Qatar stages draw for World Cup amid protests
Coaches and soccer officials are gathering in Qatar for the draw for the Middle East’s first World Cup
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Coaches and soccer officials are gathering in Qatar for Friday's draw for the Middle East's first World Cup.
There will be 37 nations involved in the draw ceremony but five teams will ultimately not reach the tournament, which begins on Nov. 21.
The full lineup will not be known until at least June, when the intercontinental playoffs and the final European qualifiers are completed.
The show at the Doha Exhibition & Convention Center starts at 7 p.m. (1600 GMT) and lasts one hour. Teams will be split into eight groups of four, with 16 advancing from the group stage.
The day began with a protest outside FIFA headquarters in Zurich. German artist Volker-Johannes Trieb used balls filled with sand to protest against the suffering of migrant workers in Qatar who have worked on the infrastructure related to the World Cup.
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports