Technology and money are extraordinary! 5 World Cup “Trivia” to make watching the games more fun!

The FIFA World Cup 2022 has finally begun. Qatar, the host country, is a Middle Eastern country slightly smaller than Akita Prefecture. Its economy is heavily dependent on oil and natural gas revenues, and its citizens pay no income tax due to the abundance of oil money. In addition, medical care and electricity are free, and with the world’s highest per capita GDP, Qatar was once called the richest country in the world.

The Qatar World Cup will be the first time the tournament has been held in the Middle East and the first time it has been held in November. Therefore, there is a lot to talk about outside of the games. Here are five carefully selected pieces of trivia.

The first topic of interest is the “extraordinary scale. The total cost of the games, including stadium construction and infrastructure development, is more than 229 billion dollars (approximately 32.1 trillion yen). This is about 20 times more than the 678 billion rubles (about 1.55 trillion yen) for the previous tournament in Russia.

The total prize money is also the largest in history, totaling $440 million (approximately 61.6 billion yen). The winning nation will receive $42 million (5.88 billion yen), and Japan will receive $17 million (2.38 billion yen) if it finishes in the top eight, which is Japan’s goal. Incidentally, the total prize money for the Russian tournament was $400 million (about 56 billion yen), with the winner receiving $38 million (5.33 billion yen).

The second topic was the “eccentric stadiums. Of the eight venues, a total of seven were constructed this year, with “Stadium 974” attracting the most attention. This stadium is a combination of 974 shipping containers and rebar, and can be dismantled in its entirety. After the Games, the containers will actually be used as containers.

The Al Janoub Stadium, designed by the late world-renowned architect Zaha Hadid, is attracting attention in a different direction. The exterior of the roof is reminiscent of a “dhow boat,” a traditional Qatari fishing boat. …… The design, with an oval slash in the center, has been ridiculed by some as being reminiscent of a woman’s genitalia.

Furthermore, the “accommodations ” are also noteworthy. The main camp for the Japanese team is a four-star hotel called the Radisson blue Hotel Doha, located in the city of Qatar. It is located in Qatar City and was reported in Japan as a good omen because of the “blue” in its name. Japan’s opponent in the first match, Germany, is located at the Zlal Wellness Resort, about 100 km north of the center of Qatar. Costa Rica, Japan’s second opponent, is training at a sports club built in the 1950s, the “oldest in Qatar. For the third match, Spain will be playing at Qatar University, the “University of the East”, which also serves as a training facility and dormitory.

The fourth topic is the ” cooling system,” and although it is not unusual for temperatures in Doha to exceed 30 degrees Celsius even in November, seven of the eight stadiums have “Advanced Cooling Technology Advanced Cooling Technology” has been installed in seven of the eight stadiums to cool the temperature inside. According to preliminary data, the temperature inside the pitches could be lowered to 16 degrees Celsius, which is rather chilly. The players and fans alike will be happy to be able to play in such comfortable conditions.

Finally, I would like to mention the “latest technology. Motion sensors are embedded in the official ball. If a player receives the ball in an offside position, the AI will automatically send an alert to the referee. This technology, called “semi-automated offside technology,” takes only a few seconds to analyze, eliminating the need to spend time judging.

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. The event is full of eye-catching features in addition to the heated matches.