The2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22ndFIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for nationalfootball teams organised byFIFA. It took place inQatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in 2010.[2] It was the first World Cup to be held in theMiddle East and theArabian Peninsula, and the second in an Asian country after the2002 tournament inSouth Korea andJapan.[A]
This tournament was the last with 32 participating teams, with the number of teams being increased to 48 for the2026 World Cup. To avoid the extremes ofQatar's hot and humid climate in summers,[3] the event was held in November and December, becoming the first one to take place outside the traditional months of May, June, and July.[3][4] It was held over a reduced time frame of 29 days with 64 matches played ineight venues acrossfive cities.Qatar entered the event—their first World Cup—automatically as the host's national team, alongside 31 teams determined by thequalification process.
Morocco made history by becoming the first African nation to reach the semi-final of a World Cup, falling short 0–2 againstFrance.[5]Argentina were crowned the champions after winningthe final against thetitle holderFrance 4–2 on penalties following a 3–3 draw after extra time. It was Argentina's third title and their first since1986. Argentina were the first nation from outside of Europe to win the tournament since2002. French playerKylian Mbappé became the first player to score ahat-trick in a World Cup final sinceGeoff Hurst in the1966 final and won theGolden Boot as he scored the most goals (eight) during the tournament. Mbappé also became the first player to score in two consecutive finals sinceVavá of Brazil did the same in 1958 and 1962.
Argentine captainLionel Messi was voted the tournament's best player, winning his secondGolden Ball. The tournament has been considered exceptionally poetic as the capstone of his career, with the win fulfilling for some commentators a previously unmet criterion to be regarded as the greatest player of all time.[6] TeammatesEmiliano Martínez andEnzo Fernández won theGolden Glove, awarded to the tournament's bestgoalkeeper, and theYoung Player Award, awarded to the tournament's best young player, respectively. With 172 goals, the tournament set a record for the highest number of goals scored in the 32-team format, with every participating team scoring at least one goal.
TheFIFA World Cup is a professional football tournament held between national football teams, organised byFIFA.[15][16] The tournament, held every four years, wasfirst played in 1930 in Uruguay,[17] and has been contested by 32 teams since the1998 event.[17] The tournament was contested with eightround-robin groups followed by aknockout round for 16 teams.[18] The defending champions wereFrance, who defeatedCroatia 4–2 in the2018 FIFA World Cup Final.[19][20] The event was scheduled to take place under a reduced length,[21] from 20 November to 18 December in Qatar.[22][23][24] Being held in Qatar, it was the first World Cup tournament to be held in theArab world.[25] Spectators were not required to follow mostCOVID-19 restrictions such as social distancing, wearing masks, and negative tests.[26]
Schedule
Unlike previous FIFA World Cups, which are typically played in June and July, because ofQatar's intense summer heat and often fairly high humidity,[3][23][27] the 2022 World Cup was played in November and December.[7][28] As a result, the World Cup was unusually staged in the middle of the seasons of many domestic association football leagues, which started in late July or August, including all of the major European leagues, which had been obliged to incorporate extended breaks into their domestic schedules to accommodate the World Cup. Major European competitions had scheduled their respective competitions group matches to be played before the World Cup, to avoid playing group matches the following year.[29]
The match schedule was confirmed by FIFA on 15 July 2020.[30] The group stage was set to begin on 21 November, with four matches every day. Later, the schedule was tweaked by moving the Qatar vs Ecuador game to 20 November, after Qatar lobbied FIFA to allow their team to open the tournament.[31][32][33] The final was played on 18 December 2022,National Day, atLusail Stadium.[30][34] Unlike previous tournaments where the match venues and kick-off times for each fixture were set prior to the draw, the assignment of group fixtures for each matchday to a specific venue and kick-off time was only made after the final draw, with the teams of each specific fixture known. This was due to the close proximity of the venues, which allowed the organisers to optimise stadium allocation for spectators and kick-off times for television audiences.[30]
The matches for each group were allocated to the following stadiums:[34]
FIFA confirmed the group stage venue and kick-off times on 1 April 2022, following the draw.[35][36]
Prize money
In April 2022, FIFA announced the prizes for all participating nations. Each qualified team received $1.5 million before the competition to cover preparation costs with each team receiving at least $9 million in prize money. This edition's total prize pool was $440 million, $40 million greater than the prize pool of theprevious tournament.[37]
Place
Teams
Amount (in millions)
Per team
Total
Champions
1
$42
$42
Runners-up
1
$30
$30
Third place
1
$27
$27
Fourth place
1
$25
$25
5th–8th place (quarter-finals)
4
$17
$68
9th–16th place (round of 16)
8
$13
$104
17th–32nd place (group stage)
16
$9
$144
Total
32
$440
Rule changes
The tournament featured newsubstitution rules whereby teams could make up to five substitutions in normal time, and an additional substitution inextra time.[38][39][40] In addition, it was the first World Cup to featureconcussion substitutions, whereby each team was permitted to use a maximum of one concussion substitute during a match. A concussion substitution did not count towards a team's quota of regular substitutions.[41] Iranian goalkeeperAlireza Beiranvand suffered a concussion inhis country's opening match against England and was replaced byHossein Hosseini. This was the first use of a dedicated concussion substitute during a World Cup.[42]
Russian PresidentVladimir Putin handing over the symbolic relay baton for the hosting rights of the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar's EmirTamim bin Hamad Al Thani in June 2018.
AfterUEFA were guaranteed to host the 2018 event, members of UEFA were no longer in contention to host in 2022.[47] There were five bids remaining for the 2022 FIFA World Cup: Australia, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, and the United States.The 22-memberFIFA Executive Committee convened inZürich, Switzerland, on 2 December 2010 to vote to select the hosts of both tournaments.[48] Two FIFA executive committee members were suspended before the vote in relation to allegations of corruption regarding their votes.[49] The decision to host the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which was graded as having "high operational risk",[50] generated criticism from media commentators.[51] It was criticised by many as being part of the FIFA corruption scandals,[52] which led to the2015 FIFA corruption case.
At an estimated cost of over $220 billion,[54] it is the most expensive World Cup ever held to date; this figure is disputed by Qatari officials, including organisingCEO Nasser Al Khater, who said the true cost was $8 billion, and other figures related to overall infrastructure development since the World Cup was awarded to Qatar in 2010.[55]
Seven of the eight venues, includingLusail Stadium, the venue for the final, were new stadiums built specifically for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The eighth was heavily renovated.
The first five proposed venues for the World Cup were unveiled at the beginning of March 2010. Qatar intended that the stadiums should reflect its history and culture, and for the designs to meet the following terms of reference: legacy, comfort, accessibility, and sustainability.[56] The stadiums were equipped with cooling systems that aim to reduce temperatures within the stadium by up to 20 °C (36 °F).[57][58]
Their marketing included statements describing the stadiums aszero waste, and the upper tiers of the stadiums will be disassembled after the World Cup and donated to countries with less developed sports infrastructure.[57][58] Qatar aspired to be compliant and certified by theGlobal Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) for all the World Cup stadiums. All of the five stadium projects launched were designed by German architectAlbert Speer & Partners.[59] The Al Bayt and Al Wakrah stadiums were the only indoor stadiums of the eight used.[60]
Some venues, such as the 68,000-seatAl Bayt Stadium, were planned to have their upper tiers of seating removed to reduce capacity after the tournament, however this is yet to happen.
