Argentina captain Lionel Messi said Thursday that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will "surely" be the last of his career.

Fifty days before the World Cup kicks off in Qatar, workers are pouring concrete and hammering through the night to ready luxury hotels and bargain apartments for a million or more football fans.

Tickets for two games featuring Lionel Messi's Argentina have been the top attractions for fans at this year's World Cup in Qatar, according to the chief organiser.

Organisers have sold 2.45 million tickets for this year's World Cup in Qatar, world soccer governing body FIFA said on Thursday, with more than half a million of them sold in the last sales period from July 5-16.

The opening match for this year's World Cup in Qatar will be brought forward by one day to November 20, senior football sources told AFP on Wednesday.