the sidelines.

According to Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA Referee Committee, the new method will enable officials to make “faster and more precise choices.” 

“I’ve read a lot regarding robot referees.” I know this makes awesome headlines occasionally, but that’s not the situation,” Collina remarked. The choice made on the playing field is still the responsibility of the officials and assistant referees.

The President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, said, “This technology is the result of three years of dedicated study and development to give the best for institutions, participants, and fans.” FIFA is pleased with this development as we anticipate the FIFA World Cup 2022 bringing the advantages of semi-automatic offside technology to the world.”

The semi-automated offside system was first presented to FIFA in 2019. It was tested during the Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates earlier this year and the Arab Cup in Qatar in 2021. At Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, testing was also conducted.

The Russian football federation (FUR) and some of its clubs have been denied appeals against international and European football bans.

As a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the state’s clubs and national team were excluded from all tournaments by Fifa and Uefa in February. Six appeals were filed against the verdict, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) rejected them all. The FUR asserts that it may now file an appeal with the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.

Will Russia Play in FIFA 2022 Worldcup?

On July 5 and 11, Cas video conferenced with the parties involved for hearings.

As per a statement released by Cas, the panel decided that the deepening of the war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the global public and political responses, generated unanticipated circumstances to which Uefa and Fifa had to respond.

The report also mentioned that in determining that Russian clubs and teams should not participate in competitions under their auspices as long as such circumstances persisted, the panel decided that both parties functioned only within the scope of their discretion respective statutes and regulations.

In April, Russia withdrew its appeal against Fifa’s suspension of the nation from the 2022 World Cup. The FUR appealed against Fifa and Uefa, while Zenit St. Petersburg, Sochi, Dynamo Moscow, and CSKA Moscow appealed against Uefa.

The Cas statement discussed that the panel deemed it superfluous to characterize the nature of the threat involving Russia and Ukraine and instead focused on the repercussions of such a conflict on the affected competitions.”

The panel regrets that the existing military operations in Ukraine, in which Russian football teams, players, and clubs bear no responsibility, had such a negative impact on them and Russian football in general as a result of the decisions of Fifa and Uefa, but these effects were outweighed by the need for the safe and orderly conduct of football events for the rest in the panel’s opinion.

What’s to Come Next?

The FUR stated that it seriously disagrees with the Cas panel’s verdict and that a decision on additional proceedings will be taken after reviewing the Cas panel’s choices’ justifications.

In addition, the FUR may appeal to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland to file claims with Cas for reimbursement for financial losses sustained due to Uefa and Fifa’s activities.