In an April 2013 report byMerrill Lynch, the organisers in Qatar requested that FIFA approve a smaller number of stadiums due to the growing costs.[61]Bloomberg said that Qatar wished to cut the number of venues to eight or nine from the twelve originally planned.[62] By April 2017, FIFA had yet to finalise the number of stadiums Qatar must have readied in five years' time. Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) said it expected there would be eight in and nearDoha, with the exception of Al Khor.[63][64]
Eight stadiums in five Qatari cities were built or renovated for the FIFA World Cup. Between 2010 (when Qatar were announced as hosts) and 2022, seven of the eight stadiums were built (some in place of older, outdated venues) and theKhalifa International Stadium was renovated for the tournament.
Al Khor: Al Bayt Stadium (new). The first piles were driven into the ground in 2014. On 30 November 2021 it hosted its first match.
Lusail: Lusail Stadium (new). The construction of the stadium was started on 11 April 2017. It was completed on 21 November 2021.
Al Rayyan: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium (new). The stadium was built on the demolishedformer stadium site. It was commissioned on 18 December 2020.
Al Rayyan: Education City Stadium (new). It was completed on 15 June 2020.
Al Rayyan: Khalifa International Stadium (heavily renovated). The largest stadium in the country at the time, it was closed for renovation in 2014. It was commissioned in May 2017.
Doha: Al Thumama Stadium (new). Construction was completed on 21 October 2021.
Doha: Stadium 974 (new). Construction commenced in 2018. It was completed on 30 November 2021 and had hosted some of the matches in 2021 FIFA Arab Cup.
Al Wakrah: Al Janoub Stadium (new). Construction officially started in 2014 and was completed on 16 May 2019.
Of these eight stadiums, all but two have since been either dismantled, or have been moderately or heavily modified. TheStadium 974 was supposed to be dismantled after the tournament; as of November 2024 however, this has not happened and the stadium has sat abandoned in its original site—this stadium was the first planned temporary stadium ever used for a FIFA World Cup.[65]Lusail Stadium,Al Bayt Stadium,Ahmad bin Ali Stadium,Education City Stadium,Al Thumama Stadium andAl Janoub Stadium will be moderately or heavily modified as reduce their capacity by half.[66] TheKhalifa International Stadium (latter along with theStadium 974) are the only largely unmodified stadium that were used for this tournament.
Base camps were used by the 32 national squads to stay and train before and during the World Cup tournament. In July 2022, FIFA announced the hotels and training sites for each participating team.[83][84] This World Cup was the most compact since the inaugural editionin 1930, with 24 of the 32 teams being within a10 km radius of each other, and are concentrated within theDoha Area. It was the first Cup since 1930 in which players did not need to take flights to matches and could remain at the same training base throughout the entire tournament.[85][86]
The Qatari government employed about 50,000 security personnel, including police departments and military forces. These personnel came from at least thirteen countries, including Poland, Germany, France, Kuwait, Jordan, Italy, Palestine, Spain, Pakistan (4,500 Army troops), Turkey (3,000 riot police personnel), USA, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.[87][88][89]
TheQatari national team, as hosts, qualified automatically for the tournament. They still participated in the Asian qualifying stage as the first two rounds also acted asqualification for the2023 AFC Asian Cup.[90] Since Qatar reached the final stage as winners in their group,Lebanon, the fifth-best second place team, advanced instead.[91] Qatar were the only team making their debut in the FIFA World Cup, becoming the first hosts to make their tournament debut sinceItaly in1934.
Of the 32 nations qualified to play at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, 24 countries competed at the previous tournament in 2018,[92] includingFrance (the reigningWorld Cup champions,[93] who qualified for the event through European qualification rather than automatically as champions.
The qualified teams, listed by region, with numbers in parentheses indicating final positions in theFIFA Men's World Ranking before the tournament were:[104]
Before submitting their final squad for the tournament, teams named a provisional squad of up to 55 players. Teams were required to have their 55-player roster submitted to FIFA by 21 October.[105] Teams were required to name their final squads by 13 November.[106] In August 2022, FIFA increased the final squad size to 26 players from a total of 23 players at the2018 World Cup.[107] All teams had a total of 26 players in their final squads except forFrance andIran, who chose 25 players.[108][109]
For the draw, 32 teams were allocated into four pots based on theFIFA Men's World Rankings of 31 March 2022.[115] Pot 1 contained host Qatar (who were automatically assigned to position A1) and the best seven teams. Pot 2 contained the next best eight teams, with the next best eight teams into pot 3. Pot 4 contained the five lowest-ranked teams, along with the placeholders for the two inter-confederation play-off winners and the UEFA Path A play-off winner. Teams from the same confederation could not be drawn into the same group except for UEFA teams, for which there was at least one and no more than two per group.[116]
This principle also applied to the placeholder teams, with constraints applying based on the confederation of both potential winners of each play-off tie. The draw started with pot 1 and ended with pot 4, with each team selected then allocated into the first available group alphabetically. The position for the team within the group would then be drawn (for the purpose of thematch schedule), with the pot 1 teams automatically drawn into position 1 of each group.[116] The pots for the draw are shown below.[117]
The eight groups were formed randomly, selecting one team from each of the four pots. Two teams from the same confederation could not be placed into the same group, with the exception of UEFA teams, where up to two teams could be in the same group. The only team whose position in the draw was predetermined was the host Qatar, who were placed into position A1.
In May 2022, FIFA announced the list of 36 referees, 69 assistant referees, and 24video assistant referees for the tournament. Of the 36 referees, FIFA included two each from Argentina, Brazil, England, and France.[119][120]
For the first time women referees officiated games at a major men's tournament.[121] France'sStéphanie Frappart,Salima Mukansanga from Rwanda, andYoshimi Yamashita from Japan became the first female referees to be appointed to a men's World Cup.[122] Frappart previously oversaw the2019 FIFA Women's World Cup Final.[123] They were joined by three female assistant referees, Neuza Back, Kathryn Nesbitt, and Karen Díaz Medina. Frappart then officially became the first-ever female referee to officiate a World Cup match when she worked theCosta Rica vs Germany match inGroup E on 1 December.[124]
The group stage was played from 20 November to 2 December.[137] Competing countries were divided into eight groups of four teams (groups A to H). Teams in each group played one another in around-robin, where the top two teams advanced to theknockout stage.
