FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Overview

From FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 key dates to football injuries, their possible treatment plans, and preventive measures, here is all that every football enthusiast must know. The 22^nd edition of the FIFA World Cup is going to kick off on Sunday, November 20^th and the tournament is hosted by Qatar. This is the first time in history that Qatar is going to host the FIFA world cup. The opening match will be played at Al Bayt Stadium and the 1^st match will be played between Group A teams; Qatar and Ecuador. The final match of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be played on Sunday, December 18^th, 2022 at Lusail Stadium in Doha.

FIFA World Cup is one of the main events of football tournaments. The FIFA world cup has been organised for many years. The first edition of FIFA was organised in 1930 when Uruguay hosted the tournament and also won the title of the first FIFA champion. Brazil has won 5 titles of FIFA championships and is known as the most-time successful FIFA champion team. FIFA is organised after every four years and the recent FIFA was held in 2018 hosted by Russia and France won the title after beating Croatia. The following are the further details of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, including participating teams and tournament formats: 

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Participating Teams

A total of 32 teams with 8 groups of four are participating in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Format

In the first round of the tournament, 32 teams will play and only the top two teams of each group will survive. Those 16 group-stage teams will play a second round or round of 16. From this group of 16, the winning teams will qualify for quarterfinals, semi-finals, and final:

Indeed, football is considered the favourite sport in the world. There are several reasons that make football an exciting sport. For example, it involves physical and mental stamina, lots of winning strategies, and is easy to understand and learn. As well as this, football has become the top fun game to watch. Studies have revealed that a total of 3.5 billion football fans are in the world. But, at the same time, this exciting game comes with some notable cons. For example, it is a high-contact sport so injuries are possible in football.

Below are the details about the common injuries found in football. As well as this, we have also discussed the possible treatment plans for football injuries. Moreover, the article is concluded with ideas on how to prevent football injuries:

Common Football Injuries

As football is one of the high-contact sports, it may cause injuries to any part of your body. Football injuries are common in both, i.e., professional and amateur football players. Overuse, repetitive actions, traumatic conditions, colliding, and falling during practice or matches are the common causes of football injuries.

Studies have shown the injury incidents in football players, according to which injury rate in professional footballers is 8.1 injuries per 1000  hours of exposure; however, the game injury incidences are counted at 36 injuries per 1000 hours of exposure. This rate is almost 10 times higher than injury incidences during practice or training that are counted at 3.7 injuries per 1000 hours of exposure. The following are the common injuries reported in football:

1. Wrist fracture

The main reason for wrist pain or fracture in football is to falling on an outstretched arm or hand. Outstretching hand puts all the weight onto the palm or hand and hyperextends the wrist. Pain is the most common symptom of wrist fracture. However, other symptoms include swelling, tenderness, bruising, and an obvious deformity. Wearing wrist support braces is suggested to reduce the chances of injuries.

2. Ankle sprain

A football player involves in running, jumping, and side-to-side movements that may put repetitive stress on the ankles, causing an ankle sprain. Some severe conditions, such as falling, may also cause ankle fractures. The most common symptoms of an ankle sprain may include pain, tenderness, swelling, bruising, restricted range of motion and instability in the knees. You can wear ankle support braces to reduce the stress on your ankles during playing.

3. Knee ligament injuries

Ligaments are connective tissues that help connect bones. There are four knee ligaments, including the anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament, and lateral collateral ligament, that hold the thighbone to the shinbone. Knee ligament injuries occur when players take direct blows to the knees and change their directions suddenly while running. Pain and swelling around the knee joint are the common symptoms of knee ligament injuries. You may also experience the inability to put weight on the knee joint. Professional trainers suggest wearing knee support braces to reduce pain after an injury.

4. Calf strains

A calf strain is another common complaint in footballers and it occurs when someone suddenly moves or overstretches their calves after still standing. As well as this, abrupt stops, quick pivots, and jumps may also cause calf strains. Muscle pain when flexing and sudden pain in the back of the lower leg are common symptoms. Besides this, swelling and difficulty walking are other symptoms. Wearing calf compression sleeves helps reduce pain in athletes.

5. Achilles tendinitis

Repetitive or intense stress on the Achilles tendons can cause Achilles tendinitis. As footballers are involved in repetitive actions of their ankles or feet, Achilles tendinitis is common in them. Pain, swelling, and difficulty standing are the common symptoms of Achilles tendons. You need to wear foot support braces to protect your Achilles tendons.

Treatment plans for football injuries

Treatment plans may include conservative measures, nonsurgical, and surgical procedures, depending upon the severity of the injury:

Conservative measures

From mild to moderate symptoms or injuries, such as sprains, conservative measures are the best treatment options.

• Rest: Provide your injured areas with complete rest to avoid further injuries.
• Ice massage: Ice massage helps reduce swelling and pain.
• Compression: Compressing the injured area helps reduce swelling and promote healing.
• Elevating: Elevating the injured areas helps reduce pain and swelling.

Nonsurgical treatments

For some conditions, your GP or healthcare professionals may also suggest some nonsurgical treatments to reduce pain and other symptoms:

• Medicines: Taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs helps reduce pain and other discomforts.
• Immobilisation: Immobilising the injured areas helps avoid further injuries and promotes healing.
• Physical therapy: Physical therapy helps regain mobility and functioning.

Surgical treatments

For more severe conditions, such as fractures and others that do not respond to conservative measures or nonsurgical treatments, healthcare professionals suggest surgery. Surgery is used to repair or replace the injured tendons or ligaments and aligned the dislocated or broken bones. The surgical process is followed according to the needs or severity of the injury.

How to prevent football injuries?

Healthcare providers or professional coaches suggest some preventive measures that help you get a safe and injury-free practice or sports experience:

1. Body warm-up

Ensure that your body is fully warmed up before every practice session or competition. The warm-up helps increase blood flow to your muscles, helping prevent overuse injuries.

2. Wear proper footwear

Footballers involve in running, jumping, and other strenuous activities, so wearing proper footwear is essential to reduce the chances of falling.

3. Strengthen your lower limb

For professional footballers, it is essential to perform regular lower limb strengthening exercises. These exercises can include squats, calf raises, lunges, or deadlifts. This will help strengthen your calves, helping you perform well.

4. Eat a healthy diet

Eat a healthy diet and stay hydrated to fuel your body. You must follow the diet plans suggested by your professional trainers.

5. Get enough sleep

Ensure that you get plenty of rest between your practice session and matches. It will help your body to take enough time that it needs to repair.