The Top 10 Most Outrageous World Cup Facts

The World Cup has long been an event that draws attention from all over the world, from viewers to broadcasters and sponsors alike. The world’s most popular sporting event comes around only once every four years, pitting national teams from different countries in head-to-head matches until one country’s team wins the coveted trophy. In 2022, the FIFA World Cup will be hosted by Qatar for the first time in its history, making it an exciting tournament to watch! Here 8Xbet describe some of the most outrageous facts about the upcoming World Cup tournament you might not have known.

1) Not just soccer Whether or not you enjoy soccer, there’s no denying that millions of people across different continents are going to be glued to their televisions and other devices during next year’s FIFA World Cup. For those in North America, it might be a tad difficult to keep up with all of our favorite players and teams from around world—particularly if your football (or soccer) knowledge isn’t that great. But fear not! Here are 10 mind-blowing facts about FIFA World Cup 2018.

2) Where will the games be played? Qatar will be constructing 12 stadiums in nine cities across Qatar. They will be located in Lusail, Al-Khor, Doha, Al Rayyan, Al-Shamal City, Mesaieed, Al Khor City, Education City and Umm Salal Mohammed. The majority of them are under construction already and are expected to be completed by 2017. The stadiums must meet FIFA's minimum standards for capacity and infrastructure; each stadium should hold at least 40,000 spectators and have media accommodations among other requirements.

3) Who are the favorites to win? If a team has played in 3 straight world cups (such as Germany, Italy, France), they are automatically considered a contender for winning. If a team has made it to at least two of their last three world cups, they’re considered as contenders. Those that haven’t made it past group play are not considered contenders unless they’ve significantly upgraded their roster from previous years. Everyone else is simply an underdog and is rated based on several factors including: history at world cups and overall talent level.

4) Fouls and Penalties The most memorable fouls in soccer history will go down in history for a reason—some of them made fans gasp, others left jaws dropped and one even required a referee’s intervention. Penalties are also part of a soccer match: often used to settle tie scores. Here is our list of FIFA-endorsed crazy facts from every single world cup in history.

5) A new stadium with air conditioning In Qatar, summer temperatures can hover around 40-50 degrees Celsius. As a result, matches in Qatar will be played during European winter evenings, when it’s cool.

6) Twenty three million fans are expected That’s almost half of Qatar’s population! The most-recent Super Bowl, between Seattle and Denver, had 114.4 million viewers. So... that means over a quarter of Qatar's citizens will attend at least one game in 2022.

7) Pre-World Cup plans The 2022 Qatar World Cup will be played in November and December, meaning that matches could be held in temperatures as high as 45°C (113°F). It may seem obvious, but organizers have begun making plans to keep both players and fans comfortable. Stand by for more news on whether a roof will be added to all stadiums, what time matches might start and how cooling systems may come into play. For now, suffice it to say that you’ll likely want to stay hydrated when attending a match.

8) World Cup Legends Come Home! If you thought South Africa 2010 was impressive, just wait until you see Qatar 2022. The first time FIFA awarded it to an Arab country was actually in 2007, when Germany won its bid by unanimous vote—despite being a European country that doesn’t border any of FIFA’s six confederations. Two years later, after widespread bribery and other scandals emerged, Germany withdrew its bid—and Qatar was officially announced as host country.

9) Women's Soccer at the Center Stage It might surprise you to learn that soccer has been around in its modern form for only about 150 years. As recently as 1950, FIFA didn’t even recognize women’s soccer as a sport; it was considered an amusement. The first Women’s World Cup wasn’t held until 1991, and before 1999 all matches were played on fields smaller than regulation size.

10) Will Brazil Repeat Its Triumph? It’s been 24 years since Brazil last won a World Cup title. Given that five of its stars are already over 30 years old, it’s unlikely they will be able to repeat their 2002 triumph. Even so, Neymar and other offensive stars like Fred and Jo will be up to snuff.