First Cup in Middle East facing several obstacles
The 2022 World Cup in tiny Qatar is exactly one year away, and will be the first held in November and December due to the region’s sweltering summer heat.
One year from Sunday, on Nov. 21, 2022, the world’s eyes will shift to Qatar, a tiny desert peninsula smaller than the state of Connecticut, which aims to quiet critics and prove it can pull off a World Cup.
Hosting the global soccer tournament is a daunting task for any country, but especially for one that has no history of handling massive sporting events and is expecting an influx of 1.2 million visitors – nearly half the size of the nation’s population.
The entire tournament will be held in and around the capital city of Doha, with all eight stadiums within a 45-minute drive of the city center.
World Cups are typically spread over numerous cities all over a country, with teams, fans and media required to travel by plane and train from venue to venue, often across different time zones.
But this is not your typical World Cup.
The 2022 World Cup will be the first held in the Middle East and the first held in November and December, due to Qatar’s sweltering summer heat, which reaches temperatures of over 110 degrees. Even in the mild winter the weather can be quite warm, so all eight open-air stadiums will be air-conditioned through ankle-level vents for fans and larger vents around the field.
Alexi Lalas, the former U.S. national team star who is now a commentator for Fox Sports, toured the Qatar facilities in September. He was skeptical when he arrived but left “cautiously optimistic”
that the hosts will overcome obstacles and put on a successful event.
“They’ve done some amazing things already, so I put nothing past them,” Lalas said. “They airconditioned outdoor stadiums. They put the redhead in the desert and within five steps I’m sweating my [butt] off, and then I walk into the stadium and on the field and it was liking being in a completely different country, different climate. The roof is open but it’s a completely different temperature.
“They did what they promised they’d do.”
Qatar has been making promises since beating the United States for the bid 11 years ago, a controversial win that sparked accusations of bribery and led to a FIFA investigation. FIFA cleared Qatar of wrongdoing.
The Gulf nation has also been criticized for alleged human rights violations regarding working conditions of hundreds of thousands of migrant laborers, many of whom were tasked with building
World Cup stadiums.
Since 2015, the Qatari government has adopted labor reforms.
The nation’s discriminatory policies toward the gay community have also come under scrutiny. Event organizers announced they will allow rainbow flags to comply with FIFA rules that require tolerance and inclusion.
There have been concerns about whether the Doha area can house all the visiting fans and accommodate the many thousands who arrive with no reserved tickets or lodging. Officials have offered assurances that there will be rooms on