FIFA World Cup location: Which country is 2022 tournament in?

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner, kicking off on November 20 with group stage action. This year's World Cup is being held in Qatar, a Middle Eastern country just to the east of Saudi Arabia, and northwest of the United Arab Emirates.

This year's host country was officially selected in December of 2010, as Qatar was chosen over the other four bids from Australia, Japan, South Korea, and the United States. The final selection came down between Qatar and USA, but the votes went in Qatar's favor with a 14-8 outcome.

The selection process didn't come without intense criticism, as there were allegations of corruption and bribery among FIFA executives that led to Qatar's winning bid. This and many other corruption scandal allegations led to FIFA president Sepp Blatter's resignation in 2015, just days after he was re-elected to a fifth term.

In addition to the selection scandal, Qatar came under fire for the poor treatment of workers, citing forced labor and hazardous working conditions, leading to deaths of migrant workers from multiple different countries. In 2015, it was announced that the tournament would held in November and December to avoid the extreme heat in the summer months.

All 64 matches will be played throughout eight venues in the Doha metropolitan area and its surroundings. Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail will host 10 games including the final, while the rest of the matches will be played at Al Bayt Stadium (Al Khor), Stadium 974 (Doha), Al Thumama Stadium (Doha), Khalifa International Stadium (Al Rayyan), Education City Stadium (Al Rayyan), Ahmad bin Ali Stadium (Al Rayyan), and Al Janoub Stadium (Al Wakrah).

The 2022 World Cup final will be held at Lusail Iconic Stadium on December 18.

  
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