The FIFA World Cup, or simply the “World Cup,” is an international football tournament contested by the men’s national teams of FIFA’s member associations. FIFA stands for Federation Internationale de Football Association, or International Federation of Association Football, and its headquarters are in Zurich, Switzerland.
France is the defending champion, having defeated Croatia by 4-2 in the 2018 final, which was hosted by Russia. This year marks the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup, which is taking place in Qatar.
With this, Qatar has become the first country in the Arab world and Muslim world to host the tournament. It is the most expensive World Cup ever held, as the Qatari government has expended over $220 billion in the last 10–12 years to prepare the country to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
How Many Teams Participated?
The FIFA World Cup is much more than a festival for all the football fans across the globe. The ongoing edition commenced on November 20, 2022, with 32 participating teams. Qatar’s national football team entered the event automatically in their first World Cup along with 31 other teams that were determined by the qualification process.
The FIFA World Cup, which is usually held in June and July, is being held in November and December this year to avoid the extremes of Qatar’s hot climate.
World Cup Finale 2022 Finale Date & Venue
The FIFA World Cup, which started on November 20, is set to play a total of 64 matches in 29 days in eight venues across the five cities of Qatar. The finale of the FIFA World Cup 2022 will be held on December 18, 2022, on the occasion of the National Day of Qatar, at the Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail.
It will be contested by the winners of the semi-finals, and a closing ceremony will be held prior to the start of the match at the venue.
Where & When to Watch?
In India, you can watch the FIFA World Cup 2022 Finale on Sports18 and Sports18 HD for those watching it on TV, while it will stream on the JioCinema app for those who love to watch it online. It will stream matches in five languages, including English, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, and Bengali, for free.
The FIFA World Cup 2022 Finale will be played on December 18, 2022, at 08:30 p.m. as per Indian Standard Time.
Al Hilm will be used in Final
The new match ball Al Hilm will be used in the semi-finals and final. It will replace Al Rihla which was being used till the quarter-final stages. Adidas unveiled the Al Hilm which includes the same ‘Connected Ball’ technology as Al Rihla. Al Hilm translates to ‘The Dream’ in Arabic.
