World Cup FAQ: Answers to your Qatar 2022 questions National News
The FIFA Men's World Cup begins on Sunday in Doha, Qatar, with Qatar playing against Ecuador at Al Bayt Stadium. The tournament is being played in the winter. The World's biggest sporting spectacle is taking place in Qatar. It's also known as the World Championship finals. National News answers questions about the 2022 World Championships.
Qatar is the first country in the Middle East to host the men's World Cup at the senior level. It is a country of nearly 3 million people east of Saudi Arabia along the Persian Gulf.
The FIFA World Cup in Qatar is being played because of corruption and money. FIFA has long touted its mission of spreading soccer to all parts of the world. The FIFA voted to have the U.S. co-host the 2026 World Cups with Canada and Mexico.
FIFA moved the 2022 World Cup to November and December to avoid the searing summer heat in Qatar. Professional leagues in Europe have halted their seasons to allow players to leave their clubs and represent their countries at the World Cups.
Qatar is hosting the 2022 World Cup. There are many controversies surrounding the country. FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended Qatar on Saturday.
There are currently 32 teams competing at the World Cup. The number will be increased to 48 for the 2026 World cup hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
The World Cup qualifying lasted three years from June 2019 to June 2022. 31 teams qualified for the final tournament in Qatar. The following 31 countries came through qualifying to reach the tournament.
Qatar is hosting the 2022 World Cup. Asia has 6 teams, Africa 5, Europe 13, North and Central America 4, South America 3, and Caribbean 4.
The World Cup draw, held on April 1, placed the 32 teams into four-team groups. The top two teams in each group advance to the knockout stage. Goal differential is the first tiebreaker. Semifinal losers play for third place the day before the World Championship on Dec. 18.
Oddsmakers list Brazil as the favorite to win the tournament. Argentina, France, England and Spain are also contenders. Brazil has won the most World Cups with five titles. Germany and Italy are tied for second with four World Cup championships.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the biggest stars to watch at the World Cup in Qatar. Messi has won the Ballon d'Or a record seven times and Ronaldo five times. They have dominated the game for the past decade.
The games will be played from Sunday, Nov 19 to Friday, Dec. 2. The first two rounds of group play are played at 5 a.m. ET, 8 a., 11 a,m., and 2 p.M. for the first round of the second round. Final games of each group are scheduled for 10 a,.m, and 10 p.,m ET.
The knockout-stage games of the World Cup are must-see. The group-game schedule includes all three group games for the U.S. men's national team. Brazil vs. Serbia is the first look at the tournament-favorite Brazil. Argentina vs Saudia Arabia is early morning kickoff. Ronaldo makes his Qatar debut. Spain vs Germany is a former World Champion match. Portugal vs Uruguay is at 2 p.m. ET. Poland vs Argentina is on Wednesday, November 30.
USA will play Wales on November 21 at 2 p.m. ET. Argentina plays Saudia Arabia at 5 a.M. on Tuesday, November 22. Portugal plays Ghana on Saturday, Nov. 24 at 11 a., Ronaldo plays Qatar on Sunday, and Brazil take on Serbia on Nov., 24. Spain plays Germany on Monday, 2 pm. Uruguay plays Portugal on Mon., Nov, 28. Iran plays USA on Tues., November 29 at 1 pm ET, while Poland plays Argentina on Wed., 30.
What is offside? Offside is called when an attacker is positioned beyond the last defender at the moment a pass is made. A goal will be disallowed if an attacking player is deemed to be offsides during the sequence that led to the goal.
Stoppage time is the minutes added after one half of game play has reached its regulation time. Referees can add more minutes for injury delays and time-wasting antics.
Extra time is played when games in the knockout rounds are tied after the regulation 90 minutes. Two 15-minute halves are played to determine the winner. If the game is still tied, it will be decided by a penalty-kick shootout.
Penalty-kick shootouts begin with the Round of 16. The team with most successful penalty kicks after the first five rounds wins the game. If the shootout is tied after five, it continues with sudden death rounds until a winning kick decides the match.
The video assistant referee (VAR) reviews decisions by the match referee. VAR can alert the referee for video review on “clear and obvious” errors involving goals, penalties, red cards and mistaken identity. If signaled by Var, the ref stops the game and goes to the sideline monitor to review multiple angles of the play in question. The referee makes the final decision.
