FIFA has unveiled the official emblem of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The emblem was projected onto a number of Doha’s landmark venues, such as the Katara Cultural Village Amphitheatre and Souq Waqif marketplace as well as the Al Zubara Fort, a World Heritage site.

Tuesday’s official launch of the 2022 World Cup logo coincided with Qatar’s Independence Day and was also shown at locations in Kuwait Towers, the Opera House in Algiers and Beirut’s Raouche Rock as well as in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

At the same time as the unveiling in Doha, giant screens displayed the emblem at venues around the world – including Canary Wharf and Leicester Square in London as well as Times Square in New York, at the Gare du Nord, Paris and Berlin Railway Station along with Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Mumbai, Mexico City, Moscow, Madrid, Turkey, South Africa and Seoul.

FIFA said the emblem’s “design embodies the vision of an event that connects and engages the entire world, while also featuring striking elements of local and regional Arab culture and allusions to the beautiful game.”

Swooping curves represent the “undulations of desert dunes” while the unbroken loop depicts both the number eight – which recognises the stadiums which will play host to World Cup matches – as well as the infinity symbol “reflecting the interconnected nature of the event”.

A detailed look at the FIFA World Cup 2022 official emblem
A detailed look at the FIFA World Cup 2022 official emblem (FIFA Handout/PA)

Echoing the shape of the World Cup trophy, the emblem’s central form takes inspiration from a traditional woollen shawl, which are worn during winter months – when the event will be held for the first time rather than summer – and takes inspiration from various cultures across Asia.

A new typeface had been created to accompany the emblem, which “reimagines traditional Arabic calligraphy in a new, contemporary font” and takes inspiration from the region.

The newly-built Al Janoub Stadium hosted its first match in May 2019, with six remaining venues scheduled to be completed before the end of 2020. These include the Lusail Stadium, where the opening game will be played on November 21 2022, as well as the final on December 18 2022.