Since its assignment as the venue, almost all the preliminary stories have been adverse: human rights, corruption, delays and infrastructure problems, in a country with no soccer tradition, with an incipient professional league and a team that will debut in a World Cup.
It is not clear how the off-sports controversies will affect the team. Qatar has faced scrutiny over the conditions of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers recruited to build the infrastructure. Denmark plans to play in protest shirts, hiding the name and logo of its sponsor, Hummel, with a black strip, which the clothing brand described as the “color of mourning” and added in a social media post: “ We support the Danish national team at all times, but that is not the same as supporting Qatar as the host nation.”
Hummel’s critique was not the first, nor will it be the last; as the tournament draws closer, more will come. But Qatar’s response seems to demonstrate a change in his communication tactic. In the past, Qataris have often been slow to react to such criticism. However, within hours of Hummel voicing his concerns, the organizing committee issued a forceful statement.
The Supreme Committee for the Country’s Delivery and Legacy said the small emirate had implemented significant reforms in the labor market, adding that all countries, including Denmark, should focus on promoting human rights.
Such a strident response aroused attention as it appears to mark an advance in the nature, tone and speed of communications Qataris emit. The authorities have clearly been preparing for an intense period of scrutiny and activism at one of the most controversial World Cups in history.
Logistics-wise, Qatar has been rehearsing, hosting several massive events, including the Club World Cup in 2019 and the Arab Cup in 2021. Both tournaments took place without major incident. But a recent test event at the Lusail Iconic Stadium was less encouraging, with water shortages, faulty air conditioning and up to an hour’s walk to reach the stadium in 35 degree heat. ℃.
While these obstacles can be overcome before the opening ceremony, there is little room for error in hosting sporting events of this nature in the region. Just in March, the F1 Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia was nearly canceled following a Houthi drone attack, while in May, crowd management issues caused serious problems at the UEFA Champions League final in France.
For a country with a population of 3 million, a bigger challenge will simply be the volume of visitors, estimated at more than 1.2 million during the November-December period, which will test the resilience of infrastructure, including roads, public transport, water supply and sewage capacity.
Migrant workers have been asked to leave Qatar and return once the tournament is over. While government workers have been asked to work from home and schools, colleges and universities are closed.
That many of them cannot afford the tickets for the matches does not worry the Qatari authorities. His 12 years of planning for the World Cup have focused on nation-building ambitions, projecting cool power and changing international perceptions.
As final preparations move forward, it won’t be long before the Doha government assesses whether its multibillion-dollar global image gamble has paid off.