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The 2022 World Cup is the undisputed highlight of the sporting calendar this year. All eyes will be on Qatar as the most eagerly awaited football tournament takes place.
With several teams in with a genuine chance of lifting the trophy, the World Cup will produce loads of exciting betting opportunities. We can’t wait to find out who lifts the trophy.
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The eyes of the world will be on Qatar towards the end of the year as the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup takes place.
If you are unfamiliar with Qatar, it shares a single land border with Saudi Arabia, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf.
It is one of the richest countries in the world, boasting the third-largest natural gas reserves and oil reserves on the planet.
Qatar fended off bids from Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States, making it the first Muslim and Arab country to host the event.
It is the smallest nation by area ever to have been awarded a World Cup. The next smallest by area is Switzerland, which hosted the 1954 tournament.
The 2022 World Cup will set plenty of new milestones when it is staged later this year. These include:
World Cup 2022 Dates
The key World Cup dates are as follows:
The 2022 World Cup will be played in eight stadiums located in five host cities:
Lusail Stadium | Lusail | Capacity: 80,000 seats | Year: 2022
Al Bayt Stadium | Al Khor | Capacity: 60,000 seats | Year: 2021
Al Janoub Stadium | Al Wakrah | Capacity: 40,000 seats | Year: 2019
Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium | Al Rayyan | Capacity: 40,000 seats | Year: 2020
Khalifa International Stadium | Doha | Capacity: 40,000 seats | Year: 1976
Education City Stadium | Doha | Capacity: 40,000 seats | Year: 2020
Stadium 974 | Doha | Capacity: 40,000 seats | Year: 2021
Al Thumama Stadium | Doha| Capacity: 40,000 seats | Year: 2021
The eight stadiums are situated in a 21-mile radius of central Doha, making the 2022 World Cup a dream tournament for fans from a logistical perspective.
Each venue is powered by solar panel farms and equipped with cooling systems to tackle the oppressive heat in Qatar.
While temperatures have been a factor at previous tournaments, the reduced travelling time should help the teams perform at their best.
This is certainly worth considering when wagering on the tournament, and may make it easier to build a successful betting strategy.
We’ve previously seen teams struggle to live up to expectations after trekking across vast distances, but this element will be removed from the equation in Qatar.
The official song of the 2022 World Cup is ‘Hayya Hayya (Better Together)’, performed by Trinidad Cardona, Davido and AISHA.
By bringing together voices from the Americas, Africa and the Middle East, the song symbolises how football and music have the power to unite the world.
Previous World Cup Songs
The World Cup 2022 ball was designed with sustainability as a priority, making it the first-ever official match ball created with water-based glues and inks.
The name of the ball – Al Rihla – means ‘the journey’ or ‘the excursion’ in Arabic, symbolising how this year’s tournament represents a step into the unknown.
Previous World Cup Balls
The official kits for the World Cup generally start to be released around six months before the tournament gets underway.
Puma will reportedly be the first to reveal their kits, with Adidas and Nike expected to follow later in the summer. A handful of other manufacturers also make World Cup kits.
The Argentina kit is likely to be one of the most striking, with the traditional light blue and white colours topped off by some eye-catching black detailing.
Spain’s 2022 World Cup kits will be the first to feature the new federation badge, while Germany’s will boast golden-metallic logos.
The Brazil away kit will be unique, combining a blue base with a green-and-yellow leopard-like pattern on the sleeves.
The tournament’s official mascot is La’eeb. It is named after an Arabic word meaning ‘super-skilled player’.
According to FIFA the mascot ‘will be known for his youthful spirit; spreading joy and confidence everywhere he goes’.
He comes from a parallel world where tournament mascots live – ‘a world where ideas and creativity form the basis of characters that live in the minds of everyone’.
Here are some of the most interesting facts about the FIFA World Cup:
Just eight teams have won the World Cup, with Brazil currently leading the way with five victories. The roll of honour is as follows:
*Won after extra-time
**Won on penalty kicks
One of the most interesting FIFA World Cup interesting facts is how few teams have lifted the trophy since the tournament started.
Outsiders do no tend to fare well at the World Cup, so it generally pays to concentrate on the teams towards the head of the betting market.
Five-time winners Brazil are amongst the favourites to enhance their record, although they have not won the World Cup since 2002.
Reigning champions France are another fancied team, but no team has gone back-to-back at the World Cup since Brazil achieved the feat in 1962.
Argentina, Spain and England are other teams prominent in the betting, but none of them appeals as likely winners.
Germany look the value bet after piecing together an impressive qualifying campaign, while Belgium could be dangerous.
Predicting the top goalscorer at the World Cup is one of the most popular betting markets. These are the previous winners of the accolade:
Kane and Kylian Mbappe top the betting to be top scorer at the 2022 World Cup, but there is better value to be had elsewhere.
This is likely to be the last time we will see Cristiano Ronaldo at the World Cup and he looks a good bet to win the Golden Boot.
Germany’s Thomas Muller could be worth an each-way punt for anyone looking to play at longer prices.
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be the 22nd edition of the tournament.
The previous hosts are as follows:
Some of the most interesting FIFA World Cup 2022 information relates to off-field facts. Here are some of our favourites: