Sunday marks the point where there is a year to go until the inaugural match of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with the tournament, played for the first time in a northern hemisphere winter, rapidly taking shape.
The opening match will take place on 21 November at the 60,000-capacity Al Bayt Stadium.
The kickoff will undoubtedly come as some relief to the organizers as football takes center stage, shifting the spotlight away from the many off-pitch issues, such as labor rights for migrant workers, that have surrounded the event.
Qatar is the smallest country in size (11,600 km) to host the World Cup, and since all stadiums are located in and around the capital, Doha, supporters can attend multiple games on the same day.
Fans from across the world watching on TV can watch an unprecedented four matches back-to-back in a day.
There will be no repetition of last-minute rushes to dismantle stadiums and infrastructure, as happened in the 2014 tournament in Brazil.
According to the Organizing Supreme Committee, five of the eight stadiums built for the World Cup have been completed.
Two more – Ras Abu Abu Stadium and Al Bayt – will be inaugurated during the Arab Cup – a dress rehearsal event that begins on 30 November and ends a year before the World Cup final on 18 December.
The last arena to be finished is Lusail Stadium – the venue for the final.
“For all those who love football, this will be like a toy store for a child,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said this week.
“There will be eight, state-of-the-art stadiums – some of the most beautiful stadiums in the world within 50 kilometers (of each other), so it’s going to be great. The World Cup is an opportunity to get to know other cultures and other peoples.”
According to the organisers, getting around Doha will also not be a problem.
“When it comes to our progress, we have completed 98% of the infrastructure work,” Fatma al-Numai, a spokesman for the Supreme Committee, told reporters.
labor system
Qatar’s hosting of the World Cup has been controversial.
As recently as April last year, organizers strongly denied allegations by the US Justice Department that bribes were paid to secure votes when hosting rights were awarded in 2010.
The event was dropped from its traditional schedule and played later in the year due to the feasibility of playing a tournament in the heat of the Middle Eastern summer, while Qatar’s labor system was strongly criticized.
Qatar’s government said on Tuesday that its labor system was still a work in progress, but denied allegations in a report by Amnesty International that thousands of migrant workers were being exploited.
Practices such as withholding wages and charging employees to change jobs were still prevalent, said Amnesty, Reality Check 2021, a 48-page report. Qatar’s Office of State Communications dismissed the allegations.
Players from Germany, the Netherlands and Norway have worn shirts ahead of a World Cup qualifier in Qatar, expressing concerns over human rights and what could lead to further protests in the lead up to the tournament.
Qatar expects to attract 1.2 million spectators to the tournament, which is about a third of its population.
All fans attending matches must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and organizers told Reuters they hope to be able to offer 130,000 rooms, housing thousands of fans. can walk for.
Organizers have announced only partial details of how and where they plan to find those rooms, saying the total stock will be announced in due course, with potential solutions in the desert “fan village” and port. floating hotel.
Most fans of traditional big hitters will start planning their trips.
Brazil and Argentina will be there, while the first European group qualification stage is over with holders France sailing.
Uruguay may be a notable absentee given their poor form in qualification, while the last two European champions Italy and Portugal will have to negotiate a difficult 12-team European playoff system to compete in the final.
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