Qatar World Cup 2022

Should be boycotted.

Sepp blatter coming out with that rubbish. Chundering tunt.

As Roy Keane would say. "Honesty, he has the cheek to talk of honesty. I wouldn't believe a word out of that man". Blatter is the most corrupt man in FIFA. I'm sure he got brown envelopes for this tournament to be hosted in Qatar.

The point is that football is organised in regions, and every area is represented. And even the best teams in Europe and South America have patchy records in finals. Argentina have not won since 1986, and Brazil since 2002. Germany 2014 was their first win since 1990 as West Germany. In the meantime France twice and Spain have come along as first time winners. There is nothing automatic about success in world football.

Would it be practical to organise qualifying any other way than regional?

you'd wonder who'd be getting the call up if Ireland had to name a 55 man squad

Does the 48 team World Cup mean no longer one host ? It’s three hosts in 2026

I can see Australia NZ doing a joint bid soon

Even the Australian grounds aren't great. They have capacity but they are designed as spectator arenas for other sports and soccer isn't a natural fit in them (akin to that terrible stadium in Baku where spectators are aeons away). I like my football in football stadiums.

In theory some work could be done in them but there didn't seem any great co-operation from the other sports back when they bid for 2022. Also as we know Qatar won, but it's noticeable that Australia didn't get 2nd, they were also beaten by the USA, Japan and South Korea bids. Finally as most might know, they moved from Oceania to Asia for football reasons, but this could actually hurt them in bidding. I think Japan and China have far more sway in world football, and neither would want a successful Australian bid if it put the bigger Asian countries down the list for 16/20 years. I think China is 'next up' in Asia.

It will be 80 games instead of 64. Qatar is doing 64 in 8 stadiums, 6 of which are 40,000 capacity. Would it really need 14/15 grounds to do 80 games?

Honestly, using the Qatar setup as a basis for future hosting doesn't work. Very few countries would be willing to take the financial hit/investment that Qatar are taking, just for the glory of hosting it.

Most other bids will have to make financial sense. Up to now the norm for Euros/WC has been around 3/4/5 games per city/stadium, with the biggest cities hosting extra games at the semi-final/final stage. This is good for fans, for tourism in the cities, for the cities to still be able to function whilst the tournament is on-going, local resources etc. I don't see reason for this to change as the competition goes back to 'normal' countries. So yeah, to me 14/15 grounds in different cities for the 80 games is going to be a default/sensible requirement.

took a punt on Ghana @ 300/1 (2nd seeds in their group i think),.. logic being they have high temperatures/humidity, so should be able to cope with conditions 😊

there is alcohol being sold at the event. Surprise surprise, just gonna turn into another Dubai. Places lose their credibility when they chop and change their own morals/rules to be liked

The funny thing is you're allowed to drink alcohol in all of these places regardless, but the internet will tell you you cannot. I remember my first time visiting Dubai two years ago and everyone was telling me I wouldn't be able to drink alcohol, it's literally a bustling party spot.

Same with Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, all these islamic countries that you'd assume would be holier than thou yet I've had the longest/ craziest drinking/partying sessions in my life in these countries. 24/7 hidden nightclubs, bellydancers, electronic events, casinos...

No Free to Air UK broadcaster will be doing 4K on satellite or terrestrial.

From Qatar…

I’m just not going to watch it… no point. Sham of a tournament ran by a sham of an organisation who should have laughed that bid out of their offices the moment it touched their inbox…. Sham of a regime running that country where their security forces are actively now harassing and threatening journalists…for doing no more then filming in public.

it’s the lowest point in the 118 year history of FIFA and one of the most shameful, dodgy and disingenuous decisions made by any major sporting organisation…

Their first general election was held in 2021, yet they were awarded the World Cup in 2010. The fûck is that about ?

In 2014 major corruption allegations were levied against FIFA and Qatar regarding the bidding and subsequent awarding of the World Cup.

in other words, the whole fûcking thing is bent.

i wouldn’t trust for a second anything on the pitch now either so no point in watching it….

These days, its actually worse.

Qatar has the option to have the focus on the football itself or the behaviour of the Qatari security services. They really need to thread carefully as a lot of media are seeking attention, not to mention social media jerks. I’m just waiting to see how they react to LGBT protests.

Why is that the people who 'have zero interest' are so adamant about letting the world know they 'couldnt care less'.

You can't make a "fact" out of a personal opinion.

I thought the World Cup in Brazil was brilliant. Absolutely full of great moments. 1990 and 2010 seem to be the ones critically regarded as the worst.

It's hard to see anyone winning but Germany. All the favourites Brazil, Argentina, France flaky, as are Spain. Your Netherlands, England's and Portugal's will generally come up short, small team mentality. Doing a number on flaky and small time nations is Germany's bread and butter.

Germany were no hopers for a few tournaments, as they became stagnant under Lowe, but he's gone. They aren't at their best, but will grow into themselves as the tournament progresses. What really favours them is no one is tipping them, at their best when under the radar, no expectations. This tournament is made for them to undo several years of disappointment.

History shows us one thing. Once a competitive Germany and Italy get in position when it matters most, they'll rarely be beat. They bring unity and a workmanlike approach, aligned with great talent, it's a very hard combination for anyone to beat. Germany will grind the lot of them, wait and see!

Of course they don't have to rely on that, but when it gets cagey in a big game, who's backing against them when it matters? They've the technical talent but can dog it out when it matters most, and do a number on anyone. I've 100 on them at 11/1, considering putting more. Unreal value!

Like Italy, carry a born winners mentality. Invaluable. Can't wait to see a flaky Brazil or Argentina wilt once Germany get at them. Get them now at 11/1 before they drop

Your doubting the Germans, clearly. Work your groups out however you want them, Germany will still be there when it matters.