Tie-breaking criteria for group play
The ranking of teams in the group stage was determined as follows:[138]
Points obtained in all group matches;
Goal difference in all group matches;
Number of goals scored in all group matches;
Points obtained in the matches played between the teams in question;
Goal difference in the matches played between the teams in question;
Number of goals scored in the matches played between the teams in question;
Fair play points in all group matches (only one deduction could be applied to a player in a single match):
Yellow card: −1 points;
Indirect red card (second yellow card): −3 points;
The first match of the tournament was held between Qatar and Ecuador in Group A. Ecuador had a disallowed goal in the opening minutes,[139] but eventually won 2–0 with two goals fromEnner Valencia.[140] Qatar became the first host nation to lose their opening match at a World Cup.[141][142][143] Many Qatar natives were seen leaving the game before the end, withESPN reporting that two-thirds of the attendance had left.[144][145] The other starting match in group A was won by the Netherlands 2–0 over Senegal.Cody Gakpo scored the opening goal in the 84th minute andDavy Klaassen added a second in stoppage time.[146] Senegal faced Qatar in the third match of the group;Boulaye Dia capitalised on a slip byBoualem Khoukhi to put Senegal 1–0 ahead.Famara Diédhiou scored a second with a header, beforeMohammed Muntari scored Qatar's first-ever goal at a World Cup to reduce the deficit back to one. Senegal eventually won the match 3–1 after an 84th-minute goal byBamba Dieng. With this result, Qatar became the first team to be eliminated from the tournament, as well as becoming the first host nation to ever be knocked out of the tournament after two games.[147] Gakpo scored his second goal of the tournament as the Netherlands led Ecuador; however, Valencia scored an equaliser in the 49th minute.[148] The Netherlands won 2–0 against Qatar following goals by Gakpo andFrenkie de Jong to win the group, while Qatar attained the distinction of being the first home nation to lose all three group matches.[149] Senegal faced Ecuador to determine the second knockout round qualifier. At the end of the first half,Ismaïla Sarr scored a penalty kick to put Senegal ahead. In the 67th minute,Moisés Caicedo scored an equaliser, but shortly after,Kalidou Koulibaly gave Senegal the victory. The win was enough to qualify Senegal as the runners-up of Group A.[150]
England completed a 6–2 victory over Iran. Iranian keeperAlireza Beiranvand was removed from the game for a suspectedconcussion before England scored three first-half goals.[151]Mehdi Taremi scored in the second half after which England defenderHarry Maguire was also removed for a concussion.[151]Timothy Weah, of the United States, scored a first-half goal against Wales; however, the match finished as a draw after a penalty kick was won and scored byGareth Bale.[152] Iran defeated Wales 2–0 following a red card to Welsh goalkeeperWayne Hennessey after he committed a foul outside of hispenalty area. SubstituteRouzbeh Cheshmi scored the first goal eight minutes into stoppage time, followed byRamin Rezaeian scoring three minutes later.[153] England and the United States played to a 0–0 draw, with only four shots on target between them, and one shot from Christian Pulisic hit the crossbar.[154] England won the group following a 3–0 win over Wales with a goal byPhil Foden and two byMarcus Rashford.[155] With the United States needing no less than a win to advance,Christian Pulisic scored the winning goal while colliding with the opposing goalkeeper as the United States defeated Iran 1–0 to qualify for the round of 16.[156]
Argentina took an early lead against Saudi Arabia afterLionel Messi scored a penalty kick after ten minutes; however, second-half goals bySaleh Al-Shehri andSalem Al-Dawsari won the match 2–1 for Saudi Arabia,[157] a result the media considered one of the biggest upsets in the history of the event.[158][159] The match between Mexico and Poland ended as a goalless 0–0 draw afterGuillermo Ochoa savedRobert Lewandowski's penalty kick attempt.[160] Lewandowski scored his first career World Cup goal in a 2–0 win over Saudi Arabia four days later.[161][162] Argentina defeated Mexico 2–0, with Messi scoring the opener and later assisting teammateEnzo Fernández who scored his first international goal.[163][164] Argentina won their last game against Poland with goals fromAlexis Mac Allister andJulián Álvarez, which was enough to win the group;[165] Poland qualified for the knockout stage on goal difference, thanks to Saudi Arabia scoring an injury-time consolation goal against Mexico in a match already lost.[166]
The match between Denmark and Tunisia ended as a goalless draw; both teams had goals disallowed by offside calls.[167] Danish midfielderChristian Eriksen made his first major international appearance since suffering a cardiac arrest at theUEFA Euro 2020.[167] Defending champions France went a goal behind to Australia, after aCraig Goodwin goal within ten minutes. France, however, scored four goals, byAdrien Rabiot,Kylian Mbappé and two byOlivier Giroud to win 4–1.[168] The goals tied Giroud withThierry Henry as France's all-time top goalscorer.[168]Mitchell Duke scored the only goal as Australia won against Tunisia. This was their first World Cup win since 2010.[169][170] Mbappé scored a brace as France defeated Denmark 2–1. This was enough for France to qualify for the knockout round—the first time since Brazil in 2006 that the defending champions progressed through the opening round.[169][171]Mathew Leckie scored the only goal as Australia defeated Denmark 1–0, qualifying for the knockout round as runners-up with the win.[172]Wahbi Khazri scored for Tunisia against France in the 58th minute. AlthoughAntoine Griezmann equalised in stoppage time it was overturned for offside. Tunisia finished third in the group, as they required a draw in the Denmark and Australia game.[173]
Group E began with Japan facing2014 champions Germany. After an early penalty kick was converted by Germany'sİlkay Gündoğan, Japan scored two second-half goals byRitsu Dōan andTakuma Asano in a 2–1 win.[174] In the second group match, Spain defeated Costa Rica 7–0. First-half goals byDani Olmo,Marco Asensio, andFerran Torres were followed by goals byGavi,Carlos Soler,Alvaro Morata, and a second by Torres.[175][176] This was the largest defeat in a World Cup since Portugal's victory over North Korea in the2010 event by the same scoreline.[177] Costa Rica defeated Japan 1–0, withKeysher Fuller scoring with Costa Rica's first shot on target of the tournament.[178] Germany and Spain drew 1–1, withÁlvaro Morata scoring for Spain andNiclas Füllkrug scoring for Germany.[179][180][181] Morata scored the opening goal for Spain against Japan as they controlled the first half of the match.[182] Japan equalised onRitsu Doan before a second goal byAo Tanaka was heavily investigated by VAR for the ball potentially being out of play.[183] The goal was awarded, and Japan won the group following a 2–1 win. Disputes over the VAR's call was only settled when theAssociated Press released an iconicbird's eye photo of the ball after the match.[183]Serge Gnabry scored on ten minutes for Germany against Costa Rica and they led until half-time. Germany required a win, and for Japan to not win their match, or for both teams to win their matches by a combined goal difference of at least 9 goals, to qualify. In the second half, goals byYeltsin Tejeda andJuan Vargas gave Costa Rica a 2–1 lead, which would have qualified them into the knockout stages ahead of Spain. Germany scored three further goals—two byKai Havertz and a goal byNiclas Fullkrug, ending in a 4–2 win for Germany—which was not enough to qualify them for the final stages. This was the second time in a row that the four-time champions failed to progress past the group stages.[184] Japan won the group ahead of Spain.[185]
