The football World Cup that comes every four years is one of the biggest sporting events in the world. At times, it even overshadows the Olympics, in terms of popularity, live viewership and TV ratings simply because it features the world's most celebrated sport.

The upcoming Qatar World Cup in 2022 will be one that highlights many firsts in this spectacular sporting event. It will be the first time that the football event will be held in the Middle East. This is pretty exciting for many people in the Middle East as the competition will be more accessible to them.

Some of the most ardent football fans are in the Middle East, and this is mainly the reason why several companies in Qatar choose to sponsor some top clubs in Europe - like the French champs, Paris Saint Germain.
So many things will be different with the World Cup being held in Qatar. Here are just some exciting prospects for the event.

A Winter Schedule

The scorching heat, coupled with sand and dust are just some of the issues raised with Qatar hosting the World Cup in summer. Many worry that it would be dangerous to the players as well as the spectators coming from all over the world. With temperatures averaging 38 °Celsius (100 °Fahrenheit) and reaching 47 °Celsius (117 °Fahrenheit) in the summer.

After months of discussions, FIFA decided to schedule the games from November to December, with the final game to be played on the 18th of December. Incidentally, the day of the finals is also Qatar's National Day. Around this time, temperatures are cooler at around 25°Celsius.

While the schedule will resolve the heat issue, this will raise concerns on club-level competition in Europe. A lot of compromise and planning will have to be done to ensure the winter-time schedule succeeds.

Iconic Stadiums

People who have been here will agree that Qatar is quite extravagant when it comes to building designs. With the biggest sporting event coming up, much excitement is centered on the amazing stadium designs.

Even though the weather will be quite pleasant starting November, the stadiums will be equipped with cooling technology powered by solar panels if the need arises. Three existing stadiums will be renovated and at least five more will be built.

The smaller ones will have around 45,000 seats. The finals will be held in Lusail Iconic Stadium, with seating capacity of 86,250. Some of the stadiums will be downsized after the event.

Lusail Iconic Stadium will be the focal point of the 2022 World Cup and will be the venue for the opening ceremony and the final match. The stadium will be surrounded by a moat, and spectators will enter via any of the 6 bridges.

Al-Khor Stadium, which can accommodate more than 45,000 people, is designed like a seashell.

Al-Wakrah Stadium is undergoing major renovation and will expand seating capacity to 45,120. Here is the artist's rendition of the plan.

Al-Shamal Stadium took inspiration from the dhow fishing boats usually found in the Arabian Gulf. This stadium will also have a seating capacity of 45,120.

Alcohol and cultural compromises

What makes the World Cup extra interesting for many fans worldwide is the fun that goes with it. People celebrating with alcohol in the stands and women clad in bikinis were common sights in the past World Cups. Many of what's usual in previous World Cup events are not likely to be seen in the Qatari edition of the games.

So when it's time for Qatar to host, will it still be fun? There will certainly be some toning down as Qatar is an Islamic state with strong cultural heritage. Alcohol will most probably be limited to specific areas and women certainly won't be allowed to be just wearing a bikini.

As can be seen, the country does make compromises to suit both the traditional Qatari Islamic culture and the expats living and working here. The same can be expected in the coming months and years of planning.

The Qatari planning group for the World Cup are looking into possible compromises to satisfy both the local culture and the thousands of fans coming to Qatar.

Are you excited for the 2022 World Cup? We think it will be a dream competition.