The World Cup is probably the biggest tournament in the world!!! Have fun watching and GO USA!!!!!

Next Monday marks the kickoff of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and it’s going to be something special. The World Cup is the biggest international soccer tournament in the world, and the most watched sporting event in the world. Thirty-two teams compete to be crowned World Cup winners every four years.  It will be played in Qatar, marking the first time it’s being hosted in the Middle East. Qatar beat out the United States, South Korea, Japan and Australia to win the bid in 2010, under controversy on how the actual voting took place.  Here are a whole bunch of fun facts to help you get ready for the action.

Here is soundtrack for the games:  Hayya Hayya (Better Together)

• This is the first World Cup to be played during our winter months to beat the heat of June and July that Qatar experiences and avoid the potential health risks of playing in such extreme heat. (The average high in July is 106 degrees Fahrenheit, while the average in November is 84 degrees Fahrenheit and 75 degrees Fahrenheit in December.)
• To combat the heat, though it figures to be fairly comfortable during the tournament, the stadiums at the 2022 FIFA World Cup will also have air conditioning.
• For Americans, traveling on a U.S. tourist passport, the government of Qatar does not require prior visa arrangements. Travelers will obtain a free visa waiver upon arrival, according to the State Department.
• How small is Qatar compared to past hosts? – Qatar is ranked 164th in area and 148th in population when it comes to the world’s sovereign states. The United States is about 849 times bigger than Qatar. The U.S. state of Connecticut is the closest comparison to the size of Qatar, and even then Connecticut is 8% larger than the host nation and with a higher population (1.1 million more people live in Connecticut).

• Drinking alcohol in public, as well as being drunk in public, is illegal in Qatar. You can face a six-month prison sentence or be fined as much as $850. Stadiums will not be selling alcohol during the matches, however, fan zones will be set up around the country allowing fans to have a drink in a designated area. Qatar will also have “recovery areas” for those who may overindudge.
• There have been 21 men’s World Cups, with Qatar being the 22nd World Cup. FIFA has been organizing World Cups since 1930, when Uruguay hosted the first ever World Cup and beat Argentina in the final, 4-2. The United States finished third that year.  It’s taken place every four years since 1930 aside from 1942 and 1946, which were canceled due to World War II.
• Teams place stars around their country’s logo when they win a world cup – you can count the stars on their crest.  If you look closely, you’ll see Brazil has five stars/titles (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002). Italy and Germany are right behind with four each.
• The United States men’s national team has never won the competition. The United States women’s national team has won four World Cups. The men made the semifinals in 1930 and the quarterfinals in 2002.
• There are eight different venues for the tournament in five different host cities. They are as follows: Qatar 2022 will show some brand-new portable and removable stadium to enhance sustainability 

1 Khalifa International Stadium 
2 Al Bayt Stadium 
3 Al Janoub Stadium
4 Ahmad bin Ali Stadium 
5 Education City Stadium 
6 Al Thumama Stadium 
7 Ras Abu Aboud Stadium
8 Lusail Iconic Stadium 

• Teams qualify from different regions around the world. Four years after hosting, the Russians became ineligible following the invasion of Ukraine. They are barred from FIFA competitions, while clubs of the country were also booted from UEFA tournaments.
• Most of us are used to a different kind of football on Thanksgiving. While there will be NFL on Thanksgiving ( Bills / Detroit Lions at 12:30 p.m. ET live on CBS) and Paramount+, there will also be four World Cup matches that day for the very first time.
• The ball that will be used at the 2022 World Cup is from adidas, and it’s called Al Rihla Pro. The mascot for the 2022 World Cup is La’eeb https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/articles/laeeb-is-revealed-as-qatars-fifa-world-cup-tm-mascot  The official song of the 2022 World Cup is “Hayya Hayya,” which means “Better Together,” performed by Trinidad Cardona, Davido and Aisha https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyDjFVZgJoo.
• Video Assistant Referee will be used at the 2022 World Cup after being used in 2018. Among the incidents it will be used for are dangerous challenges, penalty kick decisions and offsides.  Stephanie Frappart from France, Rwandan Salima Mukansanga and Yoshimi Yamashita from Japan became the first female referees to be appointed to a men’s World Cup.
• A Semi-auto offside system will also be used – A new support tool for video match officials and on-field officials will be used at the World Cup. The system helps them make faster, more accurate decisions when it comes to offside. The new system uses 12 dedicated tracking cameras underneath the roof of the stadium to track the ball and up to 29 data points for players to calculate their exact position. The ball will also have a sensor for measurement.
• France are the reigning champs – Les Bleus won the 2018 tournament in Russia, defeating Croatia in the final. It was their second ever World Cup title, and they are once again reloaded and viewed as contenders to take home the crown. If they manage to win again, they will be the first back-to-back champs since Brazil in 1962.
• The opening match is a doozy – Qatar opens the tournament on Nov. 20 versus Ecuador, and what a match that will be. Both teams know that in a group with Senegal and the Netherlands, this one is so crucial in the battle of head to head. Expect an open game between two teams with technique and speed.
• USMNT schedule – The United States men’s national team’s schedule at the tournament is as follows: Wales – Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. ET, England – Nov. 25 at 2 p.m. ET, Iran – Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. ET
• The Group of Death is the often referred to as the hardest group, one that could very well see a giant slayed before the knockout stage even begins. While Group E with Spain, Costa Rica, Germany and Japan is great, Group H does have Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea and a whole bunch of stars. Also, in Group A you have host Qatar, and they are formidable, but you also have underrated Ecuador, mighty Netherlands and Africa’s best team, Senegal. Every single one of those games are intriguing in the Group, and something tells me it’s going to deliver some shockers.
• Squad regulations have changed – FIFA approved a 26-man squad, up from the normal 23.  Coaches will now be allowed to make five substitutions at the 2022 World Cup. These five subs can be made in three different windows during the game. In the event a knockout stage match goes to extra time, teams will have an additional sub and another opportunity to make that change.
• If you want to skip all the fuss, the final will be played on Dec. 18 at Lusail Iconic Stadium at 10 a.m. ET.

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Me, too.
As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
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On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
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So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

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