The Global Cup is underway, and it’s already one for the historical past books. It’s anticipated that greater than 5 billion folks (greater than part the planet) will song in and watch the crowning match of the pretty recreation.
Whilst this ancient match has been taking place for almost 100 years, this yr’s match has persevered to form the sport and introduce new components by no means sooner than observed. Let’s check out one of the firsts.
Host nation
One large stat that sticks out is that that is the primary time the Global Cup has been hosted by way of a rustic within the Heart East. Digging into the information, Global Cup hosts had been concentrated in North and South The us and Europe, with a couple of exceptions around the world.
A part of the rationale that there are such a lot of firsts on this Global Cup is that Qatar is creating a distinction in the way it’s managing it.
- Qatar may be the smallest nation to ever host the Global Cup. This implies it’s the primary time enthusiasts can succeed in all of the venues by way of rail or highway; they gained’t must fly around the nation to get to any other stadium.
- It’s the primary time the Global Cup has been hosted within the iciness slightly than the summer season. It made sense to transport it to a cooler season of the yr; summer season temperatures in Qatar can reasonable 113 levels Fahrenheit.
- It’s additionally the primary time the Global Cup has been hosted in a Muslim-majority nation.
Greatest handbag and equivalent pay
This Global Cup options the maximum prize cash ever. The whole pool is greater than $440 million, and the winner will take house $42 million. And this Global Cup is predicted to herald a number of billion bucks in income.
The $42 million first-place prize for the boys’s match is considerably better than what was once paid out within the ladies’s Global Cup in 2019. The successful workforce there gained $4 million. That’s a part of what ended in america nationwide football groups vote casting on equivalent pay. That is the primary time in Global Cup historical past that males’s and girls’s groups will pool and flippantly cut up their prize cash from their global tournaments.
Stadiums
The Global Cup shall be performed throughout 8 stadiums, 7 of which have been constructed logo new. Whilst creating new infrastructure to host a significant global match is not anything new, Qatar made it a quite extra fascinating knowledge level than commonplace by way of construction one stadium from delivery packing containers that shall be totally dismantled after the Global Cup. Different stadiums have already got plans in position to be partly dismantled and repurposed after the Global Cup is over.
Whilst Qatar’s claims of internet hosting the primary carbon-neutral Global Cup had been disputed, all 8 stadiums have gained no less than a four-star ranking from the World Sustainability Evaluate Gadget (GSAS).
The stadiums aren’t with out controversy. Qatar because the host nation has garnered some global complaint according to its monitor file with human rights. The majority of the hard work for construction the stadiums got here from migrant employees.
Offside era
Football has been using Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in global tournaments for years. However that is the primary time the era shall be used to trace offsides on the Global Cup. VAR has limb-tracking era that analyzes 29 knowledge issues on every participant at the discipline all the time. It’s going to be used to lend a hand referees in figuring out tight offsides calls, and the era can robotically discover offsides and alert the on-field officiating workforce of the penalty.
Substitutes
Up to now, groups have most effective been allowed to shuttle with 23 gamers and feature 3 substitutes. This Global Cup is other (keeping up expanded laws all the way through COVID-19 play), and every workforce is authorized to carry 26 gamers with 5 subs.
Feminine referees
Right here’s a a laugh knowledge level for you: that is the primary time the boys’s Global Cup can have feminine referees. 3 out of the 36 referees shall be ladies, with 3 further ladies operating as assistant referees.
Domo knowledge
It’s additionally the primary time we’ve pulled in combination all of the publicly to be had historic knowledge at the Global Cup and arrange a Domo dashboard. You’ll be able to take a look at the information and mess around to seek out your individual insights concerning the Global Cup. Use it to trace the result of every recreation, have a look at historic knowledge, and analyze how this Global Cup compares to these previously.
What different firsts can we see? Time will inform as the sector continues to compete and the primary storylines begin to emerge.
