FIFA World Cup Vocabulary for Beginners | All the Terms You Need to Know for the World Cup

Many of us believe that everyone knows about soccer, but this is not the case. That’s why in this article we will talk about FIFA World Cup vocabulary for beginners, essential vocabulary if you want to watch the 2022 World Cup.

If you are one of those who don’t know what the group stage is or don’t know the difference between a penalty kick or extra time, you desperately need to read this article. Mostly to understand certain things in case you meet up with your colleagues to cheer on your national team. Here we go!

FIFA World Cup Vocabulary for Qatar 2022

FIFA

FIFA is the abbreviation for Fédération Internationale de Football Association, which stands for Federation of International Football Associations. It is the governing body of soccer associations around the world.

It was founded on May 21, 1904, and is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. It is a member of the FIFA Council, better known in Spain as the F.A. Board International, the body in charge of changing the rules of the game.

FIFA is also responsible for organizing various types of Soccer World Cups, as well as Olympic championships in cooperation with the International Olympic Committee.

Qualifying Phase

The qualifying phase has been played since 1934. At this stage, the national teams that wish to participate in the tournament will face each other in a series of several matches.

To do so, participating soccer associations must be full members of FIFA and of one of the six continental confederations currently in existence.

Group Stage

The group stage will take place from November 20 to December 2, 2022, with matches every day. There will be four games each day, two from each group, at four different times so that all games can be watched without any problems. This is the stage prior to the round of 16. The pairings are drawn by lot.

Round of 16

There will be no rest after the group stage. The round of 16 begins on December 3 and will end on December 6, 2022. It will be played between the winners and runners-up of the group stage in two matches per day.

Quarterfinals

The quarters will be held on December 9 and 10. They will be played between the winners of the round of 16 in two games.

Semifinals

They will be played among the winners of the quarterfinals, leaving only four teams. They are played to one game and the winners of both will be the ones to participate in the final. If there is a tie, it will go to extra time and, if necessary, to penalties.

Final

This is the match that will determine the winner of the Qatar 2022 World Cup. It is a one game match and if there is a tie it goes to overtime. In the event of a tie, the game will be decided by penalty kicks.

Penalty

If a player commits one or more fouls in his penalty area during the match, the referee may penalize him by awarding a goal to the opposing team. Such severe fouls are called penalties.

This technique is also used to tie a match. In the first phase, the two teams alternate trying to score until each team has five shots on goal. If a team no longer has the opportunity to equal the number of goals of the other team, the team with the most goals wins.

If the tie continues after the first ten kicks (five for each team), both teams will go to a penalty shootout called “sudden death”.

The kick shall be taken from the penalty spot 11 meters from the goal, guarded only by the goalkeeper. The latter will be in charge of trying to stop the shot.

Extension

If there is a tie at the end of the allotted time, additional time may be added so that only one winner can be named. This time interval is called an extension.

In the world of soccer, extra time consists of two fifteen-minute quarters and is only used in matches that use the play-off system, while in the league its use is excluded. The game does not end until the additional thirty minutes have elapsed.

VAR or Video Assistance to the Referee

The video assistant referee, commonly known as VAR (Video Assistant Referee), is a video refereeing system and its implementation is gradually evolving.

It is a set of cameras mounted on the field that transmits live games to the room, helping a group of video assistants review the most controversial plays.

If you are looking for more of this type of content, we encourage you to follow us on TikTok, where you can find a lot of information about sports. Do you want to know more about this?