FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022
The 2022 FIFA World Cup was an international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA 's member associations and 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup . It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, making it the first World Cup held in the Arab world and Muslim world , and the second held entirely in Asia after the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan. [A] France were the defending champions, having defeated Croatia 4–2 in the 2018 final . This tournament was the last with 32 participating teams, with the number of teams being increased to 48 for the 2026 edition . To avoid the extremes of Qatar's hot climate , [B] the event was held during November and December. [C] It was held over a reduced time frame of 29 days with 64 matches played in eight venues across five cities . The Qatar national football team entered the event—their first World Cup—automatically as the host's national