Anirudh Thapa hoping to watch Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi play in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

Chennaiyin FC midfielder Anirudh Thapa feels that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar provides a huge chance for fans in India to watch the sport's greatest spectacle live. 

Given that two of football's all-time legends in Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi might be playing their final World Cup in 2022, Qatar 2022 is a must-visit tournament, according to Thapa. The midfielder himself is keen to travel to Qatar and watch the matches

The Portuguese superstar will be 37 and the Argentine wizard will be 35 when the tournament kicks off on November 21, 2022. Thapa does not want to miss the chance to watch the two legends live on the sport’s grandest stage. 

“If I am able to, if I don’t have any commitments, I will definitely go and watch the World Cup in Qatar. It is a lifelong dream to watch a World Cup and see the big teams play," he told Goal .

“Also, some of the legends are playing their final World Cup in 2022. So, I definitely want to go to Qatar and watch the World Cup if I’m able to.”

The 2022 edition will only be the second time the World Cup is held in Asia. The first time was back in 2002 when South Korea and Japan co-hosted the tournament. This time around, the tournament will be easily accessible for fans from India, given Qatar's accessibility for Indians and the excellent relation between the two countries. 

Qatar is also home to a sizeable Indian community and Thapa feels that this only makes it easier for Indians to travel and enjoy the World Cup, which begins in two years' time. 

“We have good relations with Qatar and there are a lot of Indians in Qatar. It should be very easy for us to travel to Qatar and watch the World Cup. I think it is possible that a lot of Indians will go and watch the games in 2022,” he said. 

Of course, the 2022 World Cup will also be unique with respect to the innovation and technology that will be on display for the first time ever. Qatar have already unveiled three venues for the World Cup that have cutting-edge features like the Advanced Cooling Tech that will ensure the climate inside the stadium is controlled and kept at comfortable levels. 

The facilities at the venues and practice pitches have also been described as ‘world-class’ by many legends of the game. Thapa also attests to the same, having experienced them first hand during India’s World Cup qualifier against Qatar in September 2019. The 23-year-old started and played a key role as India held the Asian champions in Doha.

He also had the chance to experience several training facilities which will be used for the World Cup as well. 

“The infrastructure in Qatar is absolutely amazing. I absolutely loved it. The stadium, the pitches were really nice and the surface is really smooth,” he said. “We haven’t experienced a proper football stadium in India but in Qatar, the stadium atmosphere was top-notch.”

Thapa, who has been to Europe on a training stint to Ligue 1 side FC Metz, feels the facilities in Qatar are better. 

“I’ve not been to Europe much but from whatever I saw in France, Italy and Holland, facilities in Qatar are comparatively world class. The infrastructure is one of the best in the entire world.”