World Cup

Kickoff: On Sunday, the 2022 FIFA World Cup begins in Qatar. Every four years, men’s soccer takes the global stage in the world’s most-watched sporting event. While millions will be tuning in to cheer for their national teams, others are calling out the tournament’s politics and human rights issues.

The Story

Throughout its history, FIFA has been no stranger to red flags. Tournament after tournament, human rights orgs have criticized host countries and FIFA for everything from crackdowns on protests, to excessive police force, to forced displacement. So much so that the soccer org created a panel to address these issues. Then there’s the fact that some countries take on massive debt to essentially build one-time-use stadiums. And there have been disputes about how countries become hosts in the first place. For years, the Justice Dept has investigated allegations of corruption — including in Qatar and Russia, where representatives working for the countries have been accused of buying votes from FIFA officials. Now that the World Cup’s about to start, other issues have come to light.

Tell me more.

Where to begin? If you thought the most controversial aspect of this World Cup was that it's taking place in winter — think again. Soccer's greatest athletes were spared from working in Qatar's brutal summer heat (think: 120 degrees). But the same consideration wasn't given to the more than 6,500 migrants workers who died from causes like dehydration and heat exhaustion while building Qatar's eight World Cup stadiums. That's not all: There have been claims that migrant workers were harassed, housed in unsafe conditions, underpaid (or not paid), stripped of their passports, and sent home without warning. Plus, some fans have raised safety concerns — given reports of the country’s  “deep discrimination” against women (see: its male guardianship rules) and its criminalization of homosexuality. On Friday, Qatar suddenly said ‘nope’ to alcohol in the stadiums, causing some to worry about what other decisions could be made at the last minute. Then, in hour-long remarks at the tournament’s opening press conference on Saturday, FIFA president Gianni Infantino called out the “hypocrisy” and “moral lesson-giving” of Western countries. He added that “everyone’s security is guaranteed.”

What happens now?

While FIFA has urged fans and teams to put politics aside, some aren’t willing to do that. Several French cities and London won’t broadcast the competition on giant screens in protest of Qatar’s alleged human rights abuses. Denmark’s national team will have the option to wear an all-black kit designed to call attention to the fact that the tournament “has cost thousands of people their lives.” The US team is showing LGBTQIA+ solidarity with a rainbow-themed logo in their media room and training facility. And several European captains are planning to wear rainbow arm bands on the field — even though it may be against FIFA’s rules. More protests could come once the World Cup kicks off.