​The World Cup is a few hours away from its official start. The tournament in Qatar is arguably the most talked-about and controversial in the history of the competition, and to give you a better understanding of the situation, we’ve picked 10 things you need to know ahead of Qatar v Ecuador (opener on Sunday, 18:00).

1 The most controversial World Cup in history

Without a doubt, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is the most controversial final world tournament in the history of football. There was a lot of talk about this championship, but it never started.

We’re talking here about allegations of human rights abuses, illegal payments to certain important people at FIFA for hosting rights, major temperature issues and the fact that the entire football season was turned upside down by the fact that this World Cup was held in winter . In addition, Qatar is among the 69 countries in the world where same-sex relations are prohibited, thus another reason for controversy.

2 The most expensive World Cup in history – Qatar’s desire to show the power it has

We are talking about the most expensive World Cup in football history, the total cost of which is approximately 200 billion dollars, according to international media. For comparison, the FIFA World Cup in Brazil (2014) cost about 11.5 billion dollars, and the one in Russia (2018) – about 14 billion dollars.

3 World Cup with the most expensive tickets in the history of the competition

Costs are appropriate, prices are appropriate. The final tournament in Qatar has the most expensive tickets in the history of any World Cup. Compared to the competition hosted by Russia (in 2018), some tickets are up to 46% more expensive.

4 Qatar is the smallest country to ever host the World Cup

With an area of ​​11,581 km², Qatar is the smallest country to ever host a FIFA World Cup. Population — 2.88 million inhabitants.

5 Beer, a fan’s delight, is banned due to strict alcohol laws in Qatar

Literally two days before the start of the World Cup, the hosts in Qatar announced that beer with alcohol will be prohibited in the arenas of the final tournament, as well as around them (a unique event in the history of the football World Cup). This is a big blow for both fans and FIFA – it is known that the world forum has an important sponsorship contract with Budweiser (for 75 million euros).

6 Rented fans – Găselnită from Qatar for a World Cup atmosphere

In recent months, there have been rumors that the hosts of the final tournament will use rented fans to create an atmosphere at the World Cup in Qatar. Stadiums should not be empty, and the famous “fan zones” should be populated. It became known that the rented fans came from Pakistan and will receive 10 euros per day, free accommodation, as well as three free meals.

7 The only World Cup in history to be held in winter

Another major source of irritation after Qatar was named as the host country was the timing of the final tournament. Qatar received a new gift from FIFA due to very high temperatures in the summer. This will be the first World Championship in winter (November 20 – December 18) in the history of the competition.

The whole season was turned upside down, there were complaints from fans, clubs, coaches and players. Needless to say, the money decided that the final tournament would take place in the winter.

8 The end of an important era in the history of football: the rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

The final tournament in Qatar will end an important and spectacular era in the history of football: the rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will begin. The Lusitanian is 37 years old and the Argentine 35, and this will be their last chance to lift the main trophy above their heads.

9 The only toilet in history with… Air conditioning in all arenas

To cope with the rather high temperatures, the organizers installed air conditioners in all eight arenas that will host the 64 matches of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The idea is that 10,000 liters of desalinated water will be needed every day to maintain the arena’s playing surface at this World Cup due to the heat.

10 The most important absence at the World Cup – the European Champion

Italy misses the second final tournament of the world (in 2018, it was not there, neither was Russia). The Squadra Azzurri won the European Championship last summer, but failed to get tickets to Qatar.

Big stars who will miss the World Cup because their national teams did not qualify: Erling Haaland (Norway), Mohamed Salah (Egypt), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden), James Rodriguez (Colombia), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy).

Know:

• The 64 matches of the final tournament in Qatar will be broadcast live on TVR 1 and TVR 2, as well as LiveText and LiveBlog on HotNews.ro.

• Start of the games in Qatar: 12:00, 15:00, 17:00, 18:00 and 21:00 (Romanian time).

• World Cup 2022 opening match: Qatar – Ecuador, Sunday, November 20, from 18:00 (Romanian time).

How the groups look at the World Cup 2022 in Qatar

Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands

Group B: England, Iran, USA, Wales

Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland

Group D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia

Group E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan

Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia

Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon

Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea.

You may also be interested in:

>> Why Qatar is a very special country – from pearl hunters and poverty to skyscrapers and huge ambitions

>> Qatar World Cup, fan rent and fight for recognition – the final tournament that has dominated the fan hierarchy for nearly 30 years

>> Why so many people hate the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The political side of the most expensive football World Cup in history

>> World Cup: 2022 Qatar: full competition schedule – viewing time

>> Where do they come from and how much are the fans hired by Qatar to create the atmosphere at the 2022 World Cup

>> Spectacular stadiums that Qatar can boast at the World Cup 2022 – A huge amount invested to impress the whole world

>> Alcoholic beer is prohibited for fans at the World Cup 2022 stadiums in Qatar