World Cup 2022

[candrew]

Sunday kicks off one of the largest sports spectacles in the world – the FIFA Men's World Cup 2022 being held in Qatar. This tournament will likely be the last to host 32 teams as the '26 World Cup will expand to 48 nations. A worldwide T.V. viewing audience is expected to reach 2 billion.

Oddsmakers have Brazil, Argentina, France, England & Spain as favorites.

Dark horses - Germany & Belgium.

I'm a supporter of the U.S. men's national team and after their epic qualifying failure 5 years ago, it would be a triumph for them to make it out of group play in this World Cup and into the knockout round of 16.

T.V. Schedule: https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/world-cup-tv-schedule-2022-qatar-fox-fs1-peacock/

Printable bracket:
https://library.sportingnews.com/do...Q0*MTY2ODc4MjIxOS4xLjAuMTY2ODc4MjIxOS4wLjAuMA..

​

 

[candrew]

Serving as a backdrop, back in 2010, FIFA announced that Qatar would be the host nation, beating out the U.S. and Japan. The decision by FIFA's ExCo to award Qatar was met with much controversy, including allegations of bribery. Those allegations have been rejected by Qatari officials who have claimed that their bid as hosts was based on the merits alone. Additionally, the injuries and deaths of numerous migrant construction workers involved in building out venues in Qatar in preparation for this World Cup has added to the controversy.

And just today, Qatar decided to ban beer sales at the stadiums! To quote an official from Budweiser, "well, this is awkward".

Traditionally held in the summer when high temperatures in Qatar routinely reach over 40 degrees celsius, FIFA decided that the '22 WC would be held in November/December, during the middle of the European club season. There has been little time for national teams to train together as a result. Some key players will miss competing altogether due to injuries.

Regardless, Qatar’s hosting of the World Cup is a first for the Arab world, for the Middle East and is being celebrated throughout Asia.

 

[MichaelB]

I’m still in shock over the teams that did not qualify, starting with Italy. Also Sweden, Colombia and Chile, all teams with solid football rankings and histories.

Despite all the controversy I’m looking forward to some good matches.

 

[Car-Guy]

Sorry but, just not my game

 

[candrew]

I’m still in shock over the teams that did not qualify, starting with Italy. Also Sweden, Colombia and Chile, all teams with solid football rankings and histories.

Despite all the controversy I’m looking forward to some good matches.

Italy, having failed to reach consecutive World Cups especially after having defeated England in the Euros was perhaps the biggest of those surprises.

The England v US match on Black Friday could be interesting. Both squads have been underperforming as of late and both managers coming under scrutiny for questionable decisions about their player selections and strategies.

 

[candrew]

Sorry but, just not my game

That's how I feel about baseball. I just choose to ignore those threads. But hey, thanks for sharing.

 

[Chuckanut]

There is an interesting article in the WSJ about Qatar's hosting of the World Cup and the conflicts between the cultures of most of the participating countries and Qatar's Wahhabi culture.

Apparently, they do not have enough rooms for everybody who will attend the games so they have arranged for a few cruise ships to be used as floating hotels. Others will stay in nearby countries and shuttle in on special flights.

I'll be glad to stay home and watch the games on TV.

 

[candrew]

I'll be glad to stay home and watch the games on TV.

Same here. In '26, when North America hosts, will definitely want to attend

 

[MichaelB]

Same here. In '26, when North America hosts, will definitely want to attend

Me too. Nothing beats watching a game in person.

 

[6miths]

Will be watching with interest. Fun to see Canada have a spot. Usually pulling for The Netherlands and England but generally just good to see the intensity of national teams playing against one another. Annoyed that I had to wait until November/December to see this and agree that Qatar, like Russia in 2018, was not a good choice for the event.

 

[nap470]

I am looking forward to the matches. We happened to be vacationing in London during the last WC when England made their deep run. As an American tourist it was amazing to see the enthusiasm and so much fun to be a part of it. I will be cheering for England again this time. My late father in-law was born and raised in Italy and would be very upset that they did not qualify for the past two WCs. He took football very seriously.

 

[MBSC]

T.V. Schedule: https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/world-cup-tv-schedule-2022-qatar-fox-fs1-peacock/

The free streaming app Tubi will have replays available on demand.

[Tubi] will have matches on demand 30 minutes after they finish airing on FOX and FS1. Tubi’s broadcast of the matches will also take advantage of FOX's 4K technology, so fans will be able to watch the games on demand in the highest quality video possible.

Source: https://thestreamable.com/news/everything-you-need-to-know-to-watch-the-2022-world-cup

 

[target2019]

Corruption definitely underpins this World Cup, which was decided during the reign of FIFA President Sepp Blatter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sepp_Blatter). Eventually he was ejected, but the site decision remains.

Here is the mathematical model prediction by Joshua A. Bull from Oxford University. https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/2...atics-researcher-predicts-will-win-world-cup/

 

[donheff]

I don't follow soccer generally, but the World Cup is captivating. Looks like I can record it on Fox FS1.

 

[candrew]

Fun to see Canada have a spot.

