Actually I prefer those times over the super awkward day-time kick-offs when I have to negotiate with work to get out. At least I'm my own boss at 5:00am! What am I talking about?- if the WC goes to Australia and NZ I will totally be there !
They're about the same level as China based on qualifying results. I know China hasn't hosted, just pointing-out that they're not horrifically bad.
It was 10-man Liechtenstein too as they had a player sent off on 79 minutes but got a 90th minute winner. Not sure about the worst ever but the weakest hosts certainly.
Apologies if I'm behind the times here... FIFA recently announced the deisgn for the seventh Qatar stadium. It's "fully demountable", and there are vague statements that it could be "turned into multiple smaller venues", but nowhere in particular. At the end they say it "is one of eight proposed host venues for the World Cup." Twelve were in the bid, and it's been let slip long ago that they won't all get built, but I don't remember an announcement that it's officially been reduced to eight before.
Starting in 2026 every WC will have 5 or 6 Qatars. And they won’t even have home advantage. So don’t lose any sleep over how uncompetitive Qatar might be in 2022.
I was going to say you were exaggerating with the 5 or 6 Qatar's (102) but I did the research and the extra teams if this WC was 48 would be... AFC - Syria (77), Uzbekistan (80), UAE (73) CFA - Congo (36), Burkina Faso (44), Uganda (74), Ivory Coast (61) CONCACAF - USA (24), Trinidad and Tobago (89) CONMEBOL - Chile (10) OFC - New Zealand (122) UEFA - N. Ireland (24), Italy (14) While only NZ is worse several of these teams would get schlacked but several teams that did make it are also going to get schlacked as well.
You're missng 3 teams. I guess hosts + 2 berths for the play-offs (adding another team from every confed except UEFA + 1 team from the hosting confed)? Also how did you pick the extra teams qualifying for it (+ not so sure Russia would)?
I went by an article from the BBC in March that had a proposal of how to distribute the extra spots. The three missing are the host country, Russia and the two playoff winners, Australia and Peru. Currently UEFA has 13 spots they propose 16. This WC there is 14 UEFA teams because of the host, so I chose the two teams that didn't have a blowout loss during the playoff round, Italy and Northern Ireland. For Concacaf they had 6 spots so all of the Hex teams make it. Conmebol has 6,single table easy enough. Afc 5 to 8, top four from both groups. Cfa from 5 to 9, 4 of the 5 second place teams with GD determining the last slot. No half spots so NZ will always make and then blown out of the water. Link: http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/39448474
How nice: Recycling: A stadium made of containers will be constructed for the 2022 World Cup http://www.thejournal.ie/qatar-3733103-Dec2017/
Fifa trial leaves questions over 2022 Qatar World Cup https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/dec/23/fifa-trial-questions-2022-qatar-world-cup
Drinkers will not be happy: :http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...rld-Cup-officials-send-fans-DESERT-drink.html
Another well researched article by the Daily Fail. Scorching 45 degrees (C) in winter? There is always the hotel bars. Hopefully they (licensed hotels) will be given more leeway to organize fan fests. That would be a reasonable compromise.
Definitely written by someone that has never stepped foot in a Gulf country during the winter. Never been to Qatar but I've been to UAE and Bahrain during Oct, Nov and Dec and it's downright pleasant outside. Reminds me of San Diego weather. And there is plenty of alcohol, you just have to know were to go. Almost all hotels have bars and most of the time several, just know its going to be expensive since they have to import everything. I also went on dune riding tours that ended at a "oasis" which was a big party in the desert with good food and lot of drinking and belly dancing shows. I have a feeling these tent resorts in the desert are going to be the same. I'm not happy that they bought the Cup and I would prefer it in the US as opposed to the '26 shared Cup but the doom and gloom of some of these articles is a little over the top.
Pleasant???!!! I'm *****ing freezing at the moment here in Doha!!! Would help if establishments and businesses knew how to turn off the AC every now and then. But anyway, it's actually quite chilly here atm.. Was looking at old photos from the Asian Cup in 2011 here, and we're all huddled together with winter clothes and warm blankets... and it's even colder in the middle of the desert.
Today's (copypasta) article on "Where and why will we move the 2022 World Cup" comes to us from England - and (feign shock) apparently England is in line to replace Qatar as hosts.* http://www.news.com.au/sport/footba...p/news-story/7ecbee86f77e5b4e3c811d2746fa77f0 (oh yeah, maybe the USA, or maybe someone else - according to this quote we found on a news site quoting a guy quoting a rumour quoting a dream someone once had). Thanks to the Saudi leaders who have revealed to us the uproar around the awarding of the bid - a disinterested honest broker is what this whole saga desperately needed. Sadly, the article cuts off before he could finish with "and this is utterly different to us trading votes with the South Koreans - that was only against the bidding rules and doesn't count because it failed to work". J *- so I posted it from an Australia site but it's originally from the Sun.
As I used to say to my wife whenever she pointed at some outragous Sun headline "It's the Sun -- they have naked women on Page 3!"
Exactly... Saudi and the UAE have broken off ties with Qatar since last June and are currently involved in media smear campaigns left right and center, saying stuff like there are riots on the streets and the Turkish military is subduing it, and that there's no food in the supermarket, etc.... There are legitimate concerns about the WC in Qatar I know, but I'd take whatever they say with a pinch of salt.
OMG - and there I am calling the Saudi's disinterested honest brokers in a comment otherwise dripping with sincerity. Quelle horreur. J
Although, to be fair, maybe the world wants to know what Cheryl, 23, from Basingstoke, thinks about Qatar's labour practices. J
Much as I loathe the Sun, it's probably only fair to point out that the naked women page 3 girl thing ended several years ago. Still wouldn't trust anything they print of course, but there you go.