The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ was enjoyed inside the stadiums by 3.4 million spectators - up from 3 million in 2018 - who were treated to a historic tournament. 172 goals ensured that Qatar 2022 became the highest scoring FIFA World Cup in history, eclipsing the previous highest total of 171, in both 1998 and 2014.
Argentina's shootout win over France in the final of the Qatar 2022 World Cup reached a global audience of 1.5 billion viewers, Fifa has revealed.
So, Qatar's World Cup commitment is clear; all eight World Cup stadiums will be put to good use. From sports hospitals to their own Qatar Sports League, the country will get the best out of these state-of-the-art facilities to ensure the legacy of the 2022 World Cup is cemented for years, if not decades, to come.
As the hype faded, criticism over cost overruns and the exaggeration of social benefits grew. The economic benefit of hosting the quadrennial World Cup may also be a myth, with no evident boost in the immediate aftermath of the event, according to a recent paper from the University of Surrey in the UK.
Morocco will join Spain and Portugal in a bid to host the 2030 World Cup. The announcement on Tuesday, which raises further doubts over Ukraine's participation in the bid, was made through a statement signed by King Mohammed VI and read at a meeting of the Confederation of African Football.
The 2034 FIFA World Cup will be the 25th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA. will be hosted by Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
China 2050 will take place across June and July, with the final taking place on 30 July. The tournament is longer than usual - eight weeks - because of the increased number of rest days between matches.
Is the World Cup trophy real, solid gold? Officially, the World Cup trophy is described as 'solid' gold. It is 36.5cm tall and is made of 6.175kg or 30,875 Carats of 18 karat (75%) gold.
Qatar is already a popular destination for tourists, and the World Cup brought in an influx of visitors from around the world following the tournament's conclusion. In turn, this will provide a major economic boost to the country and help to create new jobs and opportunities in the tourism sector.
In 2010, Qatar clinched the rights to the World Cup after winning a ballot of Fifa's 22 executive members, beating bids from the US, South Korea, Japan and Australia. It is the first Arab nation to host the tournament.
Alcohol isn't illegal in Qatar, but there is zero tolerance for drinking in public and being drunk in public is a crime. Local law and customs reflect the fact that Qatar is an Islamic country - therefore you should respect the rules at all times and ensure your actions do not offend.
In 2022, Qatar's economy expanded by 4.8%, thanks in large part to the outsized impact of the World Cup. This is mirrored in the performance of the non-hydrocarbon sector, which grew by 6.8% — its fastest rate of expansion since 2015, according to Oxford Economics.
When it comes to the tournament's revenue, it is important to differentiate between the revenue FIFA is receiving compared to the revenue Qatar itself will obtain. According to Forbes, FIFA is reaping 7.5 billion USD of revenue while Qatar is receiving only 1.56 billion USD.
Most watched World Cup games on the BBC 2022
The group stage clash between Wales and England at the 2022 FIFA World Cup was the tournament's most watched game on BBC television, with a peak audience of 17.6 million.
Germany's 1-0 win over Argentina in the Brazilian-hosted 2014 World Cup final has been the gold standard for the game's TV viewership with an average of 570.1 million watching, based on Kantar Media and FIFA data reported by the Associated Press.
For Qatar, the road to host the tournament was rocky. In a technical report FIFA staff rated Qatar's bid to host the tournament “medium to high risk.” They cited the country's blazing summer heat, lack of infrastructure, and limited history of success in FIFA tournaments .
Qatar's stance on same-sex relationships
Qatar is an Arab nation, the first to host a FIFA World Cup, and one of the most widely criticised issues at the tournament has been FIFA's decision to award hosting rights to a country where homosexuality is prohibited by law.
The controversy surrounding Qatar's hosting of the World Cup, arising in relation to the country's alleged violations of human rights, and specifically migrant worker rights, persisted from 2010 until the conclusion of the tournament in 2022.
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which kicked off November 20, is the most expensive World Cup ever, with costs reaching $220 billion.
The FIFA World Cup trophy is the most expensive trophy in the world. Lionel Messi guided Argentina to their third FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022. The trophy is awarded to the winners of the FIFA World Cup tournament which is usually played every four years.
When the World Cup trophy was stolen — and found by a dog named Pickles. Not even the “Ocean's Eleven” crew could have pulled it off. The breathtaking heist went down on March 20, 1966, in London. The target was the World Cup.
On 5 October 2022, it was announced that Ukraine would join the co-host bid with Spain and Portugal. The bid was endorsed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine. It was expected that if the bid was successful, Ukraine would host some of the group stage games.
In 1980, China participated in the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for a berth in the 1982 World Cup, but they lost a play-off game against New Zealand.
Canada, the United States and Mexico will co-host the men's World Cup in 2026, which will be a tournament of firsts.