Many firsts in Qatar edition of FIFA WC; women referees, 26 member squad in spite of 23 and more

The biggest football tournament is approaching fast with its grand opening set to take place in less than a month, and soccer fans are already abuzz with zest for the top-tier global event. Interestingly, many ‘firsts’ are set to fall in the international contest including the fact that this will be the first ever FIFA World Cup to be played in a Middle Eastern country.

Here are some crucial ‘firsts’ from FIFA World Cup 2022 you need to know about:

First-ever FIFA event in Middle East

FIFA tournaments have mostly been held after the conclusion of football season in Europe, in the summers of nations falling in the Northern Hemisphere region. Though this once, the league is held in the Middle East.

Semi-Automated Offside Technology

In a bold step, FIFA has decided to use the semi-automated offside technology, an evolved result of the VAR systems, for the first time in a World Cup. FIFA’s President Gianni Infantino said that the technology is being used for various sports tournaments around the world.

Women referees

Football fans will now be able to watch women referees in the matches. Among the 36 referred individuals for the job, 3 are women. These female referees include Salima Mukansanga, Stephanie Frappart, and Yamashita Yoshimi.

The tournament is also officiated by 3 assistant women referees – Neuza Back, Karen Diaz Medina, and Kathryn Nesbitt out of a total of 69 assistant referees.

Five substitutions

During the Covid-19 pandemic era, a rule of allowing five substitutions instead of three was widely adopted by the club football tournaments. The basic intention behind this rule change was to provide extra protection to the players amid deadly pandemic. International Football Association Board had announced its decision to change substitutions rule earlier in June this year.

26- player rosters

In spite of 23 player in the game, IFA is set to introduce 26-player rosters in this World Cup. Previously, we have seen the feature being implemented in European Championship as well as Copa America.