WORLD CUP QATAR 2022

Everything you need to know about the Qatar World Cup 2022 in one place.

National Team
All about the National Team for World Cup 2022.
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Qualifiers

Know who’s playing against who at World Cup 2022.

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Tables

Stay up to date with your favourite team’s performance.

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The World Cup 2022 in Qatar

All eyes will be on the Gulf Coast state of Qatar come November 2022, when one of the richest countries in the world hosts the soccer World Cup. It’s a first for a number of reasons, being the first World Cup staged in the Middle East and – just as controversial – the first World Cup that will be played in the winter months.

The tournament kicks off on the 21st of November when Senegal take on the Netherlands in the opening match. The World Cup always brings the best players in the world together in one place, and is always full of high-quality, high-octane action – with the drama to boot.

Whether it’s Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ or Zinedine Zidane signing off his final professional match with a headbutt on Italy’s Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup Final, there are always plenty of talking points when the world pauses to take in such a huge spectacle of sport.

With the English Premier League and giant clubs of Europe only getting stronger, quicker and as well-known as ever, it will be a joy to behold when the first ball is kicked in November.

Tournament

All about what’s happening in World Cup 2022.

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The teams

Your guide to the World Cup 2022 competitors.

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Stadiums

What’s happening where for World Cup 2022.

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The Winter World Cup Programme

There are plenty of questions still to be answered when it comes to this year’s World Cup, which will see a first-ever break in the professional season across Europe’s top leagues. How will the players cope with the mid-season international tournament? And how will the top clubs in Europe cope with the break in their season?

It will be fascinating to watch, with further questions about the controversial decision to host the World Cup in Qatar in the first place – allegations of ‘sportswashing’ have been made, wherein countries with poor human rights records host huge international events in order to mask over their controversies.

While there are a number of firsts for this World Cup, it’s also going to be the last of a certain kind, as it will be the final World Cup competition in which 32 teams compete – with the number rising to 48 for the 2026 trophy.

It’s been a long road to whittle the competition into the final playing spots, with 865 matches being played in the World Cup Playoffs, in which 206 international teams were in with a shout of making the trip to Qatar.

Will holders France dominate the game once again with Kylian Mbappe at the forefront? Or will Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi end their career-long wait for a maiden World Cup trophy?

Whatever happens, and whoever lifts the trophy on 18th of December, it’s sure to be an exhilarating tournament that will be watched by millions (if not billions) around the globe.

The perennial question when soccer’s biggest competition comes around every 4 years – who will win? Any number of teams are definitely in with a shout, with Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Spain and England all being mooted as potential victors. France and Brazil are the current favourites.

The controversial decision to have a first-ever World Cup across November and December is due to the weather. With intense summer heat of Qatar was deemed too dangerous for professional soccer, and temperatures are still set to exceed 30 degrees celsius in November and December when the tournament is on.

The winners of the World Cup in Qatar will receive an official top prize of $42 million – and that’s without taking into account the huge rewards from sponsors and other deals.

The World Cup Final in 2022 will be played at the new Lusail Stadium in the developed city of Lusail in Qatar. The Lusail Stadium is one of eight venues that is hosting the World Cup and, of course, the largest, with a capacity of 80,000.

The Socceroos’ Road to Qatar

It hasn’t been an easy ride for the Australian national team, but we’ve made it to the finals regardless! The Roos continue their consecutive appearances at the World Cup for the 5th time, with the 2002 World Cup in Japan being the last time the team failed to qualify for the finals.

Having finished third in Group B of the AFC behind Japan and Saudi Arabia, Australia were entered into the dreaded World Cup Playoffs, having to play knockout matches against the other third-placed team from AFC Group A, The UAE, before taking on Peru in the inter-continental Playoff.

Needing penalties to see off Peru after a 0-0 game after extra time, the Socceroos celebrated long into the night when they cemented their place at one of the World’s top soccer tournaments.

How will Australia do at the World Cup?

Australia will definitely hope to be a surprise package at this year’s Qatar World Cup 2022, along with other teams such as Canada, who are heading to their first finals since XX.

The boys from down under will be hoping to at least match their best ever result, when they reached the round of 16 in Germany in 2006 – and maybe upset one or two of the big teams on the way.

Australia has been drawn into a tough Group D, along with France, Tunisia and Denmark, but the team will give everything they’ve got to progress to the knockout stages.

The beauty of the World Cup is that everyone is in with a chance – even if some teams are way more fancied than others!

Whatever the result is, we’re sure to be backing our team and celebrating the fact that we’re being represented on the biggest stage in world soccer.