By Samindra Kunti
September 13 – After local tournament organizers opened up accommodation to third parties, Airbnb prices in Qatar have skyrocketed, averaging almost $73,000 per month for a four-week stay during the World Cup.
September 11 – On Friday, the Lusail Super Cup between Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal and Egypt’s Zamalek drew a record 77,000 crowd at the venue that will host the World Cup final as Qatari organizers staged a last major test before the winter tournament.
September 9 – With 70 days left until the World Cup, Qatar 2022 chief Nasser Al Khater repeated that the host nation has received a lot of unfair criticism over staging the tournament.
September 7 – Beer and alcohol at the World Cup in Qatar remains a delicate issue in the Muslim-majority country as the Middle East welcomes the World Cup for the first time, but organisers have said that beer will be available before and after matches around stadiums as well as at a fan festival in downtown Doha in the evenings.
September 6 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has backed Spain and Portugal to land the 2030 World Cup hosting rights.
September 5 – With the World Cup rapidly drawing near, volunteers have kicked off their training following a festive get-together at Lusail Stadium, the venue for the World Cup final.
September 2 – Adidas has unveiled the kits for the five national teams it sponsors – Argentina, Germany, Japan, Mexico and Spain – that will be worn at the World Cup later this year in Qatar.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 1 – Chile’s protracted appeal over whether Ecuador should be kicked out of the World Cup finals for fielding an ineligible player has taken a significant twist with FIFA now agreeing to hear the case in mid-September.
September 1 – Former Moroccan international Walid Regragui has been appointed head coach of the national side just three months before the World Cup.
September 1 – With three months to go the betting markets are becoming increasingly busy with bookmakers and punters looking for early positions, Brazil still top the list of most bookies’ favourites but other markets are opening up for Golden Boot, Ball and surprise packages.
August 30 – Qatari authorities have issued 260,000 Hayya cards to date, ahead of the global finals in the Gulf country in November and December.
August 30 – The 2022 FIFA World Cup, the first to be moved to a winter time slot and the last to be competed by 32 teams, is still the Greatest Show on Earth and while it might not be the highest standard football competition on earth (the UEFA Euros are considerably more competitive), on pretty much every other metric it delivers.
August 25 – Not just Qatar, but Saudi Arabia will seek to welcome the world this November and December. In a bid to capitalise on the influx of football fans in the Gulf during the World Cup, Saudi Arabia will issue a special 60-day visa for holders of a Hayya card, a fan-id required to enter Qatar.
August 24 – With just months to go until the kick-off of the World Cup, hosts Qatar have deported 60 migrant workers after they protested against unpaid wages, some of whom said they had not been paid for seven months.
By Paul Nicholson
August 23 – The Chilean FA have expressed increasing concern over FIFA’s delay in ruling on their appeal over whether Ecuador should be expelled from the 2022 World Cup for fielding an ineligible player.