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A stadium designed like a hat, one made of shipping containers and one in a tent-like structure - the World Cup stadiums will certainly be different in Qatar.

Eight stadiums are separated by roughly an hour's drive and 43 miles at most. Seven of the eight venues have been built from scratch for the tournament, with the other one also extensively redeveloped.

Six of the stadiums will have about half their seats taken up afterwards (and sent to developing countries), while a seventh will be dismantled.

Only one will be the home ground for a football team afterwards.

See our guide to the stadiums here.

Former Netherlands midfielder Clarence Seedorf spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live's Rick Edwards about whether he initially had reservations when Qatar were awarded the World Cup.

"Yeah, but I don't believe we need to go and look back. We need to look forward and what we have seen is a lot of progress with constructive criticism. And there has been a lot of progress.

"The world needs a great World Cup. The world needs peace, the world needs celebration, the world needs unity and we can continue to criticise a lot of things about others but as we speak in Europe, with this problem that we have for the war in Ukraine, we have discrimination among refugees in Europe.

"So I always think the same - we need to make sure that our own house is good before we start pointing fingers to others. No place is perfect. There's a lot to do still even here in Qatar but the thing I like is that they have improved many of the elements that were criticised."

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David Beckham
Former England captain

As an England player, we went into every World Cup after a gruelling season in the Premier League, which is one of the toughest leagues in the world. When you come to the end of the season, you’re exhausted and it takes a while to recover – more than a few weeks. This time, it will be mid-season, so this is perfect for English players – and other teams – who can go into the tournament with a real opportunity.

You always expect a high standard during the World Cup – but coming in mid-season, the standards are going to be even higher. The weather is going to be perfect, the stadiums are amazing, the facilities are amazing, the fans are going to have a great time. It’s set up perfectly.

My expectations for England are always high. Our fans will have high expectations – and rightly so. I feel Gareth [Southgate] has done an incredible job. We’ve got a team that’s been together for quite a few years.

You can’t really call them a young team any more – but many of the players are pretty young, while they also have experience in there with the likes of Harry Kane. I feel this is a real opportunity for us. We’re coming into the tournament in good form. We just have to keep that up.

The great and the good are starting to make their way into the Doha Exhibition & Conference Centre.

France's reigning World Cup winning manager Didier Deschamps is ready to go...

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Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez, a semi-finalist last time out, is also in place.

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Japan boss Hajime Moriyasu...

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Zlatko Dalic, the manager of 2018 finalists Croatia...

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Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand, who guided his team to the semi-finals of Euro 2020 last year...

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And Spain manager Luis Enrique is also in Doha. Not Manchester.

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This could very well be the last World Cup to involve either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi.

Portugal's Ronaldo will be 41 by the next World Cup in North America.

Argentine Messi will turn 39 that summer.

Can either of them win it for the first time?

Image source, Fifa

Skully: Starting with Pot 4 would only build excitement as the draw goes on. Never understand starting with Pot 1

BBC Radio 5 Live

Danish FA chief executive Jakob Jensen talking to BBC Radio 5 Live: "We do not think it was the correct decision to award Qatar with the World Cup.

"We want to use our voice to improve the human rights of migrant workers.

"We have already agreed with our commercial partners that we will not wear their logos during the World Cup and will instead promote a human rights message on our jerseys.

"None of our commerical partners will be doing what normally happens in a World Cup with big celebrations. We won't have them in Denmark.

"We feel with boycotting the tournament, we are the FA not foreign services. We want to play the World Cup.

"We want to use the voice we have to try to change things. A boycott is a thing to be decided by a government not a football association."

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

England have made a habit of qualifying for major tournaments in comfort and will approach the 2022 World Cup with confidence bolstered by reaching the semi-final in Russia in 2018 and the Euro 2020 Final. They still haven't made that final leap to actual success, though.

Germany are the group opponents they will not want but they can at least recall with satisfaction their first knockout win over them in 55 years in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals in June.

Still probably best avoided though.

Eight former players and managers will be conducting the draw, including World Cup winners Cafu, of Brazil, and Lothar Matthaus, of Germany.

The others will be Jay-Jay Okocha, Tim Cahill, Adel Ahmed MalAllah, Ali Daei, Bora Milutinovic and Rabah Madjer.

Ex-Everton midfielder Cahill scored Australia's first World Cup goal and played at four tournaments, while former Bolton playmaker Okocha helped Nigeria qualify for their first World Cup in 1994.

Serb Milutinovic is the only person to manage at five consecutive World Cups with different teams (Mexico 1986, Costa Rica 1990, USA 1994, Nigeria 1998 and China 2002).

