Qatar World Cup stadiums: Where are the games taking place?

The first World Cup played in the Middle East will take place in Qatar this winter.

Seven cities in the country will host the competition from 20th November to 18th December.

This will also be the first time the tournament has taken place at the end of the year instead of its regular time, between the months of June and July.

In addition, Qatar’s World Cup will be the last with 32 teams.

Four years from now, in the competition that will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, the number of participating nations will increase to 48.

The announcement that Qatar had been chosen as the host nation for the Cup was released on 2nd October 2010 - the country will also be a first-time participant at the event.

So far, some of the stadiums hosting the main games have been determined, including the homes of the first and last matches.

The first game will take place between Qatar and Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium, in the city of Al Khor, on the 20 November while the final will happen at Lusail’s National Stadium, in the city of Lusail.

Two stadiums in Doha (Ras Abu Aboud and Al Thumama), three in Al Rayann (Education City, Ahmed bin Ali and Khalifa International) and one stadium in Al Wakrah (Al Janoub) will also host games.

All stadiums have the capacity for at least 40,000 spectators.