Personally I just can't go to a country where I can't eat bacon anywhere I want. It is just a matter of principle.
I haven't checked recently save for one site that didn't have all the answers, but does anyone know the real status of all the proposed stadiums? I've two actually under construction and formal designs for most of the rest but on the whole where would we say they stand with regards to venue development?
Pass. I went to every World Cup from 1994 to 2014 except 2002. Missing the one in 2002 motivated me to go to the next 3. FIFA has managed to discourage me from attending the next two by putting them in Russia and Qatar. The rest of you, have fun. I think I'll go to a beach town somewhere and watch the games in bars.
You have a good memory, I've been to Bahrain 5 or 6 times; I was actually there on 9/11 (not that that matters). I actually never disliked going there, although after my typical week there I was always more than ready to go home due to boredom. It just wasn't as fun as other destinations, but I totally agree it wasn't a "hellhole". It's just after the newness of seeing a different culture wore off, there wasn't much to do or see. 2022 is a long ways off, and a lot could change between now and then. But I am open to stopping by Qatar for a few days and catching some matches live. I expect it to be extremely expensive, and not nearly as interesting (in terms of non-football things to do). But I will want to see some live matches. My current thinking is that I will then continue on to someplace like Thailand to relax, have fun, and watch every match on TV. I can't see myself spending 3-4 weeks in Qatar though like I did in Brazil and plan to do in 2018 in Russia.
How classic and even nostalgic a 2022 qatar world cup already appears after the expansion that will change the face of world cups in 2026 I wonder, if there is already a schedule available, as i wonder how they like to compress the current 32 day schedule into 28 days. Also i would like to know the kick off times? in contradiction to many other observers, i dont see a problem with holding the event in november-december. It can be simply done by having club competitions stopping at end of october. 3 weeks of world cup preps should be enough for guaranteeing a quality tournament. It will be interesting to watch superstars not being "draught" by a 80+ club season as they only have. As there will be a tournament ahead, national team football would be stripped of the standard september and october 2022 dates, leaving space for 4 additional slots (weekend + midweek) for club competitions like league and champions league. In that case, ECL group phase can be finished until end of october and the league will have around 10-15 match days played. Worldcup 2022 will end on Dec 18, but a lot of players will be released earlier of course as their teams are failing in group phase or knock-outs. Officially, the european leagues can commence in January again and have to make up for missing 8-10 matchdays. these can be done by extending the 2023 season into june, with the ECL and UEL Finals being played in mid june. I don`t see any problem here, as the summer 2023 will have no summer tournament on the plan.
So you don't think it's going to be a problem for countries like Germany that take a winter break? No league games being played from Oct-Feb sounds like too long of a break.
It's going to be a shitshow for the leagues that don't take a winter break of any real size that's for sure. He makes it sound so easy. But you're right, no league play for 3 months in the heart of the season is just disastrous.
2023 Copa América, that's June/July 2023 + CONCACAF probably have a tournament in mind for that summer Any idea when the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations will take place? ... could be moved to the summer of 2023 but probably will start right after Qatar2022 ... same for the AFC Asian Cup? ... that's a lot of international football for the African and Asian sides involved in both cups. The Nations League Finals are played in odd years ... so in the summer of 2023 there's another tournament ... while the qualifiers for EURO2024 have been squeezed into 5 double matchdays (March 2023, June 2023, August/September 2023, etc.) ... the international breaks ahead of Qatar2022 (August/September 2022, October 2022 and November 2022) are already pencilled in as well (UNL group stage; deciding which teams enter the play-offs and Final Four) ... these dates could be moved around a bit but still need to be on the calendar (e.g. move them back so you have the November 2022 break available). Also, Rummenigge proposed to cluster international breaks ... 2 longer ones could help NT managers that then can work with their players more intensively (on tactics) and could improve the standard of football (and also less travel for players between club and country) ... have to wait and see what happens with this suggestion. Rummenigge said: “The number of games can remain the same in theory, but there should only be two international breaks, which can be longer. In October and March: We could play four instead of two games during those international breaks.”