Group F's first match was a goalless draw between Morocco and Croatia.[186] Canada had a penalty kick in the first half of their match against Belgium which was saved byThibaut Courtois. Belgium won the match by a single goal byMichy Batshuayi.[187][188] Belgium lost 2–0 to Morocco, despite Morocco having a long-rangedirect free kick goal byHakim Ziyech overturned for an offside on another player in the lead up to the goal. Two second-half goals fromZakaria Aboukhlal andRomain Saïss helped the Morocco win their first World Cup match since 1998.[189][190] The match sparked riots in Belgium, with fires and fireworks being set off by residents.[191]Alphonso Davies scored Canada's first World Cup goal to give Canada the lead over Croatia. Goals byMarko Livaja,Lovro Majer, and two byAndrej Kramarić for Croatia completed a 4–1 victory.[192] Morocco scored two early goals throughHakim Ziyech andYoussef En-Nesyri in their game against Canada and qualified following a 2–1 victory. Canada's only goal was anown goal byNayef Aguerd.[193] Croatia and Belgium played a goalless draw which eliminated Belgium, whose team was ranked second in the world, from the tournament.[194]
Breel Embolo scored the only goal in Switzerland's 1–0 defeat of Cameroon.[195]Richarlison scored two goals as Brazil won against Serbia, with star playerNeymar receiving an ankle injury.[196] Cameroon'sJean-Charles Castelletto scored the opening goal against Serbia, but they were quickly behind as Serbia scored three goals byStrahinja Pavlović,Sergej Milinković-Savić, andAleksandar Mitrović either side of half time. Cameroon, however, scored goals throughVincent Aboubakar andEric Maxim Choupo-Moting, completing a 3–3 draw.[197] An 83rd-minute winner byCasemiro for Brazil over Switzerland was enough for them to qualify for the knockout stage.[198] Having already qualified, Brazil were unable to win their final group game, as they were defeated by Cameroon 1–0 following a goal byVincent Aboubakar. Already having ayellow card, he was later sent off for removing his shirt in celebrating the goal.[199] Cameroon, however, did not qualify, as Switzerland defeated Serbia 3–2.[200]
Uruguay and South Korea played to a goalless draw.[201] A goalless first half between Portugal and Ghana preceded a penalty converted byCristiano Ronaldo to give Portugal the lead. In scoring the goal, Ronaldo became the first man to score in five World Cups. Ghana responded with a goal byAndré Ayew before goals byJoão Félix, andRafael Leão by Portugal put them 3–1 ahead.Osman Bukari scored in the 89th minute to trail by a single goal, whileIñaki Williams had a chance to equalise for Ghana ten minutes into stoppage time, but slipped before shooting. The match finished 3–2 to Portugal.[202] GhanaianMohammed Salisu opened the scoring against South Korea, withMohammed Kudus following it up. In the second half,Cho Gue-sung scored a brace for South Korea, levelling the score. Mohammed Kudus scored again in the 68th minute, winning the match 3–2 for Ghana.[203] Portugal defeated Uruguay 2–0 with two goals fromBruno Fernandes, advancing them to the knockout stage.[204] A controversial penalty decision was called late in the game, with a suspected handball fromJosé María Giménez.[205][206] Portugal led South Korea throughRicardo Horta after 10 minutes. However, goals byKim Young-gwon andHwang Hee-chan won the match 2–1 for South Korea.[207]Giorgian de Arrascaeta scored two goals as Uruguay defeated Ghana 2–0.[208] However, with South Korea winning, Uruguay required another goal to progress as they finished third on goals scored.[209] Several Uruguay players left the pitch after the game surrounding the referees and followed them off the pitch.[210][211][212]
In the knockout stage, if the scores were equal when normal playing time expired,extra time was played for two periods of 15 minutes each. This was followed, if required, by apenalty shoot-out to determine the winners.[138]
The quarter-finals were played on 9 and 10 December.[34] Croatia and Brazil ended 0–0 after 90 minutes and went to extra time. Neymar scored for Brazil in the 15th minute of extra time. Croatia, however, equalised throughBruno Petković in the second period of extra time. With the match tied, a penalty shootout decided the contest, with Croatia winning the shootout 4–2.[222][223] In the second quarter-final match,Nahuel Molina and Messi scored for Argentina beforeWout Weghorst equalised with two goals shortly before the end of the game. The match went to extra time and then penalties, where Argentina would go on to win 4–3.[224] Morocco defeated Portugal 1–0, withYoussef En-Nesyri scoring at the end of the first half. Morocco became the first African and the first Arab nation to advance as far as the semi-finals of the competition.[225] DespiteHarry Kane scoring a penalty for England, it was not enough to beat France, who won 2–1 by virtue of goals fromAurélien Tchouaméni andOlivier Giroud and a late missed penalty by Kane, sending them to their second consecutive World Cup semi-final and becoming the first defending champions to reach this stage since Brazil in 1998.[226][227]
The semi-finals were played on 13 and 14 December.[34] Messi scored a penalty kick beforeJulián Álvarez scored twice to give Argentina a 3–0 victory over Croatia.[228]Théo Hernandez scored after five minutes as France led Morocco for most of the game.Randal Kolo Muani scored in the 78th minute to complete a 2–0 victory for France over Morocco as they reached their second consecutive final.[229]
The third place play-off was played on 17 December. The two teams had played against each other in theiropening game in Group F which finished 0–0.Joško Gvardiol promptly scored for Croatia, withAchraf Dari equalising just 2 minutes later.Mislav Oršić scored the winner for Croatia as the match finished 2–1.[230] Morocco earned 4th place, a record for the team and the best World Cup finish of any African or Arab nation.[231]
The final was played on 18 December between Argentina and France. Both teams had won the event twice previously.[232] Early goals from Lionel Messi andÁngel Di María gave Argentina, leading 2–0, a head start against the French.[232][233] Despite substitutions in the first half, France did not record a shot until after the 70th minute but were energised by additional substitutions in the 71st. A few minutes later, France were awarded a penalty asRandal Kolo Muani was brought down in the penalty area byNicolás Otamendi. Mbappé scored the penalty and added a second goal less than two minutes later to equalise the scores.[233] With the score tied at two goals apiece, the match went to extra time. Messi scored his second goal in the 108th minute, once again giving Argentina the lead. However, Mbappé was awarded a second penalty in the 115th minute after his shot hit the arm ofGonzalo Montiel. Mbappé scored his third goal, becoming the second player ever to complete ahat-trick in the final of a World Cup afterGeoff Hurst for England in1966.[233] With the score tied at 3–3, the match was determined via a penalty shootout. Argentina won the final after scoring all of their penalties, winning 4–2.[233] This marked their third World Cup win and their first since1986, and also the second team (afterSpain in2010) to win the tournament after having lost their opening game.[233]
A player is automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:[138]
Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious offences)
Receiving two yellow cards in two matches; yellow cards expire after the completion of the quarter-finals (yellow card suspensions are not carried forward to any other future international matches)
The following suspensions were served during the tournament:
Additionally, FIFA.com shortlisted 10 goals for users to vote on as the tournament's best. The award was won by Brazil'sRicharlison for his second goal in thegroup stage match against Serbia.[249]
Marketing
Branding
The official emblem was designed by Unlock Brands[250] and unveiled in September 2019, during simultaneous events at theDoha Tower,Katara Cultural Village amphitheatre,Msheireb Downtown Doha, andZubarah. It is based on ashawl (reflecting upon the tournament's late-Autumn scheduling) and desertdunes, and was shaped to resemble thetournament trophy, theinfinity symbol, and the number "8"—reflecting upon the "interconnected" event and the eight host stadiums. The typography of the emblem'swordmark incorporatedkashida—the practice of elongating certain parts of characters inArabic script to provide typographical emphasis.[251][252][253]
