Everything to Know About the 2022 World Cup and the Controversy Over Host Country Qatar

Kelsie Gibson
·4 min read
The FIFA World Cup Winners Trophy is pictured prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final Draw at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center on March 29, 2022 in Doha, Qatar.
The FIFA World Cup Winners Trophy is pictured prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final Draw at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center on March 29, 2022 in Doha, Qatar.

Alexander Hassenstein - FIFA/FIFA via Getty

The 2022 World Cup is about to kick off (pun intended) — but not without some controversy.

Marking the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup competition, the soccer championship will bring together 32 teams from all over the world, including England, France, USA, Spain and more.

Set in Qatar, this also will mark the first World Cup ever to be held in the Middle East.

Though there is much anticipation surrounding the event, the actual location has been met with controversy amid criticism regarding human rights in the territory.

Many celebrities have even used their platforms to speak against FIFA, including Rod Stewart who said he "turned down" $1 million to perform at the event, and Dua Lipa, who denied rumors that she would perform.

From the controversy surrounding the location to details about the actual event, here's everything to know about the 2022 World Cup.

When is the 2022 World Cup?

Due to Qatar's intense heat in the summer, the 2022 World Cup will be held in the winter, making it the first not to be held in May, June, or July. Additionally, it will also be played in a reduced timeframe of 29 days (whereas it typically runs just over a month).

The opening match will be on Nov. 21, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. CET and the final match will be held on Dec. 18, 2022, which is Qatar National Day.

Where is the 2022 World Cup being held?

he Official Emblem of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™️ is unveiled in Doha's Souq Waqif on the Msheireb - Qatar National Archive Museum building on September 03, 2019 in Doha, Qatar. The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™️ Official Emblem was projected on to a number of iconic buildings in Qatar and across the Arab world and displayed on outdoor digital billboards in more than a dozen renowned public spaces major cities.

Christopher Pike/Getty

Qatar will be the host country for the World Cup, with the first game being held at El Bayt Stadium.

Qatar has faced controversy as of late for its systemic discrimination against women and the LGBTQ+ community as well as the reported deaths of 37 migrant workers helping to construct the stadiums where the World Cup will be held, per The Guardian. (Many thousands more have died working on other construction projects in the country, which has been building up at a rapid pace ahead of the World Cup's arrival.)

Who is performing at the 2022 World Cup?

Amid the controversy with Qatar, several artists reportedly declined to appear. "I was actually offered a lot of money, over $1 million, to play there 15 months ago," Rod Stewart told The Sunday Times. "I turned it down. It's not right to go. And the Iranians should be out too for supplying arms."

It was also reported that Dua Lipa would perform at this year's World Cup, but she later shut down those rumors on Instagram, writing, "I will not be performing and nor have I ever been involved in any negotiations to perform. 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."

Jungkook of BTS attends the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 03, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Jungkook of BTS attends the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 03, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Frazer Harrison/Getty

BTS's Jungkook is set to perform during the opening ceremony and will participate in the World Cup's accompanying soundtrack. Following the release of their single "Tukoh Taka" with Nicki Minaj, which will serve as the first-ever official FIFA Fan Festival Anthem, it was announced that Maluma and Myriam Fares are slated to perform the song during the opening day of the FIFA Fan Festival.

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Who is playing at the 2022 World Cup?

A general view shows flags of (L to R) Costa Rica, Wales, the United States, Morocco, and Poland, nations which qualified for the 2022 World Cup in the Qatari capital Doha during a flag-raising ceremony of the last remaining countries to qualify, on June 16, 2022.
A general view shows flags of (L to R) Costa Rica, Wales, the United States, Morocco, and Poland, nations which qualified for the 2022 World Cup in the Qatari capital Doha during a flag-raising ceremony of the last remaining countries to qualify, on June 16, 2022.

MUSTAFA ABUMUNES/AFP via Getty

Teams for the 2022 World Cup will be broken into eight groups including Group A: Ecuador, Netherlands, Qatar and Senegal; Group B: England, Iran, United States and Wales; Group C: Argentina, Mexico, Poland, and Saudi Arabia; Group D: Australia, Denmark, France and Tunisia; Group E: Costa Rica, Germany, Japan and Spain; Group F: Belgium, Canada, Croatia and Morocco; Group G: Brazil, Cameroon, Serbia and Switzerland; Group H: Ghana, South Korea, Portugal and Uruguay.

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How to watch the 2022 World Cup?

The World Cup will be broadcast live across Fox Sports in English as well as on Telemundo in Spanish.

If you don't have cable, you can live stream the World Cup on Peacock, Fubo, SlingTV and Vidgo.