The State of Qatar received wide acclaim after its impressive success in organizing the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which was held during November and December last year, making the tournament one of the best editions of the World Cup in history.
This came during the convening of the 73rd General Assembly of the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, in the presence of His Excellency Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, Mr. Gianni Infantino, President of the International Federation of Football Associations, and representatives of the 2011 FIFA.
His Excellency President Kagame congratulated the State of Qatar on the great success it achieved during the World Cup, which he described as the best during his opening speech prior to the FIFA General Assembly: “We congratulate the State of Qatar and the International Federation for organizing a successful tournament by all standards.. The last World Cup is one of the best tournaments that will remain firmly in our minds, and we are proud of what Qatar has achieved, which deserves all respect for what it provided to the game and the world during that historic hosting”.
His Excellency the Rwandan President praised the exceptional leadership of Mr. Gianni Infantino of FIFA, considering that football during his tenure as president has become more inclusive. For his part, Mr. Gianni Infantino confirmed in his speech before the General Assembly meeting that the World Cup in Qatar was the best ever, stressing that the tournament was one of the most successful editions in terms of public, technical and organizational aspects, considering that FIFA and the State of Qatar fulfilled the promise they made before the tournament.
Infantino said: “The last World Cup was watched by more than five billion viewers around the world, while the tournament was attended by more than three million fans in the magnificent stadiums where the competitions were held, and everyone enjoyed the great event.”.
And the President of the International Federation continued: We promised you that we would present an exceptional and unique version of the World Cup in Qatar. Perhaps there were those who did not believe us and questioned what we said, but the truth is that it was indeed the most successful and best version, there were perfect stadiums and excellent infrastructure, there was nothing disturbing Clear football atmosphere, thank you Qatar.
The General Assembly of the International Federation had re-elected Mr. Infantino as President by acclamation, for a new term that extends until 2027, which is his second term, given that the first period from 2016 to 2019 was not a full term, which opens the door to the possibility of him continuing in office for another period. It extends from the year 2027 to 2031, according to the FIFA Statutes.
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 was praised by FIFA officials, as Alejandro Dominguez, FIFA’s chief financial officer, confirmed that the Qatar World Cup was not only amazing on the field, but also achieved great financial returns, the highest in the history of the FIFA World Cup finals. international. In this context, he pointed out that the period from 2019 to 2022 reached a record high in terms of financial revenue, amounting to $7.6 billion, indicating that this matter was achieved thanks to the Qatar World Cup.
For his part, Mr. Pierluigi Collina, Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, said during the FIFA General Assembly meeting: The World Cup in Qatar opened a wide door to the advanced technology that was introduced to the game, considering that the application of semi-automatic infiltration technology in the 2022 World Cup achieved great success. And contributed to saving a lot of justice and time.
The Chairman of the Referees Committee revealed the provision of different levels of the application of the VAR technology, as the silver level comes in the forefront, then the bronze level, indicating that there is a third level called / VAR Lite /, which is a technology that only requires the provision of four cameras only. To monitor cases, which will help countries that do not have the large financial capabilities to apply the technology, recognizing at the same time that this level cannot correspond to high expectations regarding accuracy in decision-making, as is the case with the silver or even bronze level.
The President of the International Federation of Football Associations had revealed the developments approved by the FIFA Council during its meeting that preceded the convening of the General Assembly, as the mechanism for distributing the teams participating in the next version of the 2026 World Cup, which is hosted by the United States of America, Canada and Mexico, is the first to be distributed. 48 teams participate in it, as it will be approved that there are 12 groups in the tournament, each of which includes four teams, instead of the previous recommendation to distribute the teams into 16 groups, each group includes three teams, provided that the two teams with the first and second positions in each place qualify for the second round. group, along with the eight best third-placed teams.
Gianni Infantino also spoke about the Club World Cup in its new form, which will start in 2025 with the participation of 32 teams, considering that it will be a tournament of great technical, public and marketing value, especially in light of the participation of clubs from all continents according to the seats distributed, as the continent of Europe will have 12 seats, While the South American continent gets six seats, while Asia, Africa, North and Central America, and the Caribbean get four seats each, and Oceania one seat and the host country one as well, provided that priority in granting seats is to the continental champions clubs during the years 2021 to 2024.
Several clubs had officially guaranteed participation in the 2025 FIFA World Cup: Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia), Al-Ahly (Egypt), Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), Monterrey (Mexico), Seattle Sounders (United States), Palmeiras and Flamengo (Brazil), and Chelsea (England). ) and Real Madrid (Spain).
