Although India is not a part of the Fifa World Cup 2022, it is the biggest tournament of the World’s most popular sport i.e football. So, from the UPSC Prelims perspective only, this is an important international sporting event to crack some MCQs.
From UPSC mains perspective also, Fifa World Cup 2022 and related events are crucial to some extent.
Why is FIFA World Cup 2022 in news?
The FIFA World Cup in Qatar starts tomorrow i.e November 20, 2022.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar will represent India at the opening event of FIFA World Cup 2022, on the invitation of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar.
At 29 days from start to finish (20 November to 18 December), this will be the shortest World Cup since Argentina 1978.
Know about FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup is considered to be the pinnacle of international footballing events since its inception in 1930.
The tournament is held at a duration of every four years since its inaugural edition, except for the 1942 and 1946 editions, which were canceled due to World War 2.
Fifa World Cup 2022 teams
A total of 32 nations will take part in the group stage of the upcoming tournament.
While the teams have been divided into eight groups of four teams each, the top two teams from each group will advance into the next round.
Group-wise division of countries at FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar
Group A: Qatar, 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
Who is the mascot for the FIFA World Cup 2022
The mascot for the FIFA World Cup 2022 is ‘La’eeb’.
It is inspired by the keffiyeh, a traditional headdress worn by Arab men.
La’eb: The Mascot of FIFA World Cup 2022
‘La’eeb’ in Arabic translates to ‘super-skilled player’, in anticipation of the hundreds of footballers about to land in the country.
It is made of a piece of clothing.
Why was Qatar chosen as the FIFA World Cup 2022 host?
In 2010, Qatar clinched the rights to the World Cup after winning a ballot of Fifa’s 22 executive members, beating bids from the US, South Korea, Japan and Australia.
It is the first Arab nation to host the tournament.
How this FIFA World Cup 2022 is different?
At 29 days from start to finish (20 November to 18 December), this will be the shortest World Cup since Argentina 1978.
That means organizers have to squeeze in four games most days during the group stages – at 10:00, 13:00, 16:00 and 19:00 GMT. Most World Cups in recent memory have had three a day.
There is also no turnaround time between the groups and the knockout stages, with the last 16 starting the day after the group stages end.
Seven of the eight World Cup stadiums have been built from scratch for this tournament. Seven of the eight will have seats removed after the tournament. and Stadium 974, which is made of shipping containers, will be entirely disassembled.
List of countries that have qualified for FIFA World Cup 2022
This year a total of 32 countries are now set to fight for the prestigious trophy at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
Country Name
Argentina(ARG)
Australia
(AUS)
Belgium(BEL)
Brazil(BRA)
Cameroon(CMR)
Canada(Can)
Costa Rica(CRC)
Croatia(CRO)
Denmark(
Flag
Euador(ECU)
England(ENG)
France(FRA)
Germany(GER)
Ghana
Iran(IRN)
Japan(JPN)
Korea Republic(KOR)
Mexico(MEX)
Morocco(MAR)
Netherlands(NED)
Poland(POL)
Portugal(POR)
Qatar(QAT)
Saudi Arabia(KSA)
Senegal(SEN)
Serbia(SRB)
Spain(ESP)
Switzerland(SUI)
Tunisia
United States(USA)
Uruguay(URU)
Wales(WAL)
List of FIFA World Cup winners(1930-2018)
Here’s the complete list of winners and runners-up so far in the FIFA World Cup, from 1930 to 2018.
Year
Winners
Runners-up
Host country
1930
Uruguay
Argentina
Uruguay
1934
Italy
Czechia
Italy
1938
Italy
Hungary
France
1950
Uruguay
Brazil
Brazil
1954
Germany
Hungary
Switzerland
1958
Brazil
Sweden
Sweden
1962
Brazil
Czechia
Chile
1966
England
Germany
England
1970
Brazil
Italy
Mexico
1974
Germany
Netherlands
West Germany
1978
Argentina
Netherlands
Argentina
1982
Italy
Germany
Spain
1986
Argentina
Germany
Mexico
1990
Germany
Argentina
Italy
1994
Brazil
Italy
United States
1998
France
Brazil
France
2002
Brazil
Germany
South Korea, Japan
2006
Italy
France
Germany
2010
Spain
Netherlands
South Africa
2014
Germany
Argentina
Brazil
2018
France
Croatia
Russia
FAQs on FIFA World Cup 2022
Q. Which country won the last FIFA world cup in 2018?
Ans. France won the 2018 edition of the FIFA World Cup in Russia and is now headed into Qatar as the defending champions, eyeing their third title.
Q. Which country has won the maximum FIFA World Cup title so far?
Ans. Brazil has emerged as the most successful team at the FIFA World Cup events so far with a total of five titles to their credit so far.
Q. Which was the first WC final decided by a penalty shootout?
Ans. The first World Cup final decided in the penalty shootout was played between Brazil and Italy on July 18, 1994, at Rose Bowl in Pasadena.