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It has been ten years since Qatar was announced as the new host country of the Worldcup22 and it is just a few months away before we witness the event unfold.
The competition was the first of its kind to be held in a Middle-Eastern country and only the second time to be held in Asia, following the 2002 event which was co-hosted by Japan and South Korea.
This version of the World Cup will be the last time that it will feature 32 qualified teams, (sadly, with no Singapore team to be seen) as the competition will increase the number of qualified nations to 48 in the upcoming 2026 edition.
What to expect in the competition?
There is no doubt that France will be one of the favorites in the tournament since they are the defending champion of the World Cup qualifiers. Although, no national team has defended its World Cup title ever since it was done successfully by Brazil in 1962.
Aside from France, the majority of Singapore punters also think that other European countries will also possibly dominate the competition with the likes of Spain, England, and Belgium.
Meanwhile, it is expected that the rivalry between Brazil and Argentina will certainly continue in the knockout stages. Also, the hope of Africa winning the World Cup title for the first time rested on the shoulders of Senegal, the winners of the Africa Cup of Nations.
When is the World Cup in Qatar?
Due to the scorching temperatures during the summer periods in the Gulf region, the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar will be the first time it will be held in the winter months instead of summer. The Singaporean locals like to refer to it as the literal football winter cup.
The first game of the competition will be held on November 21 this year, while the final game is set to be played on December 18. The host country Qatar will also play in the opening matches of the tournament.
Where will the games be held?
For the World Cup matches, the organizers prepared eight stadiums in five cities in Qatar that are easily accessible. Among the stadiums is the Iconic Stadium set within the modern city of Lusail, which will also be the venue of the final matches.
The stadium is located 23 kilometers north of the capital city of Qatar, Doha. The arena has design features with luxurious gold ornaments and a white exterior, and it has a seating capacity of 80,000, surpassing Singapore’s National Stadium maximum seating capacity of 55,000.
How much will the tickets cost?
It is expected that the World Cup in Qatar will be the most expensive sporting event yet. There was an increase of regular ticket prices by 46 percent since the competition took place in Russia in 2018.
Obviously, the most expensive ticket price belongs for the finals in Lusail and it costs around 1,940 Singaporean dollars. Meanwhile, the price of the tickets for the most affordable category, Category 4, was reduced significantly.
For Category 4, the regular Group Stage ticket has a price of SGD 204, the Round-of-16 is worth SGD 228, the Quarter-finals cost SGD 314, the Semi-finals are worth SGD 812, and the Final matches cost SGD 1,235.
How to buy tickets for the World Cup?
Supporters can apply and buy tickets online, just visit the FIFA World Cup official website and create an account. Ever since the first phase of the ticket sales period was launched in January, over 800,000 tickets had been sold. The first phase of ticket sales was closed on March 29.
The second phase of the ticket sales period began on April 5 and ended on April 28. The third phase will be the last-minute sales period and there is no announcement yet about the start date. Of course, this is open to all supporters from Singapore and the rest of the world, not just in Asia.
Final words
The FIFA World Cup in Qatar is expected to be the biggest sporting event this year. This is why the ticket sales period was set as early as January. If you like to attend the event, make sure that you apply for accommodation as early as possible.