The FIFA domain published an updated overview of the 2022 World Cup hosted in Qatar, running from 21 November to 18 December. The schedule outlines a tournament that brought together top national teams, thrilling fans around the globe with matches spread across several iconic venues.
The opening match took place at Al-Tumama Stadium in Doha on 21 November. It featured the Group A clash between the Netherlands and Senegal, with kickoff set for 13:00 local time. Initially, Ecuador and Qatar were slated to open the tournament, but their encounter was moved to 19:00 local time for reasons connected with the event’s scheduling and broadcast planning.
The championship culminated on 18 December with the final at Lusail Stadium, where the teams played the decisive match at 18:00 local time. The battle for third place occurred the day before, at Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan, again kicking off at 18:00 local time.
France entered as the defending world champions. In the 2018 tournament hosted by Russia, France defeated Croatia 4-2 in the final, securing their second World Cup title and leaving a strong impression of their depth and talent on the world stage.
It is noted that the Russian team did not participate in the World Cup due to sanctions from FIFA. Head coach Valery Karpin led the squad into the playoff rounds, but Russia finished second in their qualifying group, with Croatia overtaking them in the final decisive phase.
Earlier reports suggested that the 2022 tournament featured England among the most valuable squads by squad value and overall spending, underscoring the high-profile nature of the event and the expectations placed on several top nations.