With the draw done and nearly all of the teams confirmed, the World Cup 2022 is now just a matter of months away. Some of the most talented players on the planet will be heading to Qatar later this year for the 22nd edition of the men's tournament which was first held in 1930.
It will be a historic tournament in a number of ways. Not only is it the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East, it will also mark the first time it is played in the winter, with the tournament set to run from November to December rather than June to July as normal.
On the pitch, France will be hoping to defend the title they won in Moscow back in 2018, but face stiff competition from the likes of Brazil, Spain, Argentina and England. There will also be a competition debut for hosts Qatar, while there is no place for Euro 2020 winners Italy who were knocked out in qualifying.
With the countdown to Qatar now officially on, here's everything you need to know about this historic World Cup, including kick-off times, venues and how you can watch it:
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Where is the 2022 World Cup being held?
The 2022 World Cup will be held in Qatar, making it the first ever to be held in the Middle East and the second to be held entirely in Asia after Japan and South Korea joint hosted the tournament in 2002.
The decision to host the tournament in Qatar has been one surrounded with controversy. The nation's bid was chosen ahead of those from Australia, Japan, South Korea and the USA, with the decision immediately leading to allegations of corruption.
Qatar promoted their hosting of the tournament as an opportunity to represent the Arab world and bridge the gap between it and the West. Disgraced former FIFA president Sepp Blatter said the region "deserves a World Cup" and the committee decided to take football "to new lands" in an attempt to "develop football".
When is the World Cup 2022?
For the first time ever, the World Cup is being held in the winter. Since the very first tournament in 1930, the competition has traditionally been played in the summer months of June and July, but scorching hot temperatures posed a real problem for this tradition continuing in Qatar.
Despite long-standing opposition to departing from the norm, feasibility studies carried out by FIFA concluded that the tournament could not be played in the summer as normal. As a result, it was decided that this year's World Cup would instead be held in the winter between November and December.
The tournament kicks off on November 21, 2022, with the final being held on December 18, exactly a week before Christmas Day. With the competition taking place in the middle of the regular club season, both the EFL Championship and Premier League will pause for a month and six weeks respectively while some of its biggest stars head to Qatar.
What are the 2022 World Cup venues?
For the 2022 World Cup, games will be played across eight stadiums, with seven of these being brand new after an extensive building project across the country. The venues involved are: Al Bayt Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Lusail Stadium, Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, Education City Stadium and Al Janoub Stadium Each stadium will have a capacity of 40,000 or more.
Measures are also being taken to address the heat issue at this year's tournament with each stadium being fitted with a "focused cooling" air-conditioning system. Using grills in the stands and nozzles on the pitch, cool air will be pumped into the stadium to keep fans and players cool.
World Cup matches' kick-off times
For the first two rounds of matches in the group stages, kick-offs will be scheduled for 1pm, 4pm, 7pm and 10pm local time (10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm in the United Kingdom). The final round of matches, as well as the knockout stages matches, will kick off at 6pm and 10pm local time (3pm and 7pm UK time). The final itself will kick off at 6pm local time (3pm UK time).
What is the World Cup draw?
Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
Group B: England, Iran, USA, Ukraine/Scotland/Wales
Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
Group D: France, Australia/UAE/Peru, Denmark, Tunisia
Group E: Spain, Costa Rica/New Zealand, Germany, Japan
Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea
How many teams will there be?
This World Cup will be the last to feature 32 teams, with the competition expanding to include 48 teams at the 2026 tournament in USA, Mexico and Canada. The finals have had 32 teams since 1998, when the group stage was expanded from 24 teams to 32, with eight groups of four.
The change has been introduced to increase global interest in the World Cup and "give more countries the chance to dream" according to FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The new format will mean there will be 16 groups of three teams, with the top two progressing to the knockout stage, which will start with an additional round of 32.
How can I watch the 2022 World Cup?
Every game of the 2022 World Cup will been shown across BBC and ITV, with each of its main channels broadcasting every match live. Viewers will also be available to watch games using BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub, either live or on catch-up.
Who are the favourites to win?
Five-time World Cup winners Brazil, are 9/2 favourites to the win the tournament, while defending champions France are 5/1 second favourites and England are 11/2 third favourites. Here are some of the latest odds with the tournament now just months away.
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Brazil 9/2
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France 5/1
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England 11/2
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Spain 8/1
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Argentina 9/1
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Germany 11/1
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Belgium 12/1
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Portugal 12/1
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Qatar 16/1
