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Qatar World Cup 2022

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The 22th World Cup was held in Qatar in 2022. Other contenders for host country were Australia, Japan, South Korea and USA. The tiny nation of Qatar was the first Middle East nation to host the World Cup. The event, involving 32 national teams, ran from November 20 until December 18, 2022.

Champions: Argentina defeated France in the final
Golden Ball award for player of the tournament went to Lionel Messi.
Golden Boot award for the top goal scorer was Kylian Mbappé with eight tournament goals.
Golden Glove Award winner for the best goalkeeper was Emi Martinez of Argentina.
Fair Play Award given to England
Most Entertaining Team yet to be awarded
Best Young Player award went to 21 year old Enzo Fernandez of Argentina.

Articles

Qualifying teams and draw
Venues - there were eight venues for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, four of these in Doha.
Schedule for the 2022 FIFA World Cup - all matches are listed
Results - the results of all matches
Goal Scorers - the top scoring players.
Will you be supporting the Crimsons, the Orange, the Blues, or the Black Stars? See the full list of team nicknames.

Dealing with the Heat

FIFA selected Qatar as host despite concerns that the players will have to deal with oppressive heat in June and July in the tiny nation. Four years after announcing them as host country, FIFA decided to change the dates of the tournament. The final will now be played on Dec. 18. The World Cup will also be a shorter than the usual 28 days, starting on Nov. 21, 2022.
In their bid presentation, Qatar proposed to have their stadia air-conditioned to counter the oppressive heat. They also proposed to dismantle parts of the stadiums after the event and have them rebuilt elsewhere in countries with less developed sports infrastructure.
During the June and July period when the World Cup was originally scheduled to be held, the average daytime high in most of Qatar is in excess of 40 °C (104 °F), and an average low of higher than 30 °C (86 °F).

Controversies

Human rights activists were unhappy with Qatar for its treatment of LGBTQIA+ and migrant workers. Some teams attempted to wear rainbow armbands in support of this cause, but it was clamped down by FIFA.

Trivia

Qatar is the smallest country to host a World Cup tournament.
Following the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops in early 2022, the Russian national football team was banned from the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
In 2022, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo made history by becoming part of a select group of players who have managed to participate in five World Cup competitions.
Host country Qatar made its debut in 2022. This is the first time the host nation will make their World Cup debut in the same year since the second World Cup in 1934. After their defeat in their first match, they became the first host nation to lose their opening match.
Frenchwoman Stéphanie Frappart made soccer history as the the first woman to officiate a men's World Cup match after taking the field as the fourth official for the match between Mexico and Poland. She is joined by two other female referees at the tournament, Japan's Yamashita Yoshimi and Rwanda's Salima Mukansanga.