A country renowned for its fine hospitality, multiple landmarks, and some of the finest shopping malls and hotels in the world, Qatar is a land that promises a lot more than a perfect holiday experience. Over the years, the country has welcomed visitors with open arms and has gained the status of being one of the go-to destinations for overseas travelers in the world.
But here’s a fact, that’s not the only thing exciting about Qatar today. The country is, indeed, set to host the FIFA World Cup 2022 and is taking all measures possible to make it as grand as possible.
32 teams, over a million fans, and a month-long footballing carnival, the FIFA 2022 games are set to be special in a number of ways. So, if you’re a footballing fan planning your trip to Qatar, or just someone willing to know more about the upcoming world cup, we’ve compiled a detailed take on some relevant things worth noting about the FIFA 2022 in Qatar.
Table of Contents
When Will the FIFA World Cup 2022 Kick off?
One of the most significant things to note about the upcoming FIFA 2022 is the time when it’ll be held. The Qatar World Cup is officially set to be the first-ever winter world cup in the Northern Hemisphere.
Owing to the summer temperatures in the country during June and July that can surge up beyond 45 degrees Celsius, Qatar and FIFA have officially confirmed that the world cup will be held from the 21st of November to the 18th of December 2022 with the final scheduled just a week ahead of Christmas.
Usually, any major event like a FIFA World Cup 2022 takes place during June and July in the Southern Hemisphere as this is the time when the region experiences winter conditions. However, in the case of Qatar, this trend is set to change for the first time ever.
During November and December, the temperature in the country stays around the 20-25 degrees Celsius mark and the weather is pleasant enough for outdoor activities. Hence, moving the world to a winter slot seems fair enough.
Stadiums For FIFA World Cup 2022, Qatar
For the first time ever, the FIFA World Cup is set to take place with only eight stadiums. So, here’s our take on the venues that are there for the upcoming event.
- Khalifa International Stadium
- Al Rayyan Stadium
- Education City Stadium
- Lusail Stadium
- Al Bayt Stadium
- Al Janoub Stadium
- Al Thumama Stadium
- Ras Abu Aboud Stadium
The important thing to note here is that the Al Janoub Stadium would be the one hosting the final of the world cup on 18th December while the Al Bayt Stadium will be the venue for the tournament opener on the 21st of November 2022.
What Will Be The Broadcast Timings For The FIFA World Cup?
The World Cup 2022 in Qatar will kick off on the 21st of November and below the broadcast timings set for the whole competition.
1 pm (1000 GMT)
4 pm (1300 GMT)
7 pm (1600 GMT)
10 pm (1900 GMT)
As for the final round group of games and the knockout games of the tournament, the timings will differ slightly. Here are the broadcast timings set for the same.
6 pm (1900 GMT)
10 pm (1900 GMT)
Facts Around The Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022
Now here’s a thing, the FIFA World Cup which is to be held in Qatar isn’t just unique because of its slot, but there are many other facts and figures that are emerging around the world cup which are worth paying attention at. Have a look at some of the factors below.
Fewest Number Of Stadiums
That’s right, the Doha FIFA World Cup 2022 is set to be played in the fewest number of stadiums with only eight venues being lined up for the world cup. The notable thing, in this case, is that out of all the eight stadiums, seven will be newly built and the construction is already underway.
Qatar, in fact, has already confirmed the completion of one of its world cup venues, the Education City Stadium. Likewise, all the stadiums lined up for the FIFA World Cup 2022 will be fully air-conditioned. This will be the first time ever when the stadiums will be fully air-conditioned. Considering the heat conditions in the country which can be unpredictable at times, the idea of building air-conditioned stadiums could be a real breakthrough in getting the supporters to the stadiums.
Record Number Of Flights
Owing to the central location of Qatar in the world, the FIFA World Cup in 2022 is estimated to receive a staggering million visitors during the course of the whole month.
To tackle the situation of rushes of tickets, Qatar Airways and the Hamad International Airport are set to join hands to bring a whopping 1300 flights into the country on a daily basis for the whole month.
The experts believe that the number of flights may even be higher. The initiative has been specifically taken in order to allow the visitors to book a flight to Qatar without any hassle during the World Cup. Hence, as far as the situation of travel is concerned, that has, in fact, been more or less sorted by Qatar.
First-Ever Winter World Cup
Now here’s a fact, the Qatar FIFA World Cup in 2022 will be the first-ever winter world cup to be held in the Northern Hemisphere. Usually, any major competition like the world cup takes place in the month of June and July in the Southern Hemisphere as this is the time when the region experiences winter conditions.
However, considering the summer conditions in Qatar when temperatures can surge to distressing degrees, the decision has been taken to move the FIFA World Cup from its usual slot to the month of November and December. Hence, making it the first-ever winter world cup to be held in the Northern Hemisphere.
Availability Of Alcohol
Perhaps one of the biggest questions surrounding the FIFA World Cup 2022, the availability of alcohol has become a main talking point around the world cup. Being an Islamic nation,(Visit preparation lab for the islamic content) Qatar has strict laws against the consumption of alcohol on the streets and in public places, and if anyone is caught doing so, then the consequences can be severe.
