2022 FIFA World Cup

The 2022 World Cup is the first ever world cup to be held during the winter, on November 21st to December 18th. There has been so much controversy over whether or not Qatar was the right place to hold the World Cup with all of the negative comments that have been made.

The place where the World Cup is being held this year is a very controversial subject. Qatar has never had a particularly good team in any of the other world cups. So it was weird to think that they would host the event. Many people claim that Qatar paid FIFA to be able to host the world cup, since they are rich…very rich. REUTERS states that “bribes were paid to secure votes when the hosting rights for the tournament were awarded 12 years ago.” Although many allegations like this have been made, Qatar still continues to deny any and all of those. 

Not only were the rights to host the world cup questioned, but also the way Qatar built all the tourist spots and the stadiums. REUTERS also states, “A 48-page report by Amnesty, Reality Check 2021, said that practices such as withholding salaries and charging workers to change jobs were still rife, despite labor reforms in 2014.”Qatar has been accused of using migrant workers to build all of their attractions and stadiums. They illegally used migrant workers; sometimes the workers would be forced to work without pay. BBC news says, “It said many workers lived in squalid accommodation, were forced to pay huge recruitment fees and had wages withheld and their passports confiscated.” BBC news also goes on to say how they were not allowed to leave unless given permission. Of course Qatar goes on to deny any of those allegations. 

There is also a very strict no tolerance for the  LGBTQ community and Women’s rights activities. People have been kicked out of the country for trying to stand up for LGBTQ and Women’s rights. “Homosexuality is illegal in the conservative Muslim country, and some soccer players have raised concerns for fans travelling to the event, especially lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals and women, who rights groups say Qatari laws discriminate against,” said REUTERS. This also brings up the question of, why would the people of FIFA let the World cup be held somewhere where not everyone is accepted?

Unfortunately because of all the drama with Qatar it has taken attention away from the actual tournament. Many underdog teams have been doing well this year. Morocco made it to the semi finals and they were not intimidated by Spain and Portugal, which were some of the favorites to win the world cup. Morocco also set a new record, for being the first ever African Nation to make it to the semi finals of the world cup. Although Saudi Arabia did not make it past the group stage of the world cup, they also had their time of glory where they beat Argentina, who is now on their way to the final. Another surprising team is Croatia, and how they managed to beat a powerhouse like Brazil who was one of the most favored teams to win, if not the most favored team to win. Considering that last time Croatia made it to the finals it was their first time, making it again is very surprising.