MalAllah won Fifa World Youth Championship silver with Qatar in 1981 and played at the 1984 Olympics.

Madjer scored for Algeria in their 1982 World Cup win over West Germany, while Daei was the all-time men's top scorer in internationals with 112 until Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo overtook him last year.

Ex-England midfielder Jermain Jenas, former USA women's international Carli Lloyd and British TV presenter Samantha Johnson will conduct the draw.

Idris Elba and Reshmin Chowdhury are the hosts.

Terry Butcher
Ex-England captain on BBC Radio 4's Today show

The way that England are playing with the squad they've got and everything else they can really look forward to this competition.

They can go all the way and should not fear anybody else. I think they have got the players. They have got the temperament now.

They’ve played in the final of the Euros have been to the semi-final of the World Cup. I think they have got every chance. I’m not a betting man, but if I had a couple of quid I might just put it on England to win.

Uefa president Aleksandr Ceferin spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live about criticism of Qatar: "It's hard for me to judge. I was not involved very much but I think it's good to discuss many things and to see.

"As much as I'm informed, they improved a lot. Their situation changed but it's good that we speak about it. It should be as open as possible."

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Paul: With lowly Qatar, in effect, taking the place of a mighty Pot 1 seed in Germany, the other seven top seeds will be well miffed to draw the latter of the two

Mexico would have been the Pot 1 team if Qatar weren't there. Germany are only 12th in the world

Jimmy K: Why is no-one highlighting how unfair it is to Ukraine, Wales and Costa Rica that the WC draw is happening now? If any of those three nations qualify they should be seeded in Pot 3. But because FIFA did not delay the draw, they have been unfairly demoted to Pot 4

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It is increasingly likely that Scotland's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine will go ahead in June, a Ukrainian football expert has said.

The match had been due to be played at Hampden last week, with the winner then playing Wales for a place in the tournament in Qatar later this year.

It was rescheduled for June after Russia invaded, but there have been fears Ukraine would not be able to play.

Journalist Andrew Todos said he believed the game would go ahead.

Many of Ukraine's top international players play in their domestic league, and all men aged between 18-60 had been banned from leaving the country under its martial law rules.

However, Mr Todos told BBC Radio Scotland's Lunchtime Live programme that players from Dynamo Kyiv - one of Ukraine's biggest clubs - had now been given special permission by the ministry of sport to play friendly matches outside of the country.

Read more here.

Usually all the teams would be known before the World Cup draw but this year three positions are yet to be decided for two different reasons.

Two intercontinental finals will be played in Qatar on 13 and 14 June. Costa Rica and New Zealand meet in one and in the other Peru will play the winner of the United Arab Emirates v Australia, who meet in the Asian play-off in Doha on 7 June.

Those games were moved from March because of knock-on effects of the Covid pandemic in each continent. All the Oceania qualifiers were played from 17 to 30 March in a mini-tournament in Qatar.

One of the three European play-off routes has been delayed because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Scotland's semi-final against Ukraine at Hampden Park was postponed from March until an unspecified date in June when it is hoped Ukraine will be in a position to play.

The winner of that game will face Wales, who beat Austria in their semi-final, in Cardiff a few days later for a place at the World Cup.

Former England captain David Beckham is an ambassador for the Qatar World Cup.

"It’s a massive moment for everyone in Qatar and very inspiring. I’ve always talked about the legacy of the World Cup for Qatar - but also the legacy of the World Cup everywhere," he said.

"That’s what the World Cup brings to a nation - it’s an inspiring moment. For Qatar, it’s a chance to show off the country and its love of football, its history and culture. Having some of the biggest players in the sport descend on Qatar is a huge moment for the country and region.

"Fans are going to have a great experience. In the past, fans have had to travel between games but in Qatar, they’re going to be able to go to more than one match a day because it is such a compact tournament.

"I think the fans will enjoy what Qatar has to offer. There will be great food, a warm welcome from the local people and lots to see and enjoy besides the football."

The Sports Desk

With the spotlight on Qatar for the World Cup draw, the Sports Desk Team assess whether football can bring progress in a country blighted by human rights concerns.

We hear from a migrant worker on the tough conditions endured while building World Cup stadia and bring you a rare interview with the man in charge of delivering the tournament Hassan Al-Thawadi.

Plus, what should we expect from the players themselves? Should they use their platforms to address human rights concerns or focus on the football?

Listen to the views of England captain Harry Kane and Croatia midfielder Lovro Majer.

Download or listen to the show here.