This period of the year, the International Break, is when European teams compete in their last World Cup qualifiers to ensure their participation in the championship the following year. France won the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, defeating Croatia 4-2 in the final. However, this year’s tournament will be somewhat different.
Any time there are changes to a sport, those changes will affect predictions, and soccer isn’t the only sport with such changes. The Coca-Cola 600 predictions changed after NASCAR rolled out the NextGen car, and odds lines shifted in the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB constantly after injuries and trades.
There have been numerous discussions of holding the World Cup every two years rather than every four, but no decision has been taken.
Qatar 2022 is already shaping up to be a truly unique tournament in a variety of ways, making it a fantastic event.
When is the World Cup, and how will it work?
Qatar 2022 was the first World Cup to feature 48 teams vying for the ultimate football trophy.
CONMEBOL petitioned FIFA in April 2018 to expand the 2022 World Cup from 32 to 48 teams four years before the 2026 World Cup.
FIFA, however, denied the request just before the commencement of the 2018 World Cup, hinting that it will do so again in the future. This means that the World Cup will be the final one to feature only 32 countries next year.
The 2018 World Cup will occur between November 21 and December 18, with 32 teams vying for the trophy.
They begin on November 21 and run for 12 days, including four games every day.
Typically, the top two teams advance to the round of 16. However, this summer at Euro 2020, no third-place teams will qualify for the knockout stages, as they did this summer.
Additionally, the World Cup will have a third-place play-off, which will not be the case at Euro 2020.
It will conclude on December 2 with the conclusion of the group stages. Finally, December 3 will mark the start of the round of 16.
The quarter-finals will take place on December 9-10, followed by the semi-finals on December 13-14.
The final of the 2022 World Cup will take place on December 18. It is scheduled for December 18.
Who are the favorites to win the World Cup?
After Gareth Southgate’s England played in the European Championships finals last summer, they are one among the favorites to win this winter.
The Three Lions are third at 7/1, while France is second at 6/1. Tite’s Brazil team is also a heavy favorite to win this year’s World Cup. They earned qualification by winning 12 of their 15 group games and drawing the remaining three.
The World Cup Finals
Qatar is a small peninsular Arab republic bordering Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE. Xavi Hernandez, Barcelona’s new manager, returned from Qatar following six years as a player and manager for Qatari Super League club Al Sadd. Qatar’s capital city is Doha.
Additionally, they will host the World Cup for the first time as an Arab country. The tournament will be held in Asia for the second time, following the 2002 edition in South Korea and Japan. This is their first World Cup appearance.
Qatar is the smallest country in terms of land size to have been selected to host the World Cup, with eight venues in use throughout the tournament. Switzerland, the following smallest country in terms of area, hosted the 1954 tournament and is more than three times the size of Qatar, requiring it to host only 16 teams rather than 32.
We are accustomed to international events occurring in the early summer following the conclusion of domestic football, but this will be the first time the World Cup has been held in the winter.
Different Timings
The event will take place from November 21 to December 18.
When Qatar won the bid to host the World Cup, they stated that it would be held in the summer and that the stadiums would be air-conditioned due to the 50-degree weather.
When FIFA agreed to the hosts’ request for an early winter date, temperatures hovered around 30 degrees. That, however, suddenly altered.
Additionally, the program will be based on a shorter time frame of approximately 28 days.
Games will begin much earlier due to the time difference between Qatar and the United Kingdom to add to the list of changes from past championships.
Group matches will begin at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 7 p.m. UK time, while the knockout rounds will begin at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. UK time, respectively. These are the times for the group matches.
England supporters enjoy some summer barbecue weather in the afternoons while watching major championship games. Unfortunately, the weather will be far cooler, wetter, and more foreboding this time, as the opening games will begin over a lengthy brunch period.