World Cup 2022: All you need to know about the Qatar World Cup
Par Nelly Sallibartan (Collège Germaine Tillion (91)) le 23 novembre 2022, 16:34 - Lien permanent
It's the first time the tournament has been held in the Middle East and it's also the first winter World Cup in the tournament's 92-year history.
Usually, the competition takes place in the summer but because of extreme heat in Qatar at that time of year, it has been moved to a November-December 'winter' slot, though temperatures will still reach about 25C.
Off the field, this World Cup has been very controversial.
Qatar has been criticised for its anti same-sex relationship laws, the impact the World Cup will have on the environment, its human rights record and the treatment of migrant workers in the country.
The tournament will see eight stadiums separated by roughly an hour's drive, and fans will be able to travel to and from venues using 110 metro trains and 4,000 buses, of which 750 are electric.
There will be 32 teams at the World Cup in 2022 (that number increases to 48 at the next World Cup in four years time). Thirteen are are from Europe, with five representing Africa, four from South America, North America and Asia, plus Australia and hosts Qatar.
One and a half million fans from all over the world are expected to visit Qatar to watch World Cup games.
World champions France are hoping to hold onto their World Cup trophy that they won in 2018, but they will have to play without 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema leading their attack. The striker has been ruled out of the World Cup because of a thigh injury suffered in training.
They do still have super-quick Kylian Mbappé, but 2018 World Cup winner Paul Pogba also misses the tournament through injury.
Captain Lionel Messi, who is considered to be one of the greatest players of all time, has never won a World Cup, and at the age of 35 he's running out of opportunities to do so. He's in good form for his club Paris Saint-Germain, so this could be his year.
The other footballing GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), Cristiano Ronaldo says that Qatar won't be his last international tournament with Portugal. Ronaldo, who is 37, will be desperate to add a World Cup trophy to his list of achievements - as it's one of the few tournaments he hasn't won so far in his career.
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