Italy, the four-time winners and reigning European champions, failed to qualify for a second successive World Cup for the first time in their history.
Wales made their first appearance in 64 years – a record gap for a European team,
Their only previous participation have been in 1958.
The previous World Cup hosts, Russia, were disqualified from competing due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Egypt, Panama, Colombia, Peru, Iceland and Sweden, all of whom qualified for the 2018 World Cup, did not qualify for the 2022 tournament.
Qatar is the only team making their debut in the FIFA World Cup.
It became the first hosts to make their tournament debut since Italy in 1934.
As a result, the 2022 tournament is the first World Cup in which none of the teams that earned a spot through qualification were making their debut.
The Netherlands, Ecuador, Ghana, Cameroon and the United States returned to the tournament after missing the 2018 tournament.
Canada returned after 36 years, their only prior appearance being in 1986.
The 2026 World Cup will be held across three different countries, the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Brazil is the country with the most titles and the only one to have competed in every competition.
Brazil won five FIFA World Cup titles.
Miroslav Klose, a German player who scored 16 goals in four seasons, owns the record for the most goals scored in FIFA World Cups (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014).
Al Rihla is the first World Cup ball to be made exclusively with water-based inks and glues.
Al Rihla was to be used in the event until the quarterfinals.
Al Hilm' replaced Al Rihla FIFA WC 2022 semi-finals and final.
Al Rihla means ‘the journey’, a reference to a travelogue written by Ibn Battuta, the 14th-century explorer.
Pakistan produces more than 2/3rd of the world's footballs, with Sialkot being the hub of manufacturing.