FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Everything you need to know

The biggest and most prestigious soccer competition in the world is the FIFA World Cup. It is played every four years, lasts for a month and features 32 national teams that made it through the qualifiers.

Flashback;

Uruguay is the first ever winner of the FIFA World Cup. This prestigious event was held there from July 13 to July 30, 1930. Uruguay was selected as the host country by FIFA, the world's governing body of football, because the country would be commemorating the 100th anniversary of the adoption of its first constitution and also the Uruguayan national football team had successfully defended its football championship at the 1928 Summer Olympics. 

The Estadio Centenario, which was specifically constructed for the event, hosted the majority of the games, which were all played in the Uruguayan capital city of Montevideo.

The Reigning World Champions;

In 1998, the French national team won their first-ever World Cup title. The tournament was played on home soil, and France defeated Brazil 3–0 in the final. France previously hosted the competition in 1938, however that year Italy, the defending champions, eliminated France in the quarterfinals.

Fast-forward to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the most recent of the competition, France won their second tittle in the competition's history. 

The final of the campaign was played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia, on 15 July 2018, contested by France and Croatia. The match ended 4-2 in favour of the French national team, colloquially known as Les Bleus (The Blues).

Ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 here is the list of the most World Cup tittles won, across eight (8) countries.

• Brazil with 5 world cup titles, the most successful country in the competition's history. They are the only country to make an appearance at every World Cup in history from 1930-2018, making 21 tournaments in total and clinching titles in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002.

• Germany & Italy with 4 titles each.

• Argentina, France and Uruguay with 2 world Cup titles each.

• England and Spain with one title each.

With no further ado, here is all you should be aware of, looking forward to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

The FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international men's football championship played between the senior national teams of FIFA member countries, is set to take place for the 22nd time.

Qatar will host the tournament from November 20 through December 18, 2022. After the event in South Korea and Japan in 2002, this will be the second World Cup wholly held in Asia and the first World Cup ever to be contested in the Arab world.

Additionally, the tournament will include 32 teams for the final time: the tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada in 2026 will have 48 teams instead.

This World Cup will be the first to not be held in May, June, or July and to take place in the northern autumn; it will be played in a reduced timeframe of around 29 days due to the extreme summer heat in Qatar. The tournament will take place from late-November to mid-December.

At Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, the opening game of the tournament will be played between Qatar and Ecuador.

The final is scheduled for December 18, 2022, which also happens to be Qatar National Day.

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Groups

32 Countries from 5 confederations will be competing across 8 groups with 4 teams each in the group stage of the tournament.

Group A:

Qatar

Ecuador

Senegal

Netherlands

Group B:

England

Iran

USA

Wales

Group C:

Argentina

Saudi Arabia

Mexico

Poland

Group D:

France

Australia

Denmark

Tunisia

Group E:

Spain

Costa Rica

Germany

Japan

Group F:

Belgium

Canada

Morocco

Croatia

Group G:

Brazil

Serbia

Switzerland

Cameroon

Group H:

Portugal

Ghana

Uruguay

Korea Republic

As previously stated, Qatar 2022 will have 32 teams competing.

In order to select the top two finishers from Group A through Group H, the teams were divided into eight groups of four, based on the FIFA rankings and the standings of their respective confederations.

The top two teams from each group will be placed into a bracket, with the group champions playing the runner-up in the round of 16.

Until a winner is declared, teams will compete in single elimination matches for each round (the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and final).

Teams will play a 30-minute extra time if knockout matches are deadlocked at the conclusion of regular time (divided into 15-minute halves). There will be a penalty shootout if the score is still deadlocked.

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Stadiums

Eight Stadiums from 5 cities in Qatar are ready to host the World Cup matches:

1. Al Bayt Stadium

City: Al Khor

Capacity: 60,000

Al Bayt Stadium

2. Al Janoub Stadium

City: Al Wakrah

Capacity: 40,000

Al Janoub Stadium

3. Al Rayyan Stadium

City: Al Rayyan

Capacity: 40,000

Al Rayyan Stadium

4. Khalifa International Stadium

City: Doha

Capacity: 40,000

Khalifa International Stadium

5. Stadium 974

City: Ras Abu Aboud

Capacity: 40,000

Stadium 974

6. Al Thumama Stadium

City: Doha

Capacity: 40,000

Al Thumama Stadium

7. Education City Stadium

City: Doha

Capacity: 40,000

Education City Stadium

8. Lusail Stadium (also where the final will hold)

City: Lusail

Capacity: 80,000

Lusail Stadium

Play in the group stage will take place from November 20 until December 2. From December 3 through December 6, the knockout phase will begin with the round of 16.

On December 9 and 10, the quarterfinals will take place, and on December 13 and 14, the semifinals. The third-place playoff will take place on December 17, the day before the final.

That's some of the information you should have going into the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Can France defend their title and win the world cup again this year?

Let us know in the comment section which country you think will emerged world champions in Qatar this year.