H.E Ambassador Dr. Hend Al-Muftah, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Office at Geneva, explained toWIPO Magazine that the tournament provided an opportunity to "promote our culture and showcase our signature hospitality in a multicultural environment", and highlighted that the country hasused sports to demonstrate its "commitment to sustainable development, social inclusion and the values of community and mutual respect among peoples from different cultures and nations."[254]
Electronic Arts' licensed video gamesFIFA Mobile andFIFA 23 (except onNintendo Switch) received free updates with tie-in content for the 2022 World Cup on 8 and 9 November 2022, respectively. The update forFIFA 23 added World Cup-themed tournament modes with all teams and two of the stadiums from the event, campaigns and World Cup-themed unlockable content for Ultimate Team mode, and real-time squad and fixture updates during the tournament.[255]
On 24 August 2022, thePanini Group produced themed stickers and asticker album for a 14th consecutive World Cup. This year, rare cards with coloured borders were included and could be collected,traded, or sold.[256]
On 12 April 2022,FIFA released anover-the-top media service and app revolving around the World Cup called FIFA+, where fans could play games, predict matches, and compete with others.[257]
In May 2022, Infantino projected that the 2022 FIFA World Cup could be the most-watched in its history, with a global audience of at least 5 billion. The 2018 tournament was seen by 3.57 billion across the tournament.[258] The various controversies surrounding the World Cup in Qatar led to questions over how the tournament would be covered in the media, and whether they would be discussed or addressed during coverage.[259][260] The match between England and the United States in the group stage was seen by approximately 20 million viewers across both Fox andTelemundo, ranking among the highest-rated associated football broadcasts in the United States (behind a 2014 World Cup match that drew 24.7 million).[261][262]
The sponsors of the 2022 World Cup are divided into seven categories: FIFA Partners, FIFA World Cup Sponsors and African and Middle Eastern, Asian, European, North American and South American supporters. This marks the first time a FIFA World Cup is sponsored by supporters from seven different regions.
The tournament'sofficial mascot was unveiled on 1 April 2022, during the group stage draw. Its name is "Laʼeeb" (Arabic:لعيب,romanised: Laʿīb), which is an Arabic word meaning "super-skilled player". The official website of FIFA says: "Laʼeeb will be known for his youthful spirit; spreading joy and confidence everywhere he goes", and the official backstory of the character, published there, claims that it comes from a parallel world where tournament mascots live, "a world where ideas and creativity form the basis of characters that live in the minds of everyone".[294]
The first official match ball, "Adidas Al Rihla", was unveiled on 30 March 2022. It was mainly inspired by the culture, architecture, iconic boats and flag of Qatar. In Arabic, the wordAl-Rihla (الْرِّحْلَةar-riḥla) means "the journey". The ball was designed with sustainability as a priority, making it the first-ever official match ball created with water-based glues and inks. As "the game is getting faster" and "speeds up", the ball has internal electronic sensors, allowing detection of its speed and position, updated 500 times per second[295] and it has to be charged before each game.[296] Two of the match balls were sent and returned from space by FIFA andQatar Airways on aSpaceXfalcon 9suborbital mission for promoting the World Cup.[297]
The match ball for the semi-finals, third place play-off andfinal was announced on 11 December 2022. It is a variation of the Al Rihla named the "Adidas Al Hilm" (Arabic:الحلم,romanised: al-ḥulm,lit. ''the dream'', a reference to "every nation's dream of lifting the FIFA World Cup").[298] While the technical aspects of the ball are the same, the colour is different from the Al Rihla balls used in the group stages and preceding knockout games, with aGold Metallic, maroon,Collegiate Burgundy, and red design,[299] a reference to thenational colours of host nationQatar and the golden colours shared by the Final'svenue and theFIFA World Cup Trophy.[300]
For the first time, a multi-song FIFA World Cup official soundtrack has been released, instead of one official song.[301] The first song of the album is "Hayya Hayya (Better Together)", performed byTrinidad Cardona,Davido, and AISHA, released on 1 April 2022 along with the music video.[302] The second song is "Arhbo", performed byGims andOzuna, released on 19 August 2022 along with the music video.[303] The third song is "The World Is Yours to Take" performed by American rapperLil Baby, released on 23 September 2022 along with a music video.[304] The fourth song is "Light The Sky" performed byNora Fatehi,Manal,Rahma Riad, andBalqees, composed byRedOne and released on 7 October 2022 along with the music video.[305]A fifth song, "Tukoh Taka", performed byNicki Minaj,Maluma andMyriam Fares, was released on 17 November 2022 along with the music video, serving as the official song of theFIFA Fan Festival.[306] The final song is "Dreamers" byJungkook ofBTS released on 20 November 2022. It was performed withFahad Al-Kubaisi during the tournament's opening ceremony.[307][308]
Criticism of the 2022 FIFA World Cup focused on Qatar'shuman-rights record,[309] namely theirtreatment of migrant workers,[309] women, andposition on LGBT rights,[310] leading to allegations ofsportswashing.[F] Others cited Qatar's climate, lack of a strong football culture, and allegations of bribery for hosting rights andwider FIFA corruption.[8][314]Boycotts of the event were declared by several countries, clubs, and individual players,[312][313] with former FIFA presidentSepp Blatter twice stating that giving Qatar hosting rights was a "mistake".[315][316] The FIFA World Cup delivered record-breaking numbers of TV audiences across multiple markets.[317] In June 2023,Le Point revealed that FIFA World Cup has raised great interest in the country despite "calls for aboycott". According to the study byArcom, six out of ten French people followed at least one match.[318]
Host selection criticism
There have been allegations of bribery and corruption in the selection process involving FIFA's executive committee members.[319] These allegations are being investigated by FIFA(see§ Bidding corruption allegations, 2014, below). In May 2011, allegations of corruption within the FIFA senior officials raised questions over the legitimacy of the World Cup 2022 being held in Qatar. The accusations of corruption were made relating to how Qatar won the right to host the event. A FIFA internal investigation and report cleared Qatar of any violation, but chief investigatorMichael J. Garcia described FIFA's report on his enquiry as containing "numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations."[320]
In May 2015, Swiss federal prosecutorsopened an investigation into corruption and money laundering related to the2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.[321][322] In August 2018, former FIFA presidentSepp Blatter claimed that Qatar had used "black ops", suggesting that the bid committee had cheated to win the hosting rights.[323] Some investigations found that Qatar sought an edge in securing hosting by hiring a formerCIA officer turned private contractor, Kevin Chalker, to spy on rival bid teams and key football officials who picked the winner in 2010.[324]
In September 2018, a delegation from al-Ghufran tribe lodged a complaint to FIFA's president to reject the establishment of the World Cup in Qatar unless its government restored the Qatari nationality to all those affected from the tribe and returned land allegedly stolen from them to build the sport facilities.[325]
In September 2023 it was reported that court documents show a transfer of $300M dollars were sent top people who voted on the 2022 World Cup host.[326]