The Canadians were drawn into a tough Group F that includes 2018 WC semi-finalist Belgium & 2018 finalist, Croatia. Canada will have to do some heavy lifting and get a bit of good fortune to advance. Yet, as they proved during WC qualifying where they finished atop CONCACAF, Canada is a side that will punch above its weight. In spite of a roster comprised mostly of MLS players, Canada also has players in key attacking roles like Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies along with Jonathon David (club Lille) & Cyle Larin (club Basiktas).

Canada's manager, John Herdman, has demonstrated an ability to get the most out of the talent he has available and a willingness to adjust his team's strategies and systems to match up against various opponents. Any possession based opponents best beware as Canada can be very good at absorbing pressure and in turn be ruthless on the counter.

 

[Popeye]

They said on the news that Qatar is banning beer sales at the venues!

https://sports.yahoo.com/qatar-bans...LyhU1NGppMy2dBnkCs80IdnJWrHZH5fYcGa0Pq8DxZa3g

 

[candrew]

They said on the news that Qatar is banning beer sales at the venues!

Budweiser forked over $75 million to FIFA as a sponsor.

OTH, as we've often witnessed at sporting events, alcohol and sports fans can too often be a toxic combination. I'm no teetotaler, yet I get Infantino's point when he said that fans should be able to go 3 hours without a drink.

 

[euro]

Corruption definitely underpins this World Cup, which was decided during the reign of FIFA President Sepp Blatter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sepp_Blatter). Eventually he was ejected, but the site decision remains.

Here is the mathematical model prediction by Joshua A. Bull from Oxford University. https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/2...atics-researcher-predicts-will-win-world-cup/

I always root for Brazil - been following WC since the 1970 cup in Mexico (Pele’s masterpiece). I’d say Brazil has been the pre-tournament favorite pretty much every single time since and actually won just two more (1994 and 2002). It’s a hard tourney to win. In MY opinion, which is worth exactly what you paid for it, it’s a pretty open field this time, but Brazil has to be one of the favorites (it certainly is the “sentimental” favorite. They do tend to play beautiful (attacking) football.

 

[euro]

Budweiser forked over $75 million to FIFA as a sponsor.

OTH, as we've often witnessed at sporting events, alcohol and sports fans can too often be a toxic combination. I'm no teetotaler, yet I get Infantino's point when he said that fans should be able to go 3 hours without a drink.

I would agree, although the “partying” aspect tends to be very important to many of the spectators. Kinda like college football games without tailgating.

I do think selecting Qatar to hold the event was crazy, given all the circumstances. Air conditioning an open air stadium is pretty insane in my book….

 

[candrew]

Brazil has to be one of the favorites (it certainly is the “sentimental” favorite. They do tend to play beautiful (attacking) football.

I also think that Argentina is a sentimental favorite (they are for me) and I know many futbol fans would like to see Lionel Messi add a WC trophy to his legacy. This will likely be his last opportunity.

When it comes to Brazil - how many minutes will Neymar spend writhing about on the ground during this tournament? In the 2018 WC, he was clocked as spending 14 minutes on the turf. Some of those antics brought both the game and himself into disrepute. I hope that he has finally matured beyond such nonsense.

 

[MBAustin]

If you want to hear all the gory details about the politics behind the Qatar (and Russia) World Cup awards, I recommend this podcast series: World Corrupt

That said, I'll still be watching some of the matches, but definitely looking forward to seeing at least one in person in 2026.

 

[candrew]

VAR Semi-automated offside technology

Good article by FIFA referee Christina Unkel where she elaborates on the relatively new VAR 2.0 "limb tracking" technology and helps breakdown how referees are expected to apply "handling" of the ball.

https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/f...vid-montgomery-courtland-sutton-lead-the-way/

"VAR 2.0, which includes "limb tracking technology" that at all times throughout the game tracks every player's body part and a sensor in the official Qatar Adidas world cup ball, Al Rihla (yes, the ball is named in soccer at major tournaments), to track to the exact moment when the ball is kicked. Twelve cameras are solely dedicated to tracking up to 29 data points of each individual player, 50 times per second, calculating the individuals exact position on the field. This is relevant to assist the VAR in reviewing tight offside calls."

 

[nap470]

Is anyone else having issues with the Fox Sports streaming app? The clarity of the 4K feed is worse than watching the regular FS1 feed on YouTubeTv and upscaled on my Samsung 4K tv. Watching it thru FireTv 4K stick but also tried it thru AppleTV streaming device and quality still is worse.

 

[MichaelB]

I’m watching on the Peacock app (Telemundo, I think) and it seems fine. Not 4k, and a small tv screen.

 

[MBSC]

Is anyone else having issues with the Fox Sports streaming app? The clarity of the 4K feed is worse than watching the regular FS1 feed on YouTubeTv and upscaled on my Samsung 4K tv. Watching it thru FireTv 4K stick but also tried it thru AppleTV streaming device and quality still is worse.

There are some threads on Reddit agreeing with you.

https://www.reddit.com/r/youtubetv/comments/z0fe84/for_the_world_cup_regular_fs1_1080p_4k_stream/

https://www.reddit.com/r/4kTV/comments/z0bwoy/image_quality_of_world_cup_games_in_4k_uhd_on_fox/