England’s men’s team have reached their first major final since the 1966 World Cup – a wait of 55 years.
The Three Lions will take on Italy in the Euro 2020 final on Sunday, with 60,000 fans allowed into the stadium to cheer them on.
Even if England lose, many fans feel Gareth Southgate has brought together a team capable of long-term success – a team to be proud of after years of humiliation.
After the Euros the next goal will be the World Cup, which is taking place next year.
When is the next World Cup?
There are typically two years between European Championships and World Cups, but there is only a one-year gap this time, due to Euro 2020 being pushed back by the pandemic.
World Cups are traditionally held in the summer, but the 2022 tournament will be in November and December, as it is being held in Qatar.
The opening game will be on 21 November, with the final just a week before Christmas, on 18 December.
It was decided that Qatar is too hot in June and July to hold the tournament at the usual time.
This will be the first World Cup Qatar have ever competed in, due to qualifying as hosts.
Why is it in Qatar?
There has been huge controversy over Qatar hosting the tournament.
There have been numerous allegations of bribery between the Qatar bid committee and Fifa members and executives.
Several Fifa members have since gone on record to say that awarding the tournament to Qatar was a “mistake” – including ex-president Sepp Blatter.
Qatar has very limited football history, and the stadiums for the tournament have been built from scratch. There have also been concerns over the climate, and the decision to move the tournament to the winter has attracted criticism.
However, the major controversy has been centred around Qatar’s human rights record, and the treatment of workers hired to build the infrastructure.
Workers may not change jobs or even leave the country without their sponsor’s permission, and in November 2013 Amnesty International reported “serious exploitation” of workers.
After visiting a labour camp, Sharan Burrows of the International Trade Union Confederation described the workers as “basically slaves”.
Have England qualified?
England are in a qualifying group with Hungary, Poland, Albania, Andorra and San Marino.
Three fixtures have been played so far and England have won all three – most recently a 2-1 victory over Poland in March.
This leaves them top of the group, and therefore in pole position to earn a spot at next year’s tournament.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3worUZT
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