Qatar 2022 Preview

An Overview

Hello and welcome to our Qatar 2022 preview. The World Cup has long been considered the greatest show on Earth. Watched by billions of people, the tournament has grown hugely since its inaugural edition in 1930. Over the previous 92 years, eight nations have had the privilege of being crowned World Champions. In this first edition in the Middle East, 32 teams and 831 players travel to Qatar, dreaming of lifting the famous trophy.

Since the first tournament in Uruguay, much has happened regarding the World Cup. Over time it grew to 16 teams participating in the final tournament, then 24, then 32, and it will increase again to 48 in 2026. Qatar were named host in 2010. Despite the controversies surrounding the tournament, they have been anticipating this moment for the past twelve years. They will look to put on a show.

The tournament’s eight stadiums are actually located within approximately 35 kilometres of each other. There are stadiums in Doha, Al-Rayyan, Al Wakrah, Al Khor, and Lusail (where the final will be held). There will be little travel for players or fans, given the compact nature of the tournament geographically. It should be hot in terms of weather, but it is unlikely to be the ultra-oppressive type of heat it would be if the tournament took place in June and July. There will also be five substitutions permitted per team in each match in the group stage, easing the strain on teams given the COVID pandemic and hectic schedule this season. This law will also favour the better teams with deeper squads so that we may see some impact from substitutes late in games. This tournament is also the first to feature female officials, which demonstrates that some progress is being made by football socially.

Hosts Qatar will want to perform well and have designs on progressing from the group phase. The pre-tournament favourites are Brazil. The number 1 ranked Brazilians have a deep squad and an embarrassment of riches in attack, including maverick Neymar. They expect to go all the way. Number 3 ranked Argentina are also fancied, given their 36-match undefeated streak and that this is likely to be Lionel Messi’s final World Cup. France have a deep pool of players to call on and will once again be fancied to reach the final. European nations Belgium, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands are viewed more as potential dark horses this time around rather than as favourites. Portugal enter the tournament with potential issues, given Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent provocative interview regarding his club Manchester United. Croatia’s best players are ageing, but they have refreshed their squad with some young blood and will hope to emulate 2018 when they made the final in Russia. Middle Eastern nations such as Iran and Saudi Arabia will hope to make an impression on their home continent, as will other AFC teams such as South Korea and Japan. The African and North American nations have a mix of potential fortunes. The likes of Senegal and Canada possess good footballing generations at the moment. However, teams such as Mexico and Ghana are more reserved about their chances relative to previous years.

Generally, this promises to be a good tournament from a football perspective. There are issues, such as the scheduling mentioned above in the middle of the European season. This schedule puts players at higher risk of injury before and during the tournament. The potential heat is also a problem, as mentioned, but this is a factor at most World Cups. Indeed, given state-of-the-art conditioning and dietary knowledge, the players will be fit enough to cope (and the previously mentioned five substitutions help too). Hopefully, we will see some exciting and entertaining football in Qatar. Whoever wins the competition will be worthy champions in entering the pantheon of greatness.