France captain Hugo Lloris (centre) smiles while holding the Fifa World Cup trophy surrounded by his team mates when they arrived for a reception at the Elysee Presidential Palace on July 16, 2018 in Paris. AFP PHOTOQatar will kick off the 2022 World Cup at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, organisers announced on Wednesday, as they revealed the schedule for the finals. In a joint statement, FIFA and Qatar’s Supreme Committee organisational body said that the gas-rich Gulf nation will start the World Cup at the 60,000-capacity ground on November 21. Qualification for the World Cup has begun in Asia and Africa but is yet to start in Europe, the Americas and Oceania. Earlier this month several sources told AFP that World Cup organisers will lay off an undisclosed number of staff as Qatar cuts costs amid the coronavirus economic downturn.

Source: Daily Nation July 15, 2020 13:52 UTC