Back to the DC United Newsfeed

The complicated legacy of Qatar’s World Cup

Related Topics: Qatar, FIFA World Cup, FIFA

November 8, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. EST

(Illustration by Joey Guidone for The Washington Post)

Listen

12 min

Comment

Save

In 2010, when FIFA announced that Qatar would host the 2022 World Cup, the news spurred celebration in that nation — and trepidation around the globe. Qatar lacked infrastructure, faced extreme summer heat and had a dubious human rights record. But officials from FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, and Qatar insisted those issues wouldn’t just be overcome but would be improved by the arrival of the world’s most popular sporting event.