This past Friday concluded the most important event prior to the World Cup; The Draw. Fans around the world were also spoiled with a speech from Qatar’s Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani welcomed 2,000 guests at the ceremony, as well as this years World Cup mascot and official anthem reveal.
Friday’s draw had fans around the world treated to some top-quality matchups in the group stage.
Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
Group B: England, Iran, USA, European play-off winner
Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
Group D: France, Intercontinental play-off winner, Denmark, Tunisia
Group E: Spain, Intercontinental play-off winner, Germany, Japan
Group F: Belgium, Morocco, Croatia, Canada
Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea
Personally, we here at WBN are most excited to see Germany, World Cup champions in 1954, 1975, 1990 and 2014, and Spain, World Cup champions of 2010, face off each other, as both were placed in Group E. The two European powerhouses will meet in the second game of the group.
Group F also features two heavyweights meeting in the final game, Croatia, the 2018 runner-up, and Belgium, the third-place finisher.
Prior to the draw, Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani welcomed 2,000 guests at the ceremony, which included many dignitaries, football officials, coaches and players. The Emir’s speech truly was heartwarming, as he stressed the peace and unity of this years world cup, bringing countries from all over the world to participate in this years event.
“I welcome you all on the occasion marking the Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022,” the Amir said Friday.
“This tournament will be the first major event that unites the world in the aftermath of the pandemic that has taken its toll on the world for more than two years. I feel proud and happy from now until the moment the world will see that we in Qatar will present an exceptional World Cup in the Arab world, as we had promised,” he said.
Prior to the Final Draw, fans around the world were surprised with the reveal of the mascot, along with the official anthem of the tournament.
The unveil happened before the World Cup draw with an animated video telling its story to the millions watching around the world. The mascot’s name is La’eeb and it was depicted flying in the air as part of the video explaining its story.
The character is set to be unleashed in the coming weeks and months across a variety of platforms via downloadable stickers, GIFs, screensavers and filters.
“La’eeb is a fun and mischievous character who comes from the mascot-verse, a parallel world where all tournament mascots live,” said FIFA. ”La’eeb can be a figment of your imagination. He is whoever a football fan wants him to be.”
As described above the World Cup 2022 mascot is named La’eeb, which FIFA explain is “an Arabic word meaning super-skilled player.”
Further more, the tournament has released its official soundtrack – Hayya Hayya (Better Together) by artists Trinidad Cardona, Davido, and Aisha.
This will be the first time that the tournament’s soundtrack will feature a multi-song collection, with international artistes showcasing diverse musical genres that span the world, setting the tone for a truly global celebration.