However, considering that alcohol is now a massive part of Football culture all around the world, the prominent question that arises is, will the alcohol be served in the stadiums? If no, will the fans even get alcohol in the country during the world cup?
Well, although there is no official agreement as to whether alcohol will be served in the stadiums or not, the chief executive of Qatar 2022 World Cup did say in an interview that the country would set up specialized establishments as fan zones and a special license will be provided to serve alcohol there.
Interestingly though, alcohol was, in fact, banned in the stadiums during the recently held FIFA Club World Cup which was won by Liverpool. Hence, any developments going forward, in this case, would be worth noting.
Record Visitors
Now here’s a thing, the FIFA World Cup 2022 is set to receive a record number of visitors owing to the location of Qatar that falls right at the center of the earth. As per an estimate, there will be about 1.2 million visitors in the country for the World Cup.
In fact, travel experts from around the world believe that the number of visitors may well be higher than this as the location of the country would compel football fans to come and watch the spectacle live in the stadiums.
But here’s a surprising fact, if the figures turn out to be true, the number of visitors in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup would be double the number of visitors that arrived in Brazil for the 2014 world cup.
Commutable World Cup?
One of the most significant points about the Qatar World Cup is the fact that it is set to be the most commutable world cup ever. Owing to the location of the country and the fact that Qatar is about 1478 times smaller than the size of Russia, the host of the last FIFA World Cup, traveling from one venue to the other wouldn’t be a hassle for the visitors.
The Doha metro network will, in fact, ferry an estimated one million visitors during the FIFA World Cup. If that turns out to be true, then Qatar will end up setting a new record in itself.
Besides, as far as commutability is concerned, here are certain figures that portray how approachable the 2022 World Cup is set to be.
- Qatar’s two most remotely located stadiums, Al Bayt, and Al Wakrah are only 90 miles apart.
- The Education City Stadium is located a mere 51 minutes away from Bahrain through the high-speed rail network which goes to show how convenient it may be for the visitors coming from nearby locations to watch the FIFA 2022 games.
The FIFA World Cup 2022 Match Schedule
So, now we know about the eight stadiums set for the world cup. Let’s look at the match schedule which has been officially released by FIFA.
GROUP STAGE
| Date | Match No. | Fixture | Venue | Time |
| NOVEMBER 21st | 1
2 3 4 |
A1 vs A2
B1 vs B2 A3 vs A4 B3 vs B4 |
Al Bayt Stadium
Al Thumama Stadium Khalifa International Stadium Al Rayyan Stadium |
3:30 pm IST
6:30 pm IST 9:30 pm IST 00:30 am IST |
| NOVEMBER 22nd | 5
6 7 8 |
D3 vs D4
D1 vs D2 C3 vs C4 C1 vs C2 |
Al Janoub Stadium
Education City stadium Ras Abu Aboud Stadium Lusail Stadium |
3:30 pm IST
6:30 pm IST 9:30 pm IST 00:30 am IST |
| NOVEMBER 23rd | 9
10 11 12 |
F3 vs F4
F1 vs F2 E3 vs E4 E1 vs E2 |
Al Rayyan Stadium
Al Thumama Stadium Khalifa International Stadium Al Bayt Stadium |
00:30 am IST
6:30 pm IST 9:30 pm IST 3:30 pm IST |
| NOVEMBER 24th | 13
14 15 16 |
H3 vs H4
H1 vs H2 G3 vs G4 G1 vs G2 |
Al Janoub Stadium
Education City stadium Ras Abu Aboud Stadium Lusail Stadium |
3:30 pm IST
6:40 pm IST 9:30 pm IST 00:30 am IST |
| NOVEMBER 25th | 17
18 19 20 |
A4 vs A2
A1 vs A3 B4 vs B2 B1 vs B3 |
Al Rayyan Stadium
Al Thumama Stadium Khalifa International Stadium Al Bayt Stadium |
00:30 am IST
6:30 pm IST 9:30 pm IST 3:30 pm IST |
| NOVEMBER 26th | 21
22 23 24 |
C4 vs C2
C1 vs C3 D4 vs D2 D1 vs D3 |
Al Janoub Stadium
Education City stadium Ras Abu Aboud Stadium Lusail Stadium |
3:30 pm IST
6:30 pm IST 9:30 pm IST 00:30 am IST |
| NOVEMBER 27th | 25
26 27 28 |
E4 vs E2
E1 vs E3 F4 vs F2 F1 vs F3 |
Al Rayyan Stadium
Al Thumama Stadium Khalifa International Stadium Al Bayt Stadium |
00:30 am IST
6:30 pm IST 9:30 pm IST 3:30 pm IST |
| NOVEMBER 28th | 29
30 31 32 |
G4 vs G2
G1 vs G3 H4 vs H2 H1 vs H3 |
Al Ganoub Stadium
Education City stadium Ras Abu Aboud Stadium Lusail Stadium |
3:30 pm IST
