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Count down to World Cup 2022 in Qatar
23 Days to go
1. First-ever Winter World Cup
The 2022 edition of the competition would be the first-ever winter World Cup, if considered from the northern hemisphere. The World Cup usually takes place in mid year but when it came to Qatar, an exception just had to be thrown.
2. The Most Expensive
Another interesting fact is the amount the host nation is spending in preparations for the upcoming event. As per an estimate, Qatar is spending a whopping $200 billion on infrastructure projects, which includes the construction of stadiums, highways, hotels, and so on. This will make the upcoming event one of the most expensive World Cups in the history of the game.
3. Fewest Stadiums
The number of venues might raise a few eyebrows or more. Only eight stadiums have been lined up by Qatar to host the World Cup which is the lowest number of venues for the World Cup in recent years. In fact, out of all the eight venues selected to host the tournament, only one got revamped completely while seven are being newly constructed in the country.
4. Record Number of Visitors
One of the most interesting facts is the number of visitors who are expected to arrive in the country during the event. As per an estimate, the Qatar FIFA 2022 World Cup may well end up receiving a record number of visitors by the time the tournament comes to an end.
The reason behind this is easy to grasp. Being one of the finest countries in the Middle East, Qatar’s convenient geographic location makes it lie in close proximity to most nations.
5. The Most Commutable
Qatar is a small country. It is, in fact, way smaller than the host of the World Cup 2018, Russia. Since the size of the country is so small, commuting from one place to another here is not a big hassle.
Host cities like Doha, Lusail, Al Wakrah, and Al Rayyan are located in close proximity to each other. Hence, moving from one venue to the other wouldn’t be a big hassle for travelers.
Another interesting fact is the two most remote stadiums of Qatar — Al Bayt and Al Wakrah — are only 90 miles apart.
6. Air-Conditioned Stadiums
One of the most important points to note about the host nation for FIFA 2022 is the fact that Qatar receives distressingly high temperatures during day times.
To tackle the issue, Qatar came up with an audacious solution. For the first time ever, a country is set to host the FIFA World Cup in fully air-conditioned stadiums. All eight venues in Qatar will be fully air-conditioned, providing a comfortable viewing experience to fans while making the conditions good enough for players to perform on the pitch.
7. Women Referees
For the first time in the history of the FIFA Men’s World Cup, games will be officiated by a woman referee. In fact, among the 36 referees for the tournament, there are three women – Yamashita Yoshimi, Salima Mukansanga and Stephanie Frappart.
In addition, Neuza Back, Karen Diaz Medina and Kathryn Nesbitt also head to the World Cup as three of the 69 assistant referees.
8. 26-player rosters
Following the five-subs rule, in this World Cup, teams are allowed to have a 26-man squad, instead of the usual 23.
Stay tuned as we will drop more updates on the highly anticipated 2022 world cup in Qatar.
