Qatar 2022: World Cup Stadium Inaugurated

  Qatar 2022: World Cup Stadium Inaugurated By Sampson Adedeji The preparations for the next World Cup in Qatar reached a crescendo on Friday night as the 4th of the eight stadia to be used for the matches were inaugurated, BSNSports.com.ng reports. The bidding procedure to host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups began in January 2009, and national associations had until 2 February 2009 to register their interest. Initially, eleven bids were made for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but Mexico later withdrew from proceedings. In the end, there were five bids for the 2022 FIFA World Cup: Australia, Japan, Qatar, South Korea and the United States. The twenty-two member FIFA Executive Committee convened in Zürich on 2 December 2010 to vote to select the hosts of both tournaments. The inauguration coincides with Qatar National Day, as the country is scheduled to host the 2022 World Cup final exactly two years later. The 40,000-capacity Al Rayyan stadium will host seven World Cup matches up to the round of 16.