It’s been one year since Qatar delivered the best-ever FIFA World Cup in history, with the memories of one of the most successful sports events on the planet still fresh in the minds of players, officials and fans. Qatar by hosting a blockbuster World Cup proved its mettle opening the passage for the rest of the countries in the region to host top-notch competitions in the future.
The 64-match extravaganza that lasted for almost a month perhaps broke all records of previous successes of FIFA’s flagship tournament with eight state-of-the-art stadiums giving all the stakeholders the moments they will cherish forever.
The Qatar 2022’s compact nature ensured fans comfortably attended more than one match in a day which never happened before in the tournament’s modern history. Argentina’s living legend Lionel Messi finally lifted the World Cup after a shootout victory over France in front of almost 90000 spectators at the iconic Lusail Stadium in probably the most enthralling title clash ever giving a fitting conclusion to the 32-team spectacle.
The tournament, taking place for the first time in the Middle East and the Arab world, was actually a complete package of how the World Cups should be with Qatari organisers displaying their prowess by organising the tournament smoothly hosting over a million fans from across the world flawlessly.
The outstanding performances by teams like Morocco, which became the first Arab and African side to reach the World Cup semi-finals, and several shock results added colours to the highly-successful tournament which broke all past viewership records.
One thing that is common in recent statements given by players and officials about Qatar 2022 is that it was a unique edition of the World Cup which set a new benchmark for future hosts. “It’s very difficult to beat the World Cup. That is for sure,” Jassim Al Jassim, head of operations for Qatar’s organising committee, said. “This time last year it was a very, very tense day. But I think overall, we were very happy and we were very proud of what we achieved as a country.”
Qatar is now confident of carrying the World Cup legacy forward as it looks to continue hosting major events with the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 up first. The 24-team tournament scheduled from January 12 to February 10, 2024 will be held at eight venues including the six stadiums which hosted the World Cup matches. Qatar is hosting Asia’s biggest football tournament for the third time, and the forthcoming continental showpiece is expected to be by far the best.
