By Paul Nicholson at the Lusail Marina, Qatar
December 16 – It was a night of stars, fireworks and national celebration as Qatar’s World Cup organisers unveiled the design of the 80,000-capacity showpiece stadium that will host the opening match and final of the greatest show on earth in 2022.
By Paul Nicholson, Lusail City, Qatar
December 16 – They promised amazing and that is what we are going to get. Qatar got down to the real business of World Club football this weekend with the launch of the design of its showpiece Lusail Stadium. Qatar 2022 is well and truly off the starting grid and setting a spectacular pace.
By Paul Nicholson in Doha
December 14 – FIFA President Gianni Infantino concluded the FIFA Summits in Doha, Qatar, yesterday with what is becoming his trademark battle cry for an expansion of the 2022 World Cup to 48 teams and another reference to his being just another “citizen of the world”.
By Paul Nicholson in Doha
December 12 – Guests, dignitaries and media are gathering in Doha, Qatar, for the launch on Saturday of the Lusail Stadium design that will be the showpiece venue hosting the opening match and final of the 2022 World Cup.
December 10 – Gianni Infantino has confirmed that FIFA will definitely decide in March whether the 2022 World Cup in Qatar can be expanded to 48 teams, though the likelihood of the concept being brought forward from the 2026 tournament appears to be receding.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 21 – Exactly four years to the day before the first ever winter World Cup kicks off, UEFA’s president Aleksander Ceferin says there would have to be a new vote if Qatar 2022 is expanded from 32 to 48 teams and shared with its neighbours.
November 8 – Having brought it back on the agenda only last week, FIFA president Gianni Infantino appears to have backtracked on the chances of an expanded 48-team World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 31 – Four months after it was taken off the agenda at the FIFA Congress, Gianni Infantino says FIFA is still “discussing” trying to bring about a 48-team World Cup for Qatar in 2022, potentially shared with the tiny Gulf state’s neighbours.
October 24 – Qatar 2022 World Cup infrastructure was given a flying inspection visit by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, en route to the FIFA Council meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, later this week.
August 6 – The English Championship may decide to take a break during the 2022-23 season to accommodate the World Cup in Qatar being staged in November and December – right in the middle of domestic seasons.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 30 – Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid team have categorically denied new revelations claiming they ran a covert campaign designed to sabotage rival bidders, specifically the United States and Australia.
By Samindra Kunti in Moscow
July 16 – Qatar’s Deputy Secretary-General for Tournament Affairs Nasser Al Khater has repeated FIFA stance’s that the 2022 World Cup hosts will have the final decision-making power over the number of participants in four years time.
By Samindra Kunti in Moscow
July 13 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Friday repeated his position that the Qatar 2022 World Cup will be played in a 32-team format, but has left open the door for an expanded 48-team tournament in four years time. The North American 2026 World Cup is the first World Cup to have the confirmed participation of 48 teams.
By Andrew Warshaw in Moscow
June 11 – The chances of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar being expanded to 48 teams appear to have faded as quickly as they arose.
Plans for a feasibility study have been put on hold and the idea pulled from Wednesday’s FIFA Congress after FIFA President Gianni Infantino said agreement from the Gulf nation is a “precondition.”
By Andrew Warshaw
February 26 – The increasingly hostile Saudi-led diplomatic spat with Qatar, which recently spilled over into football, has taken an unsavoury new twist with the Saudis apparently briefing some German media that the Gulf state could be stripped of hosting the 2022 World Cup.