Qatar faced strong criticism for the treatment of foreign workers involved in preparation for the World Cup, withAmnesty International referring to "forced labour" and poor working conditions,[327][328] while many migrant workers reported having to pay large "recruitment fees" to obtain employment.[329]The Guardian newspaper reported that many workers were denied food and water, had their identity papers taken away from them, and that they were not paid on time or at all, making some of them in effect slaves.The Guardian estimated that up to 4,000 workers could die from lax safety and other causes by the time the competition was held. Between 2015 and 2021, theQatari government adopted new labour reforms to improve working conditions, including a minimum wage for all workers and the removal of thekafala system. Furthermore, in November 2017, theInternational Labour Organization concluded that no rights were violated and made the decision to close the complaint against Qatar regarding the alleged violation of migrant workers' rights.[330] According to Amnesty International, however, living and working conditions of the foreign workers did not improve in the last years.[331]
Qatar was the smallest nation by area ever to have been awarded a FIFA World Cup – the next smallest by area was Switzerland, host of the1954 World Cup, which was more than three times as large as Qatar and only needed to host 16 teams instead of 32. Qatar also became only the second country (not including Uruguay and Italy, hosts of the first two World Cups) to be awarded a FIFA World Cup despite having never qualified for a previous edition: Japan was awarded co-hosting rights of the2002 World Cup in 1996 without ever having qualified for the finals, although they qualified for the1998 edition. Of the eight stadiums used in the tournament, six were located in theDohametropolitan area, making it the first World Cupsince 1930 in which most of the stadiums were in one city. While this decreased the distance that fans and players needed to commute, Qatar itself struggled to accommodate the numbers of arriving fans with its diminutive amount of space.[332]
Due to Qatar'slaws on alcohol consumption, World Cup organisers announced the creation of designated "sobering-up" zones as an alternative to wide-scale arrests of intoxicated fans during the World Cup.[333] Qatar's World Cup chief executive of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, Nasser Al Khater, stated that the purpose of the designated sobering-up areas was to ensure the fans' safety.[334] If a fan was sent to the "sobering up" zone, they were permitted to leave when they could display clearheaded behaviour.[335] Multiple news agencies described the controversy as a "cultural clash" betweensocial conservatism andIslamic morality against the "norms" ofsecular Westernliberal democracies.[13][336]
A number of groups and media outlets expressed concern over the suitability of Qatar to host the event.[337][338] Issues regarding fromhuman rights,[10][310] worker conditions, the rights ofLGBT fans,[310] and theillegality of homosexuality in Qatar.[339][340][341] In December 2020, Qatar saidrainbow flags would be allowed at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[342] Qatari officials initially stated that they would not prohibit the display ofpride flags at tournament venues, although the country still advised LGBT attendees to comply with the country'smodesty and avoidpublic displays of affection.[343][344] Hassan Abdulla al-Thawadi, chief executive of the country's World Cup bid, said that Qatar would permitalcohol consumption during the event,[345][346] even thoughdrinking in public was not permitted.[347] There were plans to allow the sale of alcohol inside stadiums and at fan villages.[348] Normally, the sale of alcohol is restricted to non-Muslim guests at selected luxury hotels only.[349] However, in the months preceding the tournament, the display of LGBT material and the sale of alcohol were banned.[348][350][351][352][353]
The climate conditions caused some to call hosting the tournament in Qatar infeasible, with initial plans for air-conditioned stadiums giving way to a potential date switch from summer to November and December.[7] In May 2014,Sepp Blatter, who was FIFA president at the time of the selection, remarked that awarding the World Cup to Qatar was a "mistake" because of the extreme heat.[7][354][355] While addressing delegates from African and Asian confederations, Blatter said allegations of corruption and some of the criticism, including those from sponsors, were "very much linked to racism and discrimination".[356] The attendance figures at the matches also came under scrutiny as the reported crowd attendance was more than the stadium capacities despite games having visible empty seats.[357]
Prior to the tournament, a reporter for Denmark'sTV 2 was threatened by security during a live report from theKatara Cultural Village; the organising committee apologised, stating that they were "mistakenly interrupted".[358]Tony O'Donoghue of Ireland'sRTÉ also accused Qatari police of interrupting him while filming.[359]
Phaedra Almajid, a former media officer for Qatar's 2022 World Cup bid, has alleged that three African football officials were offered bribes to support Qatar's bid. In a Netflix documentary series "FIFA Uncovered," Almajid claims thatHassan Al Thawadi, who led Qatar's bid, offered €2.3 million each toIssa Hayatou of Cameroon,Jacques Anouma of Ivory Coast, andAmos Adamu of Nigeria in exchange for their votes. Qatar was competing with Australia, Japan, South Korea and the US for their bid for the 2022 World Cup. The alleged offer was made during a meeting of African football federations in January 2010. Almajid states that the money was intended for the football federations, not as personal bribes. She initially disclosed these allegations anonymously to theSunday Times after being dismissed from her position, but later retracted her claims, citing threats fromQatar. Al Thawadi has denied these allegations, calling them false and expressing disappointment at the situation. The controversy adds to the ongoing scrutiny surrounding Qatar's successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup.[360]
Targeted hacking campaigns against critics
On November 2, 2022, Swiss media outlet SRF Investigativ published an investigative piece about Qatar's elaborate and extensive espionage operation to secure the World Cup hosting rights. The operation, which was dubbedProject Merciless, involved hacking emails and phones of FIFA officials and critics of Qatar's corruption andpoor human rights record. It also targeted their friends and family members to run smear campaigns and influence FIFA policy. Starting on January 5, 2012, a cyberattack targeted Peter Hargitay, a Zurich-based FIFA insider and consultant for Australia's 2022 World Cup bid. Hargitay and his son hired an expert who traced the hack to a server linked to Rajat Khare of the mercenary Indian hack-for-hire firmAppin.[361][362][363][364] In November 2022, a lower court inGeneva ordered the publication to provisionally remove Rajat Khare's name and photo from the article.[365] As a result, he is currently referred to as an entrepreneur, though his name still appears in aReuters article about his involvement in the hacking.[366]
On 5 November 2022,The Sunday Times and theBureau of Investigative Journalism published an investigation reporting that a group from an Indian hacking company had compromised the email accounts of various politicians, reporters, and other prominent individuals that had been critical of Qatar's hosting of the World Cup. It was also reported that the group had been hired by Jonas Rey, private investigators based in Switzerland, which were in turn hired by Qatari officials.[367]
There was criticism regarding the state ofhuman rights in Qatar and of the conditions of migrant workers brought in to build the required infrastructure, including indentured servitude and working conditions leading to deaths.[371] On 23 October 2022, an article published byThe Guardian included statements from migrants working on the event infrastructure. Surveying 1,000 workers, 86% of participants said that the labour changes had improved their lives and that better working conditions are negotiable.[372] Legislation has also been proposed on the minimum wage, summertime worker safety, and the election of migrant worker representatives in businesses. Labour mobility is a result of changes to theKafala system.[373]
