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  • Qatar World Cup 2022: FIFA chief says fans can ‘survive’ without beer for 3 hrs amid ban

    Qatar World Cup 2022: FIFA chief says fans can ‘survive’ without beer for 3 hrs amid ban

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    A day after ban imposed by Qatar, the host of this year’s FIFA World Cup, on sale of beer at the World Cup stadiums, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that the fans can ‘survive’ without the alcoholic beverage for three hours. The much-awaited football tournament will kick off on November 20, Sunday, where the host nation will take on Ecuador.  

    Qatar is the first Middle-east nation to host the world cup. The sale of alcohol is strictly controlled in Qatar as drinking in public areas is strictly prohibited. Earlier, official sponsor Budweiser was allowed to sell beer at the Qatar World Cup official venues.

    Speaking at the opening press conference in Doha, Infantino said: “We tried until the end to see whether allowing alcohol sales was possible.” “If for three hours a day you cannot drink a beer, you will survive. Maybe there is a reason why in France, in Spain, in Scotland, alcohol is banned in stadiums. Maybe they (Qataris) are more intelligent than us, had thought maybe we should be doing that.”

    As per the revised rules, fans and spectators can drink alcoholic beer in the evenings in the FIFA Fan Festival, which is a designated party area that also offers live music and activities.

    Also read: FIFA World Cup in Qatar: Know about host nation, opening match, squads, ticket prices, and more

    The ban came as a major shock to official sponsor US-based beer giant Budweiser, which has reportedly pumped in $75 million as part of the sponsorship agreement with FIFA. And now, when it won’t be allowed to sell its product or have any visibility at the matches, its brand value will suffer. This would a complete breach of the multimillion-dollar contract that FIFA and the beverage company have signed.

    The FIFA chief on Saturday pointed out that even in previous World Cup editions, hosts were asked to make concessions. Like in 2014, Brazil was forced to change a law to allow alcohol sales in stadiums.

    Messi’s injury

    Earlier in the day, Argentinian forward and superstriker Lionel Messi and six other players reportedly missed Argentina’s field training camp at Qatar University as many feared that the ace footballer could be injured.  

    The 35-year-old ace footballer is Argentina’s captain and greatest hope for the upcoming tournament. The South American country hasn’t succeeded in winning the top title since 1986, when superstar Diego Maradona led them to glory in Mexico. Many believe as Messi is paying his last world cup, it’s time for Messi to end the nation’s trophy drought.

    Later in the day, Argentine outlet Ole reportedly said that the Paris Saint-Germain star was part of a ‘special’ programme in the gym, specially designed for him to prevent any risk of injury before the tournament.

    Also read: Who will win the 2022 FIFA World Cup? Brazil is the favourite, Messi may score most goals

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  • FIFA World Cup in Qatar: Know about host nation, opening match, squads, ticket prices, and more

    FIFA World Cup in Qatar: Know about host nation, opening match, squads, ticket prices, and more

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    World Cup 2022 in Qatar: The wait is almost over for the world’s biggest sporting event. Fans eagerly waiting for the FIFA World Cup 2022, which would kick off on November 20 and culminate on December 18, can now count the remaining hours at their fingertips. Qatar is the first country in the Middle East country, and second in Asia, after Japan and South Korea, to host the prestigious sporting event.

    Also, for the first time in its 92-year history, the tournament is taking place in November and December rather than in the middle of the year as Qatar is one of the hottest nations in the world.  

    Qatar: The host

    The selection of Qatar as the host country of the 2022 World Cup was done in 2010. As per reports, the country has spent a whopping $300 billion on the tournament’s preparations. It has developed highways, hotels, recreation areas, and six new football stadiums and upgraded two along with training sites at an estimated cost of up to $10 billion to accommodate world-class players. The stadiums where the matches will be played are Al Bayt Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Lusail Stadium, Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, Education City Stadium, and Al Janoub Stadium, to hold the tournament. With 80,000 seats, Lusail Iconic Stadium is the largest stadium of the upcoming world cup.

    Also read: Who will win the 2022 FIFA World Cup? Brazil is the favourite, Messi may score most goals

    Qatar’s investment has caught everyone’s eye as it is much higher as compared to other hosts. Picture this: Russia spent $11.6 billion spent for the FIFA World Cup in 2018, Brazil invested $15 billion in 2014, South Africa shelled out $3.6 billion in 2010. Before that, Germany spent $4.3 billion in 2006, Japan $7 billion in 2002, France $2.3 billion in 1998, and the US $500 million in 1994.

    Besides, the host country was in the middle of many controversies starting from the ban of beer sales inside the stadiums, its strict rules on homosexuality, and lastly, serious abuse and mistreatment of migrant workers who built the tournament’s infrastructure.

    Match details 

    Thirty-two countries will be taking part in football’s biggest event. This tournament will kick start with a Group A match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador on November 20. The opening game will be played at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, while the final match takes place on December 18 at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail.

    Groups and leagues

    The 32 countries have been divided into eight groups with four teams each. There will be group matches, followed by knockout matches, quarterfinals, semifinals and the final to crown the champions on December 18.

    The groups are:  

    GROUP A: Qatar (hosts), Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands.

    GROUP B: England, Iran, United States, 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.

    Ticket prices

    Pricing on tickets depends on a variety of factors such as who is playing, the stage of the tournament, and more. As per FIFA, nearly three million tickets have been sold across the eight stadiums in Qatar. The tournament is expected to deliver record revenue for the organising body, much more than what it had earned ($5.4 billion) in Russia. The total ticket revenue is estimated to be about $1 billion, as per news reports.  

    There are 4 categories in the tickets:

    Category 1 is the highest-priced ticket and is located in prime areas within the stadium.

    Category 2 and Category 3 are tickets that are placed in seating areas within the stadium that offer a less optimal view of the action.

    Category 4 is tickets within the stadium that are reserved exclusively for residents of Qatar.

    The estimated base ticket prices are as follows:

    Match Cat. 1   Cat. 2 Cat. 3 Cat. 4
    Opening Match $618 $440 $302 $55
    Group Matches $220   $165 $69  $11
    Round of 16  $275 $206 $96 $19
    Quarterfinals Matches $426 $288 $206 $82
    Semifinals Matches $956 $659 $357 $137
    Third-Place Match $426 $302 $206 $82
    Final Match $1607 $1003 $604 $206

     Tournament format

    The tournament will start off with group-stage matches, where only the top two teams from each of the eight groups survive. Following this, 16 group-stage teams will advance to the single-game knockout stages — Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and final — where the winner moves on and the loser goes home.  

    The knockout matches, if end without any results, will be decided on extra time, penalty kicks, sudden death methods, if necessary, to determine the victor.

    Schedule:

    Group stage: Nov. 20-Dec. 2

    Round of 16: Dec. 3-6

    Quarterfinals: Dec. 9-10

    Semifinals: Dec. 13-14

    Third-place match: Dec. 17

    Final: Dec. 18

     

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