Know about many firsts in 2022 FIFA World Cup 

The FIFA world cup kicked off in style in Qatar on Sunday at Al Bayt Stadium in the capital, Doha. A total of 32 teams are participating in the event.

Hyderabad: The FIFA world cup kicked off in style in Qatar on Sunday at Al Bayt Stadium in the capital, Doha. A total of 32 teams are participating in the event. The host Qatar has built seven new stadiums to host the matches, and these stadiums will be used for conducting other events once the tournament concludes.

Here are a few interesting things you need to know about the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

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First time in Emirates 

This is the first time ever the football world cup is being held in the United Arab Emirates. Qatar is the second Asian country to host the mega event after it was jointly hosted by Japan and South Korea in 2002. North America — Canada, Mexico, and United States — will host the 2026 edition of the world cup 2026.

Substitutions 

The 2022 World Cup for the first time will allow teams to make a total of 5 substitutions instead of 3. Each team will have three opportunities to make substitutions in 90 minutes. However, in the knockout stages, both teams can make an additional substitution in the 30 minutes extra time.

First woman referee 

FIFA has picked 36 referees to officiate matches in the world cup; however, for the first time since the 1930 inaugural world cup, women referees were allowed to officiate the games.

A total of 6 women referees, including 3 assistant referees, will be seen officiating in the world cup matches.

Referees: Stephanie Frappar, Salima Mukansanga, Yoshimi Yamashita

Assistant Referees: Noiza Pak, Karen Dias Medina, and Catherine Nesbitt

First carbon-neutral world cup 

FIFA and Qatar organisers claim that the 2022 event is the first carbon-neutral world cup in history. Qatar said it will reduce carbon emissions as the tournament progresses, but there are some controversies surrounding the event as many experts have cast doubt on the claim.

Beer ban 

Just 2 days before the start of the tournament, FIFA and Qatar banned the sale of alcohol in stadiums and their perimeters. Visitors can still have access to alcoholic beverages, at specified places like luxury hotels, fan parks, and other licensed areas. Fans can also taste non-alcoholic beers available across eight stadiums.