the Round of 16, i.e., the knockout stage. Morocco was also the first Afri- can team to play in a semi-final. And let’s not forget that this tournament dates back to 1930, and – as is well known by all of us – Montevideo. And what was among all that was new in Qatar? So-called semi-auto- mated offside technology was used for the first time at a World Cup. This innovative system enabled vid- eo assistant referees to confirm off- side decisions faster and more accu- rately, thereby improving the flow of the game and the objectivity of decisions, and proving to be a com- plete hit, which is why it will also be used at the 2026 World Cup. Every coach in Qatar was also allowed to make five changes, com- pared to only three substitutions in Russia 2018. This led to a stronger tempo throughout the full 90 min- utes, or better quality and more at- tacking football, with more goals. Na- tional teams had 26 players each, and the extended list, which team selectors also had to submit to FIFA, was increased from 35 to 55 players. For the first time at a world cup, FIFA also allowed ladies to conduct the show, or referee the matches, with that honour going to Stéphanie Frappart (France), Yoshimi Yamash- ita (Japan) and Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda). They certainly won’t stop there, and from 2026 we are sure to have even more women among the referees, because they did a fantas- tic job in Qatar, unlike a few of their male colleagues, who roundly dis- graced themselves. The official match ball was called Al Rihla, meaning “the journey” in Arabic, and, for the first time in the history of the World Cup, it con- tained a sensor. The semi-finals were also played with a new ball, sporting burgundy tones reminis- cent of the host country’s flag. Al Hilm, meaning “the dream” in Ar- abic, replaced Al Rihla, which was used until the semi-finals. The sensor was placed in the middle of the ball and surrounded by a net enabling the ball to retain its shape. World Cup referees had full insight into the movements of the ball, for example,
Prvenstvo je bilo kvalitetno, bilo da ste ga gledali kao fudbalski radnik ili kao običan navijač The competition was of high quality, whether you watched it as a football professional or
an average, ordinary fan
whether it crossed the goal or side line, or whether one of the players played with their hand. These and similar situations caused detectors embedded in the ball to signal, via the Adidas suspension system, to referees in the VAR room, provid- ing precise data in real time to re- solve any quandary. We also mustn’t overlook the fact that all matches were played under almost identical conditions, regardless of whether they were played in the mornings or evenings. All stadiums had air-conditioning to cool the pitch, so the same tem- perature was maintained. FIFA al- so announced data showing that the World Cup in Qatar was extreme- ly well-watched and attended, de- spite being played a long way from the world’s main football hubs and at a time of year when it was tough for fans to take their annual holi- day or leave from work. “To be honest, everything re- minded me of the summer Olym- pics. It was as though it was being held in one camp, where there were fans from 32 countries, without inci- dent, in a spirit of friendship, cama- raderie... That’s something complete- ly new, something different from the scenes of previous world cups. The organisation was fantastic, and the idea of building all stadiums within a radius of 40-50 kilometres is ideal. In that way, for the first time, fans had an opportunity to watch two or more matches in one day. That was previously unimaginable and I
think it’s now a big problem for all future World Cup host nations. I’m afraid Qatar will be unrepeatable,” believes Stolica. Representatives of all nation- al teams competing in Qatar gave the organisation the highest rating. Training and playing conditions, top stadiums and hotels, hospitali- ty, proximity etc. The footballers ad- mitted that they found their time in Qatar easier and that they’d like the same picture at the next world cup. The concluding impression is that everyone felt sorry that the champi- onship lasted “only” 28 days... Top FIFA officials probably feel the same way, given that they opt- ed against increasing the number of participating nations in Qatar from 32 to 48, which is how many will compete in 2026, in a tournament that will be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Qatar brought a new perspective, a new vision of football, and FIFA has decided to re- view the system of competition at World Cup 2026. Specifically, fans in particular liked the compactness and the fact that all eight stadiums were located within a 50-kilometre radius. They are now seeking a way to replicate that atmosphere in Can- ada, the U.S. and Mexico. The initial idea was for there to be 18 groups of three teams, while now the discus- sion is of four groups of 12 teams each, and it is also possible for the national teams to be divided into two groups of 24, with the winners of each group meeting in the final.
Fudbaleri su priznali da im je boravak u Kataru bio olakšan i da bi voleli da i na narednim šampionatima bude ista slika The footballers admitted that they found their time in Qatar easier and that they’d like the same picture at the next world cup
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