THE World Cup is less than 50 days away and excitement levels are rising by the hour.

France are heading to Qatar as the defending champions following their thrilling performances in Russia.

Plenty of nations, though, are desperately hoping they can go all the way and lift the iconic trophy on December 18.

So SunSport has crunched the numbers ahead of the upcoming festival of football…

1 

This is the first World Cup to be staged in the Middle East and, as a result, the first winter World Cup due to the intense heat of the Qatari summer. 

The hosts are the only nation making their debut this year, kicking off the tournament against Ecuador on November 20.

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5

England are fifth in the Fifa world rankings behind Brazil, Belgium, Argentina and France. 

19 

Fans will be able to drink alcohol for a whopping 19 HOURS per day as part of the desert festival – but pints are expected to cost at least £8 each. 

26

The average temperature in Qatar in November will be around 26°C, dropping to around 21°C in December. 

The number of players allowed per squad is also increased by three to 26 – with all 15 reserves available from the bench.

32

This World Cup is the last with 32 teams across eight groups of four in Qatar – but next time in the USA, Canada and Mexico in 2026 there will be 48 nations involved. 

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45

The eight stadiums are crammed into a strip of just 45 miles down the east coast of Qatar with the Al Bayt Stadium in the north and Al Janoub in the south. 

64

Wales are competing at a World Cup for the second time in their history after Pele scored in their 1958 quarter-final in Sweden, a huge 64 years ago. 

115

The official England shirt will cost fans a staggering £115 – with a ‘stadium’ option available at £60. 

169 

There were 169 goals scored in 64 matches at the 2018 World Cup in Russia – an average of 2.64 per game – with Harry Kane’s six earning him the Golden Boot.

529

World Cup final tickets are always gold dust and the cheapest face-value ticket for this year’s was £529 – rising up to an eye-watering £1,408.

1966

England are aiming to win the World Cup for just the second time ever and first since Sir Alf Ramsey's heroes of 1966.

3,000

With so many fans flocking to the small state in the Persian Gulf, hotel prices have sky-rocketed up to around £3,000 per night at some hotels. 

6,175

The 32 countries will be competing to lift the famous gold trophy, designed by Italian Silvio Gazzaniga for the 1974 World Cup, which is 36.5cm tall and weighs 6,175g.

80,000 

The biggest stadium of the tournament is the Lusail Iconic Stadium, 23km north of Doha and will host ten matches including the final on December 18. 

2.45m

A huge 2.45million tickets have been sold for the tournament as more than 1m fans flock to the country. 

2.5m 

Qatar has a population of just 2.5m making it the 163rd-largest country in the world with residents spread across 11,000 sq km of land.

385m

The total prize pool for Qatar 2022 is £385m with £36m going to the champions. 

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5bn

It is expected the World Cup will be watched by a projected 5billion people around the world with nearly two-thirds of the planet tuning in. 

185bn

Qatar have splashed out a staggering £185bn to host the tournament including £33bn on the Doha Metro and £14bn on the Hamad International Airport – but just £6bn on the stadiums.

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