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The 22 nd edition of the FIFA World Cup will be kicking off next month in Qatar. For the first time in the 92 years of the tournament’s existence, a few basics have been moved around to adapt to the conditions of playing on a desertic peninsula. When will the matches be taking place, where to go for a beer, how will Israelis be entering the country – get the lowdown on everything there is to know about the greatest sports spectacle on the planet \ By Nadav Yaacobi

For the first time in history, the football World Cup will be taking place in an Arab country and by extension, in a Muslim one. The Qatar World Cup is also the first time the tournament will not be held in the summer months of June and July but rather in November and December. But the sui generis features of World Cup 2022 do not end there: the small size of the Qatari peninsula means this edition will also be the most geographically compact World Cup in history. The Stadiums Four of the eight stadiums hosting the 64 matches are either inside the capital city Doha, or in its close vicinity, while the other four are within a 50km distance from each other. Before Qatar was awarded the right to host the World Cup, the country counted one stadium only, the “Khalifa” stadium, built in 1976 and entirely renovated since. The other seven stadiums have all been built especially for the occasion of the 2022 World Cup.

All eight stadiums are equipped with an air conditioning system that allows matches to be played at a constant temperature of 22°C, even when the heat outside reaches 45°C or more. The Schedule Until now, all 21 editions of the World Cup tournament have taken place during the summer months of the northern hemisphere, i.e., football offseason - the perfect time window to organize a month long tournament. However, with Qatar as host country, where temperatures soar beyond 40°C in the summer, it was obvious matches would not be able to take place in such conditions. Even though the Qatari organizers emphasized that all eight stadiums are fully air-conditioned, the problem remained unresolved regarding the hundreds of thousands of football fans expected to flock to Doha for the occasion, as they will want to enjoy Qatar to the fullest between matches.

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ATMOSPHERE OCTOBER 2022