FIFA World Cup 2022
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: November 21, 2022 -

Sunday, November 20, 2022 has definitely has gone down the history as the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup kicked off at Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar with a glittering and mesmerizing opening ceremony.

The biggest sporting extravaganza was set into motion with host Qatar taking on Ecuador.

Altogether 32 teams from across the world are competing for the prestigious trophy.

The 32 National teams made it to the World Cup after playing several qualification rounds from their respective continents.

Unlike Olympic football, there is no restriction on the age of players.

As such, the FIFA World Cup is often and rightly seen as the highest competition among the world's finest soccer players.

Qualification to play in the FIFA World Cup is a remarkable achievement in itself.

Despite the sparkling track record it earned in the previous World Cups including four championship titles, the Italian National team or the Azzurri did not qualify for the Qatar World Cup.

They missed the previous edition too. In another word, the qualification rounds are no less competitive than the World Cup itself.

Over the next 28 days, tears will shed, hearts will be broken, spirits will be lifted and there will be euphoria as well as despair.

If one goes by the ever rising degree of competitiveness in the footballing world, qualification for the FIFA World Cup finals is no mean achievement.

Just look at India, with its over one billion population, playing in FIFA World Cup finals only remains a pipedream.

Even if the Azzurri are not playing in Qatar, the eternal favourite Brazil, the mighty Germans, the formidable France, the king of total football, Netherlands and the Latin American soccer giant Argentina have all set their eyes on the coveted trophy.

There are also Spain and England and they have the potential to upset any of the favourites.

If any African or Asian Nation can lay their hands on the World Cup trophy, it would be a new history, and a very remarkable one.

Each of these teams is undoubtedly a favourite in their own rights. Yet there is no clear favourite.

Expectations are soaring higher and higher in each of these countries and all the fans are in a state of euphoria.

But the sad part is, there can be no two winners in the beautiful game of football.

From the total 32 teams, 16 would be eliminated after the group stage.

From the 16 teams which make to the pre-quarter final stage, only eight will advance to the quarterfinals, and only one team would be crowned the champions on December 18.

Skill and stamina are not just enough for the beautiful game of football.

Football is often said to be a game of five S's; speed, skill, stamina, strength and strategy.

Brazil, Germany and Italy are the three most successful teams in terms of reaching the last four stage and lifting the coveted trophy.

The three Nations had won 13 of the last 21 World Cups at the ratio of 5:4:4.

This time, Italy is not in the competition. Only time can tell whether Brazil or Germany can repeat their soccer feat.

When it comes to winning the World Cup, it was always 'so near, yet so far' for the Netherlands.

They made it to the finals three times. They lost to Germany in 1974. They were again beaten by Argentina in 1978 and they lost to Spain in 2010.

It seems the Orange Squad has cut their task this time. It will be known in the coming weeks whether the Netherlands can script a new history or will remain an under-achiever.

Speculations can go long and varied but what is more important is enjoying the beautiful game and cheering for our chosen teams.