Uefa Qs for Qatar2022 ... I'm guessing 10 group winners qualify directly (regular Qs ending in November 2021) ... 3 berths to be decided ... could be allocated via the UNL play-offs in March 2022 ... for the top divisions only (unless Infantino allows Uefa minnows in). That would mean 3 play-off micro-competitions with the 12 best teams that haven't qualified via the regular Qs ... each play-off micro-competition "will consist of two "one-off" semi-finals (best-ranked team vs. fourth best-ranked team and second best-ranked team vs. third best-ranked team, played at home of higher-ranked teams) and one "one-off" final between the two semi-finals winners (venue drawn in advance)." Maybe they'll change this to a draw with 6 seeded and 6 unseeded teams (using Fifa's ranking) or just have the best-ranked team play the 12th ranked, and so on ... if the higher ranked teams always win you would get these 3 finals: - No.1 v. No.6 ... e.g. France v. Ireland - No.2 v. No.5 ... e.g. Holland v. Iceland - No.3 v. No.4 ... e.g. Croatia v. Wales
Don't some leagues already do that anyway though? e.g. Ukraine, Russia We'll only be adding Germany, Belgium and Holland to that list. The rest of the top UEFA leagues either already have a 2.5-3 month break or are in countries with warm enough climates that they can have players report back to their clubs on 2 January (or even late December). Don't get me wrong, I'm not in favor of a Qatar WC or a November WC, but I don't think this particular aspect of it is such a big deal. Players should get back in the groove 1 or 2 weeks after the break. They should play the CL final in Scandinavia though given that it will probably be scheduled for July.
Oh, I don't see how the ACN can be played right after WC 2022. That would be absurd! AFAIK, the only reason that tournament is played in January is because of weather, but they can easily make an exception in 2023 just by hosting it in a southern African country. Either South Africa again or a joint bid by Zambia and Zimbabwe are good options to host a July 2023 ACN. Well, the November int'l break will just consist of friendlies in and around Qatar I would imagine. They could also begin the Euro 2024 qualifiers before the 2022 World Cup (i.e Sept & Oct 2022).
Guinea reject a June Nations Cup to accommodate Qatar 2022 You could just push the UNL group stage back a bit like I said before (as there won't be a summer WC) ... or use Rummenigge's suggestion ... both free up the November 2022 int'l break. The draw for the Euro 2024 qualifiers is based on the UNL ranking ... so the UNL group stage needs to be finished first ... that's normally November 2022 or October 2022 when it's pushed back (or opt for Rummenigge's suggestion instead).
"Come and camp in the desert" http://www.news.com.au/sport/footba...p/news-story/d3b484bc6878b5fb2ed5efdcfe16d31c
"Alcohol will be banned from inside the stadiums for the World Cup, as well as not being allowed in the streets or public places" Yikes! Worse than Canada! So not only camping in the desert, but camping sober. I think I'll pass on this WC.
This might serve as a motivator for Africa to expand the tournament to 24 and play it only once every four years. It's pointless to play the AFCON every two years from a sporting perspective. From a financial one, I can see it though.
It certainly helps. Its great that FIFA put an end to the drinking and partying in the fan zones. People were having too much fun. Can't have that! Of course its not just the alcohol ban. This is just yet another thing that makes Qatar 2022 shitty. Where was this talk about "camping in the desert" and November WC when the Qatar bid was being presented and voted on?
I found it easier to find bacon in Qatar and Dubai than I did in Tel Aviv. Though finding alcohol in Tel Aviv was not an issue
Camping in the desert isn't exactly a public place. Here in the UAE alcohol is allowed at tourist desert camps. I do think this is one area Qatar will be flexible on. As for the stadium experience, I could see some kind of beer tent nearby but you can't take the beer/drink to your seat. That would be a workable compromise.
I prefer this one to be in America and I don't like that it is being held in the fall, that is going to be a logistical nightmare for most domestic leagues around the world. That being said, I have not been to Qatar but I have been to UAE and Bahrain many times and I don't think that the World Cup will be a bad one. Here's why: The Weather: During the fall and winter out there the weather is real nice, kinda like being in San Diego. Comfortable, shorts and a t-shirt during the day but a light jacket at night. The Cities: Most people think that Dubai is an anomaly. Abu Dhabi, Manama and Doha are just like it Dubai just markets itself better. Super modern and futuristic. It's going to have everything that you are going to want or need including alcohol. Which brings me to my next point... The Alcohol: You aren't going to walk away from the stadium and do a pub crawl around town. You are going to leave the stadium, go back to your hotel and do a pub crawl around the 4 or 5 bars and/or nightclubs inside your hotel. There is alcohol but its only going to be inside your hotel or resort. The Security: Doha is a world city and a business capital. The people there are use to other cultures from other counties. They might not like Americans but no one is going to harass you around town. Behave like an adult in public and everything will be ok. Just my 2 cents but I'm sure my views would be different if I have not spent time in that area of the world.
Erm..... I don't think I'd say Doha is just like Dubai... Everyone, even in this region sees Dubai as something special. Some love it, some hate it, but it's definitely different. It's kind of like comparing New York to Houston or something like that I'd think... some find the Doha, with its slower pace of life a more livable place, but if you're going for action and entertainment, Dubai definitely takes the cake in this region. Abu Dhabi on the other hand is starting to come up....
Wow! I can hardly contain my excitement. At first I was thinking it would be kinda boring only to be able to drink in my hotel. Now that hotel has become a tent in the the desert. Yeah... that's not sweetening the deal.