6:30 pm IST 9:30 pm IST 00:30 am IST |
| NOVEMBER 29th | 33
34 35 36 |
B2 vs B3
B4 vs B1 A2 vs A3 A4 vs A1 |
Al Rayyan Stadium
Al Thumama Stadium Khalifa International Stadium Al Bayt Stadium |
00:30 am IST
6:30 pm IST 9:30 pm IST 3:30 pm IST |
| NOVEMBER 30th | 37
38 39 40 |
D2 vs D3
D4 vs D1 C2 vs C3 C4 vs C1 |
Al Janoub Stadium
Education City stadium Ras Abu Aboud Stadium |
3:30 pm IST
6:30 pm IST 9:30 pm IST 00:30 am IST |
| DECEMBER 1st | 41
42 43 44 |
F2 vs F3
F4 vs F1 E2 vs E3 E4 vs E1 |
Al Rayyan Stadium
Al Thumama Stadium Khalifa International Stadium Al Bayt Stadium |
00:30 am IST
6:30 pm IST 9:30 pm IST 3:30 pm IST |
| DECEMBER 2nd | 45
46 47 48 |
H2 vs H3
H4 vs H1 G2 vs G3 G4 vs G1 |
Al Janoub Stadium
Education City stadium Ras Abu Aboud Stadium Lusail Stadium |
3:30 pm IST
6:30 pm IST 9:30 pm IST 00:30 am IST |
Round of 16
| Date | Match No. | Fixture | Venue | Time |
| DECEMBER 3rd | 49
50 |
1A vs 2B
1C vs 2D |
Khalifa International Stadium
Al Rayyan Stadium |
8:30 pm IST
00:30 am IST |
| DECEMBER 4th | 51
52 |
1B vs 2A
1D vs 2C |
Al Bayt Stadium
Al Thumama Stadium |
00:30 am IST
8:30 pm IST |
| DECEMBER 5th | 53
54 |
1E vs 2F
1G vs 2H |
Al Janoub Stadium
Ras Abu Aboud Stadium |
8:30 pm IST
00:30 am IST |
| DECEMBER 6th | 55
56 |
1F vs 2E
1H vs 2G |
Education City Stadium
Lusail Stadium |
8:30 pm IST
00:30 am IST |
Quarter-Finals
| Date | Match No. | Fixture | Venue | Time |
| DECEMBER 9th | 57
58 |
W49 vs W50
W53 vs W54 |
Lusail Stadium
Education City Stadium |
00:30 am IST
8:30 pm IST |
| DECEMBER 10th | 59
60 |
W51 vs W52
W55 vs W56 |
Al Bayt Stadium
Al Thumama Stadium |
00:30 am IST
8:30 pm IST |
Semi-Finals
| Date | Match No. | Fixture | Venue | Time |
| DECEMBER 13th | 61 | W57 vs W58 | Lusail Stadium | 00:30 am IST |
| DECEMBER 14th | 62 | W59 vs W60 | Al Bayt Stadium | 00:30 am IST |
Third-Place Match
| Date | Match No. | Fixture | Venue | Time |
| DECEMBER 17th | 63 | L61 vs L62 | Khalifa International Stadium | 8:30 pm IST |
Final
| Date | Match No. | Fixture | Venue | Time |
| DECEMBER 18th | 64 | W61 vs W62 | Lusail Stadium | 8:30 pm IST |
How To Buy The FIFA World Cup 2022 Tickets?
As confirmed by FIFA recently, the tickets for the FIFA World Cup 2022 will be sold on the official FIFA website only and nowhere else. While the hospitality tickets would go on sale by the end of 2020 only, other general tickets for the FIFA World Cup would only be made available in early 2021.
Likewise, any additional information about the venues, timings, locations, and other things would be communicated on the official website itself along with the tickets.
64 games, over a million fans, and a month-long footballing carnival, the FIFA World Cup 2022 promises to be a real treat to the football fans around the world. This is a world cup that has been surrounded by various facts and controversies since day one.
But one thing is certain, love for football will be a prominent factor once the competition kicks off. So, if you’re a footballing fan planning your trip for the world cup, the above guide would help you understand the minor details surrounding the world cup while giving you an insight on all the matches that will be played in the competition. You should also check the current Fifa world cup ranking and start supporting your team.
FAQs
Q) Where is the 2022 FIFA World Cup?
The FIFA World Cup 2022 will be hosted by Qatar for the first time ever in the Northern Hemisphere.
Q) Will the 2022 World Cup be moved?
The FIFA World Cup has already been moved from its usual summer slot of June and July to November and December in 2022 owing to the severe summer conditions in Qatar that could well be distressing for fans and players alike.
Q) Is Qatar ready for the 2022 World Cup?
Speaking in terms of preparations, Qatar has already confirmed the completion of one of its stadiums, the Education City Stadium while the other venues are near completion. The country is spending a whopping $200 billion USD on infrastructural projects ahead of the world cup.
Q) How safe is Qatar?
Qatar is one of the safest countries in the world today and its crime rate is considerably low with violent crimes being a rare happening in the country.
Q) What date is World Cup 2022?
The Doha FIFA World Cup would commence on the 21st of November and end with the final scheduled on 18th December, just a week before Christmas.