According toSharan Burrow, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, prior to the tournament, "the new Kafala system tranche of law will put an end to Kafala and establish a contemporary industrial relations system."[374]
FIFA PresidentGianni Infantino has defended Qatar's decision to host the tournament.[375] Others have asserted that Qatar has a better human rights record thanRussia andChina, which were subjected to less harsh criticism for the same problems when hosting important athletic events in the years before the tournament.[376]
Move to November and December
Owing to theclimate in Qatar, concerns were expressed over holding the World Cup in its traditional time frame of June and July.[7] In October 2013, a task force was commissioned to consider alternative dates and report after the2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.[377] On 24 February 2015, the FIFA Task Force proposed that the tournament be played from late November to late December 2022,[378] to avoid the summer heat and also avoid clashing with the2022 Winter Olympics in February, the2022 Winter Paralympics in March andRamadan in April.[379][380]
The notion of staging the tournament in November was controversial because it would interfere with the regular season schedules of some domestic leagues around the world. Commentators noted the clash with the Christian Christmas season was likely to cause disruption, while there was concern about how short the tournament was intended to be.[381] FIFA executive committee memberTheo Zwanziger said that awarding the event to Qatar was a "blatant mistake".[382]
Frank Lowy, chairman ofFootball Federation Australia, said that if the 2022 World Cup were moved to November and thus upset the schedule of theA-League, they would seek compensation from FIFA.[383]Richard Scudamore, chief executive of thePremier League, stated that they would consider legal action against FIFA because a move would interfere with the Premier League's popular Christmas and New Year fixture programme.[384] In 2015, FIFA confirmed that the final would be played in December.[385] Critics condemned the Euro-centrism of these allegations, and questioned why global sporting events must be held within the traditional European summer season.[386]
Some allegations were made over the role of former football officialMohammed bin Hammam played in securing the bid.[387] A former employee of the Qatar bid team alleged that several African officials were paid $1.5 million by Qatar.[388] She retracted her claims, but later said that she was coerced to do so by Qatari bid officials.[389][390] In March 2014, it was discovered that formerCONCACAF presidentJack Warner and his family were paid almost $2 million from a firm linked to Qatar's successful campaign.[391]
The Sunday Times published bribery allegations based on a leak of millions of secret documents.[392] Five of FIFA's six primary sponsors,Sony,Adidas,Visa,Hyundai, andCoca-Cola, called upon FIFA to investigate the claims.[393][394]Jim Boyce, vice-president of FIFA, stated he would support a re-vote to find a new host if the corruption allegations are proven.[395][396] FIFA completed a lengthy investigation into these allegations and a report cleared Qatar of any wrongdoing. Despite the claims, the Qataris insisted that the corruption allegations were being driven by envy and mistrust while Blatter said it was fuelled by racism in the British media.[397][398]
In the2015 FIFA corruption case, Swiss officials, operating under information from theUnited States Department of Justice, arrested many senior FIFA officials in Zürich and seized physical and electronic records from FIFA's main headquarters. The arrests continued in the United States, where several FIFA officers were arrested, and FIFA buildings were raided. The arrests were made on the information of at least a $150 million corruption and bribery scandal.[399] From those arrested, $40 million was forfeited under guilty pleas.[400] In 2022, the president of the El Salvador soccer association, Reynaldo Vasquez, was sentenced to 16 months in prison in connection to over $350,000 in bribes.[401]
Following the corruption case, Phaedra Almajid, the former media officer for the Qatar bid team, claimed that the allegations would result in Qatar not hosting the World Cup.[402] In an interview published on the same day,Domenico Scala, the head of FIFA's Audit and Compliance Committee, stated that "should there be evidence that the awards to Qatar and Russia came only because of bought votes, then the awards could be cancelled."[403][404]
In 2014, FIFA appointed Michael Garcia as its independent ethics investigator to look into bribery allegations against Russia and Qatar. Garcia investigated all nine bids and eleven countries involved in the 2018 and 2022 bids.[405] At the end of the investigation, Garcia submitted a 430-page report. The FIFA governing body then appointed a German judge, Hans Joachim Eckert, who reviewed and presented a 42-page summary of the report two months later. The report cleared Qatar and Russia of bribery allegations, stating that Qatar "pulled Aspire into the orbit of the bid in significant ways" but did not "compromise the integrity" of the overall bid process.[406] Michael Garcia reacted almost immediately, stating that the report is "materially incomplete" and contains "erroneous representations of the facts and conclusions".[406]
In 2017, a German journalist Peter Rossberg claimed to have obtained the report and wrote that it "does not provide proof that the 2018 or 2022 World Cup was bought" and stated that he would publish the full report. This forced FIFA to release the original report. The full report did not provide any evidence of corruption against the host of the 2022 World Cup but stated that bidders tested the rules of conduct to the limit.[407]
Russian participation
On 9 December 2019, theWorld Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) handed Russia a four-year ban from all major sporting events, afterRUSADA was found non-compliant for handing over manipulated lab data to investigators.[408] TheRussian national team were still permitted to enter qualification, as the ban only applied to the final tournament to decide the world champions. A team representing Russia, which used theRussian flag andanthem, could not participate under the WADA decision whilst the ban was active.[409] The decision was appealed to theCourt of Arbitration for Sport,[410] and on 17 December 2020, Russian teams were banned from competing at world championships organised or sanctioned by a WADA signatory until 16 December 2022, the day before the third place play-off.[411]
After theRussian invasion of Ukraine, Russia's participation was further thrown into doubt. On 24 February 2022, the three teams in Russia'squalifying path—Czech Republic,Poland, andSweden—announced their unwillingness to play any matches in Russian territory.[412] Poland and Sweden extended the boycott on 26 February to any qualifying games, and the Czech Republic made the same decision one day later.[413][414][415]
On 27 February 2022, FIFA announced a number of sanctions impacting Russia's participation in international football. Russia was prohibited from hosting international competitions, and the national team was ordered to play all home matchesbehind closed doors in neutral countries. Under these sanctions, Russia would not be allowed to compete under the country's name, flag, or national anthem; similarly to the Russian athletes' participation in events such as the Olympics,[416] the team would compete under the abbreviation of their national federation, theRussian Football Union ("RFU"), rather than "Russia".[417] The next day, FIFA decided to suspend Russia from international competitions "until further notice", including its participation in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[418]
