The 2022 FIFA World Cup is going to start in a day’s time. This time the tournament will be played in Qatar, and the matches will take place across eight venues. The tournament’s opener will be played between the hosts Qatar and South American side Ecuador on Sunday (November 20). The final is scheduled to take place at the Lusail Iconic Stadium on December 18.
The upcoming tournament in Qatar has created a lot of buzz ever since it was announced. And now that it is at our doorstep, here are six reasons why the upcoming tournament is a must-watch.
Messi and Ronaldo’s Last Dance: Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the greatest footballers of all time. They have appeared in four previous World Cups, and this one is going to be their fifth and also their last. The 37-year-old Ronaldo and the 35-year-old Messi would like to give their all to help their respective sides bag the ultimate prize. Apart from these two, players like Luka Modric, Karim Benzema, Robert Lewandowski, Luis Suarez, Thomas Muller, and possibly Neymar as well, could make their final World Cup appearance.
First time in the Middle East: The 2022 edition of the World Cup will be the first time the tournament will take place in a Middle Eastern country. Up until now, the tournament has only been played in Asia once, and this will be the second occasion when an Asian country will host the megaevent.
First winter World Cup: The men’s edition of the FIFA World Cup has always taken place during the May-June-July period, but for the first time in history, this year, the tournament will take place in the months of November and December. The change in calendar is due to Qatar’s intense summer heat and humidity in the months of June and July.
Last WC to have 32 teams: The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be the final tournament to feature 32 teams. From the next edition onward, a total of 48 teams will take part.
Five-substitution rules: In this year’s World Cup, teams will be allowed to make as many as five substitutions in comparison to the three allowed earlier. However, like the previous times, these five substitutions can be made during three windows throughout the game. This is going to benefit teams with deep squads.
26 members per side: In previous editions of the FIFA World Cup, teams were allowed to have as many as 23 members per side, but this time the number has been increased to 26. This change was made due to the timing of the tournament in the football calendar and the disruptive effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
