June 26 – FIFA may have canned the its quadrennial Confederations Cup, the curtain-raiser and test bed held the year before in the World Cup by the host nation, but Qatar will still have the opportunity to give its new facilities a rigorous workout in 2021 with the announcement of a new pan-Arab tournament.
June 26 – About 1,100 construction workers on 2022 World Cup projects have tested positive for Covid-19 with one worker, a 51-year old Filipino electrical engineer, having died of the virus on June 11.
June 17 – Qatar organisers have now officially opened the third tournament-ready venue for the 2022 World Cup, and the largest to be completed so far.
June 11 – Welfare conditions in Qatar have come under renewed scrutiny after an Amnesty International investigation revealed that World Cup labourers at the Al Bayt stadium went unpaid for months. Local organisers have said the Qatari construction company involved has been banned from event projects as a consequence.
June 8 – Even though the tournament is not for another three years, Brazil has withdrawn its bid to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup, saying it cannot offer FIFA the financial assurances needed as a result of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
June 5 – The Qatar 2022 organisers have announced the Education City Stadium in Doha as the third World Cup stadium to be completed.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 21 – The head of Qatar’s 2022 World Cup organising committee says the Saudi-led regional blockade of his country has been a “blessing in disguise” and has also vowed to ensure the tournament remains affordable to visitors despite the impact of Covid-19.
April 24 – Kenya is on the verge of being banned from World Cup qualifiers saying they do not have the funds to meet today’s deadline to pay former coach Adel Amrouche (pictured).
By Samindra Kunti in Amsterdam
March 3 – The bidding race for the 2023 Women’s World Cup is shifting gear. On the eve of the UEFA Congress in the Dutch capital, the four bids pitched their tournament plans to the European governing body’s Executive Committee.
February 25 – Qatar will open three more of its World Cup 2022 stadiums this year, adding to the two already open. That will leave three more for completion, including the Lusail Stadium that will host the opening game and final.
January 22 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has carried out the draw for African 2022 World Cup qualifiers but at the same time announced that matches will now not start for another nine months. The big news from the draw itself is that either Cameroon or Ivory Coast will not qualify for the Qatar World Cup after the teams were paired together.
January 22 – Qatar and FIFA have jointly published a comprehensive strategy covering sustainability ahead of the 2022 World Cup, including pledges on workers’ rights and environmental issues.
December 23 – Nigeria have lost their bid to become the first African country to host a global women’s tournament after FIFA chose Costa Rica and Panama as joint hosts for next year’s Under-20 World Cup.
December 20 – The head of Qatar’s World Cup organising committee hopes visiting fans will change their views about his country in the same way misconceptions about Russia were altered at the 2018 tournament.
December 20 – Volkswagen is targeting the 2022 World Cup to showcase its self-driving electric vehicles. The German carmaker has been working with the city of Doha, Qatar to provide a fleet I.D. Buzz autonomous vehicles for the start of the world finals.