The wait is finally over.
After four long years, the Fifa World Cup is all set to hold its 2022 edition when the first ball is kicked on Sunday, November 20, at 10pm Bangladesh time as hosts Qatar take on Ecuador at Al Bayt Stadium.
From that moment till the next one month, 31 top footballing nations will fight till the end for ultimate glory, alongside holders France, who will be out to defend their title.
“The world is excited. Qatar is ready. The stage is set. Together, we will deliver the best World Cup ever on and off the field,” said Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
The second ever tournament on Asian soil is not only a relief for fans around the world, provided it's really happening after almost two-year long Covid-hit life, but this Qatar edition is also a special one in terms of uniqueness despite controversies.
In the last two years, numerous global sports events were halted, canceled, and held without fans in the stadium.
But thankfully the situation now permits the “Greatest Show On Earth” to take its stage the way it deserves.
There were calls from many fans, players and organizations to boycott the first ever World Cup in Arab world amid concerns about human rights abuses.
But when the tournament itself is bigger than anything, almost all of the three million available tickets have been sold and Qatar is ready to welcome an estimated 1.2m fans from across the globe.
Controversies
Qatar has faced vast critique for its laws that penalize homosexuality and its treatment of migrant workers while developing the mighty infrastructural works to build the stadiums, hotels and other related facilities in no time.
These controversies led people like Germany's World Cup winning captain Philipp Lahm to boycott the tournament, according to his statement in local media.
“Human rights should play an important role in awarding tournaments,” Lahm said. “If a country that does poorly in that area gets the award (of hosting), then you have to think about what criteria the decision was based on.”
The richest Arab country has also been accused of bribing Fifa officials to secure host status for the tournament when they got awarded the right to host the 2022 World Cup in 2010. But the charges were dropped after an investigation.
One of its kind
Reportedly, Qatar is spending a whopping $200bn on infrastructure projects, which makes the event one of the most expensive World Cups in history.
This is the first ever World Cup being played in winter, basically to avoid the intense heat of the Middle East's summer, though temperatures can still be expected to reach up to 30C.
To manage the heat, all eight World Cup stadiums in Qatar have implemented a cooling system.It is also the most compact edition of the modern World Cup history as the longest distance between the stadiums in Qatar is just 75km, which is expected to help players perform better football, making the tournament highly competitive.
After successfully implementing the Video Assistant Referee in 2018, Fifa this time is introducing the new semiautomated offside technology. It's a tool to help VARs make faster and more accurate offside decisions by automatically determining the relative position of the players at the exact moment the ball is played.
The option for the teams to make five substitutions in every game will be launched in Qatar after the change from previous 3-subs per match rule to protect the players during pandemic was widely adopted in club football.
To follow the new subs rule, the nations are also allowed to have 26-man squad, instead of the usual 23.
For the first time in the Fifa World Cup history, matches will be officiated by women referees.
Three of the 36 referees and three of the 69 assistant referees are women.
Restrictions for fansAs a Muslim-majority nation, Qatar has nearly conservative contexts and laws, though they have shown much flexibility to give the international fans some breather.
Qatar laws strictly emphasize that it is an offense to drink alcohol or be drunk in public.
Alcohol will be served “in select areas within stadiums” at this year's World Cup and, away from games, is available only at licensed hotel restaurants and bars.
Smoking is legal in Qatar but illegal in public spaces, such as inside football stadiums and facilities.
Swimwear is allowed on hotel beaches and swimming pools, but visitors will be expected to cover shoulders and knees when visiting public places such as museums and government buildings.
In addition, organizers called on fans to exercise “common courtesy” and ask for permission before photographing or filming others.
Fans should be aware that taking pictures of government buildings such as offices, military camps or industrial areas is strictly prohibited.
The last dance
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Robert Lewandowski, Luis Suarez and Manuel Neuer are among the veteran stars who are also expected to take the World Cup stage for the last time in their careers.
This group of players are performing at the top level for last 15 years.
This would be so hard for the fans to believe who are following the whole journey of these great athletes knowing they will potentially not be back in next edition, which will be held jointly in USA, Canada and Mexico in 2026.
Especially, the announced final bows of Messi and Ronaldo will be particularly emotional for many, as their rivalry was a highlight of European football for several years.
Finally, it's time. Let the ball roll.The fans will be waiting to enjoy every bit of the month-long show, expecting a blockbuster tournament with a deserving winner who will hold the priceless 6.18Kg World Cup trophy on December 18 on the night of the grand finale at Lusail Iconic Stadium.
