On Tuesday, FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Qatar World Cup organizers confirmed that ticket sales for the event were nearing three million. This is in line with the estimate of roughly 1.2 million people visiting country, which has a population of just 2.8 million, over the course of the 29-day event.
To prepare you for the tournament, The18 has launched team-by-team previews for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. This is the preview for the host nation, Qatar.
World Cup Appearances: First
Best Finish: N/A
How They Got Here: Qualified as host nation
Coach: Félix Sánchez (Spanish)
To prepare you for the tournament, The18 has launched team-by-team previews for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Here’s the Poland World Cup preview, who'll play in Group C against Argentina, Mexico and Saudi Arabia.
World Cup Appearances: 9th
Best Finish: 3rd (1974, 1982)
Get Malik Tillman on the plane.
The 20-year-old USMNT prodigy is at that nascent stage in his career where there's going to be ebbs and flows. Tillman arrived on loan at Rangers from Bayern Munich and had an incredible August — scoring in both Champions League qualifying and the Scottish Premiership — but a downturn in form saw him left on the bench for Rangers' last league match and Wednesday's 7-1 UCL defeat to Liverpool at the Ibrox.
The soccer World Cup being held in Qatar next month will have areas for drunk fans to sober up, its chief executive said in a television interview.
The Nov. 20-Dec. 18 World Cup is the first to be held in a Muslim country with strict controls on alcohol, presenting unique challenges for organizers of an event sponsored by a major beer brand and often associated with beer-drinking fans.
Russian President Vladimir Putin wished Qatar success in staging the upcoming World Cup and said the 2018 hosts were sharing their experience in organizing the tournament.
Russia reached the World Cup quarterfinals in 2018 but is barred from the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 tournament due to its invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.
Putin met Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on the sidelines of a summit in Kazakhstan on Thursday.
To prepare you for the tournament, The18 has launched team-by-team previews for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Here’s the Mexico World Cup preview. El Tri will play in Group C against Argentina, Poland and Saudi Arabia.
World Cup appearances: 17th
Best binish: Quarterfinals (1970, 1986)
The football that was at the feet — and hand — of Diego Maradona as he shocked the world with acts of both brazen gamesmanship and breathtaking skill in Mexico 36 years ago has been put up for auction and is expected to sell for at least $2.8 million.
The ball in question is from the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal between Argentina and England, in which Maradona scored six minutes into the second half by sneakily punching the ball over England goalkeeper Peter Shilton into the net, a goal he said afterwards had been helped by the "Hand of God."