The Big one is here. The much awaited Sporting Event of the year the FIFA World Cup, football’s biggest Quadrennial International competition is scheduled for a Grand opening on the 20th of November, at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar. This would be the 22nd edition of the World Cup which started in the year 1930. However this year’s tournament is one with a difference and is unique in many ways. The facts are interesting and so is the spirit of the Sport, which motivated me to write this post today.
The Many Firsts
On the 2nd of December 2010, The FIFA Executive Selection Committee met in Zurich to vote for the selection of the Hosts for the 2022 and the 2026 events. Qatar eventually won the bid for 2022 and the fact is that Qatar is on the verge of creating history with many firsts to its name once the Competition gets underway.
So, let us have a look at the uniqueness of the Qatar World Cup.
1. It is the first FIFA World Cup to be held in the Arab World and the second to be held entirely in Asia after the 2002 Tournament in Japan and South Korea.
2. It is the first World Cup not to be held in the months of May, June and July due to the intense summer heat in Qatar. This has been criticised by many as all the major Football Leagues in the world would have to suspend their on going Season for the Workd Cuo leaving them with huge scheduling issues.
3. The timing of the Tournament in November has led to one of the shortest World Cups ( in terms of number of days) . The entire tournament would be completed in 29 days only, with the final scheduled for 18th of December which also is the Qatar National Day.
4. In terms of the size of the host nation, Qatar is one of the smallest countries to host the World Cup.
5. More than 1.2 million fans are expected to attend the World Cup which would be 1.5 times the population of Qatar. Having such a large number of guests would be a massive challenge for the organisers particularly in managing logistics and other infrastructure. On the other hand it is a major business proposition for the country in the short run. A huge short term economic boom is expected which will even have a spill over effect to the other countries in the GCC. As per S & P Global estimates a real GDP growth 4.8% is expected as compared to a much lower 1.5% in 2021. Dubai with its proximity to Qatar has been luring fans too by way of travel offers and other benefits. With fans expected to stay back post the World Cup to explore the Arab World, the Tourism, Real Estate and the Hospitality Industry are set to get an enormous boost in the near term.
6. This is the last World Cup where 32 teams would be participating. From 2026 the World Cup would feature 48 teams from across the globe. The US, Canada and Mexico would be jointly hosting the 2026 World Cup.
7. All matches shall be played across 8 stadiums, 6 of which are in the Doha Metropolitan Area. Doha therefore will have the major concentration of fans. As far as the teams are concerned their travelling time would be reduced by far.
The Al-Bayt Stadium, Al- Khor, Qatar
All eyes are now on Qatar as it braces itself for the Mega Event. It is undoubtedly going to be a stiff test as there is no reference point and no precedence of this kind in the Arab World.
This post is the first in a series of posts on the World Cup as it begins in a few days time. The next post will be a feature on the Teams and Groups. Till such time read quick, read better @rizkhan.in