There are noLGBT rights in Qatar, with homosexuality as well as campaigning forLGBTQ+ rights criminalised. As such, when Qatar was selected to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the choice to do so in a restrictive nation saw much criticism, with the security of fans,[419] as well as the homophobic football chants of certain nations, were points of discussion.[420] The main controversy came from a last-minute FIFA decision to hand out player punishments to European captains who had months earlier announced their intention to continue wearing rainbow-coloured armbands (which began in 2020) in support of anti-discrimination. Typically, kit violations incur a fine, which the teams had said they would pay; on the day of the first match involving one of the teams, FIFA reportedly told the teams that they would receive a yellow card at a minimum for wearing the armbands.[421] Qatari officials stated that all people are welcome as long as they follow the public display of affection laws which apply to everyone.[422][423]
Security officials at stadiums also confiscated items of rainbow clothing and flags featuring rainbows.[424][425] American journalistGrant Wahl was briefly detained for wearing a t-shirt with a rainbow on it.[426] Wahl reportedly received death threats for wearing the shirt, later dying at the stadium.[427][428] Other journalists with Wahl at the time of his death have reported that he began fitting or experiencing a seizure, and called for help himself. They criticised the Qatar Supreme Committee for not providingdefibrillators in the stadium, as they had looked for one to try to help Wahl.[429] In response, FIFA said that according to the ambulance service, a defibrillator was made available when paramedics later arrived on scene.[430] An autopsy done on Wahl inNew York City later revealed that Wahl died from anaortic aneurysm rupture.[431]
Discrimination against women in Qatar was also criticised.[432][433]Women in Qatar have few freedoms,[432][434] as they must obtain permission from their male guardians to marry, study abroad on government scholarships, work in many government jobs, travel abroad, receive certain forms of reproductive health care, and act as the primary guardian of children, even if they are divorced.[435]
Qatar attracted particular criticism for an incident where a Mexican employee of the World Cup Organizing Committee was accused of allegedly havingsex outside of marriage. The woman had previously reported rape, while the male claimed to have been in a relationship with her, after which the woman was investigated for extramarital sex. Women in Qatar face the possible penalty offlagellation and a seven-year prison sentence if convicted for having sex outside of marriage. The criminal case was eventually dropped months after she was allowed to leave Qatar.[436]
In November 2022, there were reports suggesting that the government ofIran were working with Qatari officials to suppress anti-government protests at the 2022 FIFA World Cup,[437] in light of theMahsa Amini protests. Leaked documents and audio clips suggested that Iranian government officials were in correspondence with Qatari authorities in order to handle possible protesters.[438]
In November 2022, the Qatari government revoked the visas of journalists from a London-based Iranian news channel,Iran International, known for being critical of the regime, who were seeking to cover the World Cup.[439] On 21 November 2022, during the first group stage match from Group B, between Iran and England, attempts were reportedly made by the stadium's security forces to block Iranian fans who wore clothing or carried items bearing slogans that were deemed unsympathetic to the Islamic government of Iran.[440] These included t-shirts and signs with "Woman, Life, Freedom" embedded onto them, Iran's previous flags, or any slogans containing the name ofMahsa Amini.[441] This crackdown continued throughout all of Iran's matches at the World Cup.[437] In addition to removing fans from stadiums, reports showed that officials tried to suppress any filming or photography of possible protests. In one case, Qatari police detained Danish TV presenter, Rasmus Tantholdt, for filming fans with "Woman, Life, Freedom" slogans, some of whom who had been earlier abused by a group of pro-government supporters.[442]
Treatment of Jewish and Israeli visitors
Qatar had previously promised to provide Jewish tourists with cookedkosher food and publicJewish prayer services at the tournament. However, shortly before the World Cup began, both were banned by Qatar, who claimed it could not secure the safety of Jews.[443][444] Qatar alleged that they could not "secure" the safety of publicly praying Jewish tourists, whilst many foreign Jews complained that they subsequently had no food available to eat. It was estimated that 10,000religious Jews from Israel and around the world arrived to watch the World Cup in Qatar.[445]
Whilst Jewish organisations complained of being unable to find cooked kosher food,[445] theIsraeli government said it was happy with the efforts made by Qatar to meet its requests, including kosher food, direct flights from Israel to Qatar, and temporary diplomatic representation in the country. A kosher kitchen under the supervision of RabbiMendy Chitrik was open in time for the first match. RabbiMarc Schneier, president ofThe Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, said he had never asked the Qatari government for cooked food, and he had been the only person in communication with the Qataris regarding making the World Cup experience inclusive for Jews.[446]
Multiple Israeli reporters at the tournament reported fans fromArab nations wavingPalestinian flags and chantinganti-Israeli slogans while harassing them.[310][447][448] Some Israelis reported that they had been escorted out of restaurants when their nationality was revealed.[449] The Israeli government warned its citizens traveling to the tournament to hide their Israeli identity out of safety concerns.[450]
Accommodation
TheRawdat Al Jahhaniya fan village was criticised for its overpriced "night cabins" (£185 per night) made out of shipping containers. Tourists complained that the air conditioners in the cabins did not function well, facilities were falling apart, and the sleeping experience did not match their expectations.[451] The BBC reported that the tent accommodation at the Qetaifan Island fan village got criticism for having brown-coloured tap water and no air conditioning other than a standing fan.[452][453] The tent village inAl Khor was criticised for having inconvenient transportation, a lack of alcohol, long waits to check in, and no locks on the tents.[454][455] The lack of suitable and affordable accommodation raised demand for daily shuttle flights from neighbouring areas, such as Dubai, that had adequate numbers of hotel rooms.[456]
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^abc"Regulations – FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022"(PDF). FIFA. 15 December 2021.Archived(PDF) from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved30 March 2022.Cite error: The named reference "regulations" was defined multiple times with different content (see thehelp page).
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^Stafford-Bloor, Sebastian (2 December 2022)."Costa Rica vs Germany live".The Athletic.Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved2 December 2022.
^Henao, Luis Andres (17 December 2022)."Morocco's miraculous run at the World Cup ends in defeat".AP News.Archived from the original on 24 July 2023. Retrieved24 July 2023.After making history by becoming the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals, Morocco lost to Croatia 2-1 on Saturday in the match for third place at Khalifa International Stadium.
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^Wahl, Grant (18 February 2015)."Insider notes: Qatar set for winter World Cup, MLS CBA update, more".Planet Football.Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved19 February 2015.Multiple sources say it's a done deal that World Cup 2022 will take place in November and December of 2022 in Qatar. A FIFA task force will...make that recommendation, and the FIFA Executive Committee is set to make the decision final...next month.
^"The 16 New Defendants".US Department of Justice. 3 December 2015.Archived from the original on 4 December 2015. Retrieved5 December 2015. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
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