The world governing body for football, FIFA, has announced that cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com will be an official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
On Wednesday, the organisation announced that Crypto.com’s branding would appear inside and outside stadiums for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, which starts in November. The crypto exchange will offer its members the chance to attend matches and win official items as part of the sponsorship.
The collaboration would help grow the games “on a worldwide scale,” according to FIFA chief commercial officer Kay Madati, citing Crypto.com’s partnerships with various groups worldwide. In November, the exchange announced that the Los Angeles Staples Center would be renamed the Crypto.com Arena for the following 20 years. Crypto.com has also inked sponsorship deals for $25 million with the Australian Football League, $100 million with Formula 1, and $175 million with the Ultimate Fighting Championship over 10 years.
Crypto.com to reach a more international crowd in FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
Though trading cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) has been largely illegal in Qatar since the country’s central bank announced a ban in 2018 — and the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority reaffirmed the ban in January 2020 — Crypto.com is likely to appeal to a more international audience given soccer’s global popularity. More than 3.5 billion people have watched the previous FIFA World Cup in Russia 2018, with over a billion tuning in to see the final between France and Croatia.
With less than eight months until the Fifa World Cup begins, suspicions of corruption and bribery dating back to the bidding process for Qatar 2022 have cast a pall over the event. In April 2020, the US Department of Justice charged three people with “the payment and acceptance of bribes and kickbacks” in FIFA’s selection of World Cup host countries, including Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022. Furthermore, Human Rights Watch, an international non-governmental organisation, claims that people working on the event’s infrastructure have been abused and forced to work in slave-like conditions.
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Draw
The official draw for the FIFA World Cup 2022 will occur in Qatar on Friday, April 1, bringing the tournament one step closer.
Qatar, which hosts the tournament, has already qualified 15 of the 32 teams.
Former champions Germany, Spain, England, France, the Netherlands, Croatia, Serbia, Switzerland, and the world’s No. 1 squad, Belgium, have already booked their flights to Qatar.
In the form of everlasting rivals Brazil and Argentina, two past champions also have qualified from South America.
Iran and South Korea will also go to Qatar from Asia.
On March 24, qualifying resumes throughout the world.
FIFA World Cup draw: Date, time and venue
Two thousand elite guests will attend the draw ceremony, and the world’s finest teams will be able to trace their path to the FIFA World Cup Final after the event.
On December 18, the event’s final match will be held at the 80,000-seat Lusail Stadium.
The tournament begins on Monday, November 21, at the Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor, with a match featuring the host nation.
The final will be placed a week before Christmas on Sunday, December 18, at Doha’s Lusail Stadium.
Time
- India Standard Time – 21:30
- Bangladesh – 22:00
The 32 national teams competing in Qatar 2022 will be divided into four pots, each with eight teams. It’s worth noting that only 30 squads will be qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup at the time of the Final Draw.
The two remaining spots will be filled after the Intercontinental Playoffs are completed on June 14. A Concacaf National Team will face an Oceania National Team, while a Conmebol National Team will face an Asia National Team in the tournament’s bracket.
Every qualified team for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be placed in a pot based on their current FIFA Ranking.
