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The most controversial decision in World Cup history?

From the very beginning, Qatar was the favorite to host the 2022 World Cup. Five candidates (including the USA, South Korea, Japan and Australia) had submitted their bids by February 2, 2009, and it was these countries that were competing in the final stage against the Middle Eastern magnate. Initially, as many as 11 candidates were considered, but Mexico and Indonesia, among others, dropped out during the initial selection phase. On December 2, 2010, the FIFA Executive Committee decided in Zurich to award Qatar the right to host the 2022 World Cup. The small Asian country received respectively 11,10,11 and 14 points in the vote, thus securely overtaking the United States' bid.

There has been much controversy surrounding the decision of the world football federation's governing body. In 2013, France Football published an investigative report that uncovered the backstory behind Qatar's World Cup award. The public perception was that the sheikhs had 'bought' the rights to host the 2022 World Cup in return for investment, albeit in French club Paris-Saint Germain. It has also been established that the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, is a resident of Qatar, which has only inflamed the mood around the tournament and undermined the credibility and status of the organization.

First World Cup held in autumn

Although the World Cup has been organized during an astronomical winter in the past, this was the first time that the event was held during the calendar autumn (November/December). The choice of these months to host the most important football tournament in the world has aroused extreme emotions from the very beginning. Due to the high temperatures in Qatar in summer, it would be impossible to organize matches in this period as the players could suffer health problems. On the other hand, it is a drastic change from the norm, which always saw the championship being played between the end and the start of the new league season. This time, there was an emergency situation in which players will were released by their clubs in the middle of the season in order to be able to attend training and national team matches.

Which stadiums have hosted the World Cup in Qatar?

The first five proposed venues for the 2022 World Cup were unveiled in early March 2010, a few months before Qatar officially became the host of the tournament. It was also pointed out that all stadiums would be provided with cooling systems, and that their shape and form would relate to the country's history and culture. In the end, eight arenas were decided upon, each with a capacity of at least 40,000 fans. Among these, as many as seven had to be built from scratch. The only venue that existed before is Khalifa International Stadium, which was rebuilt for the championships. It is here that the match for 3rd place took place. Interestingly, only two stadiums can be fully covered during a match. Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor and Al Janoub Stadium in Al-Wakrah both feature a retractable roof.

All venues are located within a radius of just 75 kilometers, which made commuting to matches a minor inconvenience. As many as five of the eight stadiums are located in the capital itself, Doha, or its suburbs. The grand final is scheduled to take place on December 18 at the biggest stadium of the tournament – Lusail Stadium in Lusail City.

Seven matches, including six group stage games and one Round of 16 clash, were held at both Al Janoub Stadium in Al-Wakrah and Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan, as well as at Stadium 974 in Doha. One more match fell to Education City Stadium, which will additionally be the venue for one quarter-final. However, the profile of the inconspicuous Stadium 974 is the most interesting here. The 40,000-seater, located in the eastern part of the capital, was built, as the name suggests, from 974 shipping containers. It is also an area code for Qatar. The arena, sitting on an artificial promontory, was a temporary structure that was to be dismantled after the tournament. This is the first time in history that a World Cup stadium will be taken down immediately after the final.

What does World Cup 2022 stadiums look like?

The course of the 2022 World Cup

Despite a lot of controversy and concern about awarding the World Cup to a small Qatar and playing the tournament in the middle of the season, the 2022 World Cup turned out to be the most exciting in years. The counter of goals scored stopped at 172 – one goal more than the previous World Cup record (171 goals were scored at the 1998 and 2014 championships).

Fans around the world were gripped by Argentina's national team and its bumpy road to reach the coveted championship, which was the culmination of Leo Messi's great career. The Albiceleste were carried to the title by the passionate cheering of their own fans, who showed up in large numbers at Qatar's stadiums.

Interestingly, the Argentines started the tournament with an unexpected defeat against Saudi Arabia. The Saudis were able to turn the game back, despite the fact that they were losing 0–1 by halftime. Perhaps the victory was helped by the fiery speech that their coach, Herve Renard, gave at the break (the video of this speech circulated the media and became viral).

After that, however, Argentina did better, which does not mean that victories came easily. The thrilling quarterfinal against the Netherlands was decided only by penalty kicks. The game, which was baptized as the Battle of Lusail, was full of pinches, foul play and cards. Quite a few complaints could also be had about the work of the referee...

... what cannot be said about the grand finale, which was conducted perfectly by Polish referee Szymon Marciniak. In the clash between Argentina and the incumbent world champions, France, the score was 3–3 and the match again had to be decided by penalties, which were again better executed by Messi and co. at Lusail Stadium.

As a consolation, the French were left with the title of top scorer for Kylian Mbappé, who scored one more goal in the tournament than the aforementioned Leo Messi. The best goalkeeper, however, was announced as Argentine Emiliano Martinez, who celebrated winning the Golden Glove in a gesture he only understood...

The performance of the Moroccan national team at this championship was also quite a success. Morocco became the first country from Africa, as well as the first Arab country to reach the semifinals at the World Cup (the team eventually finished 4th in the tournament).

In the group stage, the United States and Iran met each other. The match received special media attention due to the poor diplomatic relations between the two countries. However, fans of both teams did not share this animosity and mingled with each other at Al Thumama Stadium, watching the game in a friendly atmosphere.

Not much good can be said about the performance of the hosts, who disappointed by losing all their matches, although this was not that much of a surprise. A big disappointment, however, was the German team's failure to advance from the group stage.

All tournament matches

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

Round of 16

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

3rd place game

Final