Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup in history-making fashion.
It is the first time the global soccer tournament will be played in the Middle East, and the first time the tournament will be held in November and December. It will be the last time the tournament will have 32 teams as the tournament will expand to 48 in 2026.
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Fortunately, the host club gets an automatic bid into the tournament, which means the Qatar men’s national team made the tournament for the first time.
FOX Sports has the U.S. broadcast rights to the World Cup.
Qatar is in Group A in the World Cup. The team plays Ecuador on Nov. 20, Senegal on Nov. 25 and Netherlands on Nov. 29.
Qatar’s World Cup has come with a ton of controversy. The country’s human rights record and laws against homosexuality have come with boycotts from those in the celebrity and entertainment world. Dua Lipa, Rod Stewart, as well as Melanie-C from the Spice Girls, have all offered their opinions on the matter.
“I will not be performing and nor have I ever been involved in any negotiation to perform. I will be cheering England on from afar and I look forward to visiting Qatar when it has fulfilled all the human rights pledges it made when it won the right to host the World Cup,” Lipa has said previously.
Qatar offered free flights and tickets to the World Cup for fans willing to boost the country’s narrative in the midst of the backlash it has received, The New York Times reported.
Fans who accepted the offerings reportedly received free flights, tickets and accommodations.
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