Fervour, fever, fans and football — ‘tis the season for FIFA! The year 2022 will see the 22nd running of the men’s football championship. The games are to be held from November 21 to December 18 this year. Yes, yes, that’s still quite a long time away, but the fever has started to mount across the globe.
Friendly matches are being planned and played among countries, and there is so much hustle and bustle over the selection of the host nations. As the tradition goes, the host nations are selected well in advance, and the hosts for the 2026 match were recently announced. And it’s all over the news! Also, did you know? There are many more interesting facts about the FIFA matches of 2026? We collected all of them for you right here. Read on and be amazed.
First of all, what is all this craze behind FIFA?
FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association. It was formed in France in 1904 to oversee international competition among the national associations of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. It not only governs football but also beach soccer and futsal (a football-based game generally played indoors). FIFA has its headquarters in Zürich, Switzerland.
The birth of this international body turned out to be a boon for football fans worldwide. Its membership now comprises 211 national associations (and that’s not a small thing!) and it has grown so much in popularity that the FIFA World Cup has become the world’s biggest sporting event and the most prestigious game in football. People wait with bathed breaths for the world cups, which are held every four years since 1930.
Now, back to the present. What are the updates on the 2022 World Cup?
The much-awaited tournament will be held in Qatar. After all, FIFA’s vision for the years 2020-2023 is to make football truly global.
This will be the first World Cup ever to be held in the Arab world, and it will be the second World Cup held entirely in Asia after the 2002 tournament. If you have been wondering why the tournament, which is usually held between May and July, is scheduled in winter this year, then note that it’s because of Qatar’s intense summer heat. The tournament will also be played for a reduced duration of 28 days because of this.
And this is the last time that 32 countries will be playing the championship, as the number will go up to 48 from the next year. The first match of the tournament will be played between Senegal and the Netherlands at the Al Thumama Stadium, Doha. The final is due to be held on December 18, which is also Qatar National Day.
Isn't Qatar facing criticism for the same though?
Since it has been selected as the host nation for 2022, Qatar has faced strong criticism. It was alleged that the foreign workers involved in preparation for the World Cup were being inhumanly treated. Amnesty International (an international NGO focussed on human rights) referred to it as "forced labour" and stated that hundreds or even thousands of migrant workers have died as a result of human rights abuses.
There were also allegations of corruption in the Arabic country’s selection. On August 6, 2018, former FIFA President Sepp Blatter claimed that Qatar had used "black ops", suggesting that the bid committee had cheated to win the hosting rights, though investigations conducted in this matter made it clear that Qatar was not guilty of any wrongdoing.
How is the host country selected though?
Earlier there wasn’t any fixed rule for the selection of the host nation. During the first few tournaments, countries in Europe and America hosted the event, which led to disagreements. The first tournament following World War II, held in Brazil in 1950, saw three teams withdrawing either due to financial problems or disagreements with the organisation. Then, in order to avoid any future boycotts or controversy, FIFA began a pattern of alternating between the Americas and Europe, which continued until the 2002 FIFA World Cup which was held in Asia.
The system evolved and the host country is now chosen through a vote by FIFA's Congress. This is done under an exhaustive ballot system. The decision is currently made roughly seven years in advance of the tournament, though the hosts for the 2022 tournament were chosen at the same time as those for the 2018 tournament. And the venues for the 2026 games were announced on June 16, Thursday. At the media briefing, FIFA President Gianni Infantino described the selection process as the “most competitive ever”.
Who is hosting the next 2026 tournament?
In a first, three nations will be collectively hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2026. US, Canada and Mexico will co-host the matches, though it has not been revealed yet which matches will be played where. There will be 60 matches played in the US and 10 each in Canada and Mexico.
As per the rules, the 2026 Cup could not be hosted by Europe or Asia. So, the selection needed to be from an African, North American, South American or Oceanian country/countries.
The US is hosting the games for the first after 1994. This is Canada’s first turn as the host of the football World Cup. And Mexico is hosting the games for a legendary third time, becoming the first country ever to do so. Talking of collective hosting, it was only in 2002 that Japan and South Korea co-hosted the games.
Gianni Infantino said, “We will be working in clusters, making sure that the teams and the fans don't have to travel too much in different areas: West, Central and East,” speaking about the venues of the matches.
In which cities will the matches be played?
A total of 16 cities have been chosen for the matches. Among them, 11 are in the US, three are in Mexico and two are in Canada.
Here’s the complete list:-
US
New York/New Jersey (MetLife Stadium)
Los Angeles (SoFi Stadium)
Dallas (AT&T Stadium)
San Francisco Bay Area (Levi's Stadium)
Miami (Hard Rock Stadium)
Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
Seattle (Lumen Field)
Houston (NRG Stadium)
Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field)
Kansas City, Missouri (Arrowhead Stadium)
Boston(Gillette Stadium).
Mexico
Guadalajara (Estadio Akron)
Monterrey (Estadio BBVA Bancomer)
Mexico City (Estadio Azteca).
Canada
Toronto (BMO Field)
Vancouver (BC Place)
Which countries have been banned from participating?
Russia and Indonesia cannot play in the FIFA World Cup. On February 28, 2022, due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and in accordance with a recommendation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), FIFA suspended the participation of Russia.
FIFA had previously banned Indonesia because of government intervention within the team, which was against FIFA’s principle that requires members to play with no influence from third parties.
