As teams battle it out to grab the remaining spots for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar later this year, preparations are in full swing for the main event in the Gulf nation.
The tournament will be held from November 21 to December 18 in eight stadiums — all within a 50km radius of Doha.
The main venue for the 2022 World Cup is the 80,000-capacity Lusail Stadium that will host the final on December 18. The other locations for the showpiece event are the Al Thumama Stadium, Al Bayt Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Education City Stadium, and the Al Janoub Stadium.
The Lusail Stadium is the main venue for the tournament and organisers plan to take its legacy beyond the tournament by removing and donating most of the stadium's 80,000 seats to sporting projects across the world.
As the eight venues get ready for the main event, many teams are still looking to secure their passage. Uruguay and Ecuador were the latest teams to secure qualification for the World Cup, joining Brazil and Argentina from the South American group.
Peru, Colombia and Chile will now vie for fifth place in that group and a play-off spot against a team from the Asian confederation, which the UAE will be hoping to achieve when they take on South Korea on Tuesday.
Among European nations, Italy became the biggest team to miss out after the European champions failed to qualify for the showpiece event for the second time in a row.
Italy suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at home by North Macedonia in their play-off semi-final. However, Roberto Mancini has vowed to stay on as Italy manager, stating he wanted to eventually win the World Cup.
"I have talked with the president, we agree on everything. I'm glad, we'll talk again in the next few days," Mancini said ahead of Tuesday's friendly away to Turkey.
"Now we're focusing on this match, then we'll discuss what we need to improve in the future. That's all."
-
Stadium 974 in Doha that will host matches at the 2022 Fifa World Cup. It has a capacity of 40,000. AFP -
The Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar. Capacity: 40,000. AFP -
The Khalifa International Stadium. AFP -
The Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan. Capacity: 45,000. AFP -
The Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan. AFP -
The Lusail Stadium is around 20 km north of Doha. Capacity: 80,000. AFP -
The Lusail Stadium in Qatar. AFP -
The Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor. Capacity: 60,000. AFP -
The Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah. Capacity: 40,000. AFP -
The Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar. AFP -
The Al Thumama Stadium in Doha. Capacity: 40,000. AFP -
The Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan. Capacity: 44,000. AFP -
The Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. AFP
