Football’s biggest spectacle, the FIFA World Cup 2022 is just months away. The qualifiers for the mega event at Qatar are already in progress. So far, 29 teams have already qualified for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022. Hence, the remaining 3 spots are up for grabs as footballing nations around the world are locking horns to book their berths in the FIFA World Cup 2022. The tournament will begin on November 21, 2022, and run until December 18, 2022.
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Qualified teams for FIFA World Cup 2022
The FIFA World Cup 2022 will include 32 teams for the finals. As stated earlier, a total of 29 teams have already booked their places in Qatar. These 29 teams, however, include 12 European teams. They are Germany, Denmark, France, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, England, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Poland. The remaining 17 teams include four South American teams in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Ecuador. Finally, the rests are Asian and CONCACAF sides like the USA, Canada, Iran, South Korea, and Qatar. Qatar is the host nation for FIFA World Cup 2022 and they’ve qualified on the host advantage. Also, this is Qatar’s debut campaign.
Venues for FIFA World Cup 2022
The FIFA World Cup 2022 will use eight hosts stadiums in Qatar for all the matches. And, these eight stadiums are located in five cities of Qatar. The best part about this World Cup is its spectator-friendly character. As a result, spectators can commute easily between stadiums. In one and a half hours, the longest distance between any two stadiums can be covered. The tournament will use the following stadiums:
- Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail. (Capacity: 80,000)
- Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor. (Capacity: 60,000)
- Stadium 974, Doha. (Capacity: 40,000)
- Al Thumama Staidum, Doha. (Capacity: 40,000)
- Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan. (Capacity: 40,350)
- Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan. (Capacity: 44,740)
- Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan. (Capacity: 40,000)
- Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah. (Capacity: 40,000)
Group Draws of World Cup 2022
The official FIFA World Cup draw took place at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center on April 1, 2022. However, all 32 spots for qualified teams weren’t filled up by then. Therefore, the draw is happening prior to the completion of qualifiers. However, hosts Qatar is automatically awarded the A1 spot in the draws.
The 32 teams were divided into eight groups of four teams. Namely Group A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H. Here is the group breakup:
- Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands are in Group A.
- England, Iran, USA, Euro play-off winner are in Group B.
- Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland are in Group C.
- France, Play-off winner 1, Denmark, Tunisia are in Group D.
- Spain, Play-off winner 2, Germany, Japan are in Group E.
- Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia are in Group F.
- Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon are in Group G.
- Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea are in Group H.
Format and Schedule of World Cup 2022
Every team will play three matches during the group stage. The top two finishers will move on to the knockout rounds of the tournaments scheduled to begin from December 3, 2022, and stretches to December 18, 2022.
Groups A, B, E, and F will play their group stage games in four stadiums. They are Al Bayt Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, and Ahmed bin Ali Stadium. Contrastingly, Groups C, D, G, and H will play in four other stadiums. They are Lusail Iconic Stadium, Stadium 974, Education City Stadium, and Al Janoub Stadium.
The opening game of the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022 will feature the hosts Qatar. The Al Bayt Stadium will host this game on November 21, 2022, at 13:00 local time. The Lusail Iconic Stadium will host the final of the World Cup 2022 on December 18, 2022. The Khalifa International Stadium will host the match to decide the third-place finishers on December 17, 2022. And, both these games are scheduled for 18:00 local time.
Ticket Sales for FIFA World Cup 2022
Following the final draw, fans now have a chance to book their tickets for the mega event at Qatar. A first come, first served basis is employed for ticket sales right now. It depends on how quickly payment can be made. You can access the tickets page directly here.
The tickets for FIFA World Cup 2022 are of four types:
- Individual Match Tickets: These tickets are available for all matches except the opening game and the final game. There is considerable demand for knockout games.
- Team Specific Tickets: These tickets are available only for the group stage games. These would be available for all qualified teams following the official draw. Fans can select matches of their favorite team and pay a more expensive price for these tickets.
- Four-Stadium Ticket: This ticket will give fans access to four matches at four different stadiums on successive days. This adds to the spectator-friendliness.
- Accessibility Tickets: Differently-abled fans who want to watch the games from the stands can use these tickets for a smooth experience.
Fan IDs, called Hayya Cards, will make it easier for fans to get accommodations and transportation. Actually, it is a compulsory service. Therefore, every spectator will need a Hayya card and tickets to attend any game. Moreover, FIFA has guaranteed that COVID-19 safety measures will be strictly enforced.
How to watch FIFA World Cup 2022 Broadcast?
Various official broadcasters around the world will broadcast the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Sony Network India Pvt. Ltd. (SPNI) has acquired the broadcasting rights for the Indian Subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives).
In the United Kingdom, the broadcasting rights of the Qatar World Cup lie with BBC. Moreover, Fox Sports has exclusive rights for English telecast within the USA while the Spanish network – Telemundo will telecast the action in Spanish.
beIN Sports will telecast action for the middle east and North Africa. The 2Sport2 will serve the viewers in the host nation, Qatar, and pay-TV in Russia. Antenna TV will handle telecasts within Greece. In Italy, Rai will be the official broadcaster. Lastly, MEDIAPRO Network has the rights for Spain.
Bell Media are the concerned broadcasters in Canada. Brazil’s largest media company Globo will handle broadcasts in entire Brazil and the Caribbean. Additionally, China Central Television (CCTV) will broadcast action for China with Al Jazeera also operating in the MENA region.
How to access FIFA World Cup Live Streaming 2022?
FIFA World Cup Live Stream will be available on various platforms. It is arguably the biggest sporting event in the World. Therefore, there would be a lot of sources that would provide streaming services for the Tournament.
For paid services, official OTT platform partners like Sony Liv, BBC iPlayer, Hulu +, and YouTube TV will be the best place. Fans can easily rely on these services if they have a paid subscription. For others who would like to stream these matches for free, here is a list of recommended sites for FIFA World Cup Live Stream 2022:
Other than these, all major governing bodies of football like UEFA, FIFA, Conmebol, AFC, etc. will extend their own broadcast services for free through their official sites or through a YouTube or Facebook live stream extension. Moreover, these streams being official in nature should be reliable in quality. We at Sports404 will update relevant information on World Cup live streaming 2022 services as and when we information surfaces.
