The World Cup elevates Qatar on the world map

From Morocco becoming the first team from Africa to reach the semi-finals to Germany being eliminated in the group stage, the 2022 World Cup has brought many surprises. However, for many people, the biggest surprise happened 12 years before the tournament started.

In 2010, FIFA's decision to give Qatar the right to host the 2022 World Cup seemed like an unlikely choice. Qatar does not have a long history of football, this small Gulf country lacks a stadium, hotel or other necessary transportation facilities for the tournament.

With a population of less than three million people, 90% of whom are migrant workers, the question then arises as to how Doha can meet the requirements to host the world's largest sporting event.

Qatar has responded to those concerns with a series of rapid-fire projects with huge budgets, although controversial in the Western media. Over the past decade, human rights observers have criticized the Qatari government on a range of issues, from its treatment of migrant workers to allegations of bribery and corruption to policies towards the LGBTQ community.

Despite numerous calls to change the World Cup venue and threats of boycotts, Qatar remains committed to hosting a successful tournament and is determined to make that promise a reality.

Despite its small size, Qatar has undergone dramatic transformation since the 1970s, driven primarily by its vast oil and gas resources. Qatar is currently in the top 10 countries with the highest GDP per capita in the world by Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). On the way to the global stage, in addition to the economic express train, Qatar has also ventured into other fields to build an image.

Like other Gulf states, Qatar also identifies investment in sports as an attractive catalyst for diplomacy and reputation-building. The culmination of that strategy was the World Cup and Qatar took full advantage of its opportunity.

The Gulf state spent up to $220 billion on preparations, of which less than $10 billion was spent on stadium construction, with the rest allocated to improve transport infrastructure, hotel systems and security.

In addition to infrastructure upgrades, Qatar has also invested heavily in communication efforts as well as advocacy of a series of big faces in the football world such as David Beckham or Gary Neville.

Qatar also invests heavily in football and other sports. A week after being selected to host the World Cup, the Qatar Foundation, a Doha non-profit development organization, has signed a $220 million deal to sponsor Spanish football club Barcelona. A few months later, the Qatar National Investment Fund bought the French club Paris Saint Germain and soon after, the state media group Al Jazeera spent $ 130 million to buy the rights to broadcast French football tournaments.

Between 2004 and 2022 alone, Qatar hosted 24 first- and second-class sports tournaments, including the Asian Games and the World Athletics Championships.

"I think Qatar doesn't want to just become an energy-related power... They are trying to highlight their role as a country that can contribute to solving international problems," he said. Anna Jacobs, senior Gulf analyst at the International Crisis Group (ICG).

Hosting the World Cup plays an important part in this goal, she added.

"Sport is more important to Qatar in politics and its foreign relations than for any other country," said Danyel Reiche, an associate professor at Georgetown University in Qatar.

According to Nick Miller, senior commentator from sports news site Athletic, winning the right to host the World Cup is a significant success for Qatar. He said Qatar has "used the influence that football has in Europe to make Doha a desirable destination".

This is also in line with the goals outlined by the Qatari government in the 2011-2016 National Development Strategy report, which prioritizes improving Qatar's image and relationship with international partners through sport.

Thanks to the World Cup, the whole world looks to Qatar, said Haya Al Thani, 32, an expert at the educational organization Teach for Qatar. "In the past, when I was traveling, people used to ask me where I was from. When I said I was Qatari, they used to ask 'where is that?'" he said. "Now, this has become easier."

IPA Qatar, the kingdom's investment promotion agency, said foreign direct investment opportunities have increased significantly since the decision to award the World Cup to Qatar was announced. Qatar's GDP has grown steadily at 4.5% since 2010 and the Ministry of Commerce has announced 83 trade and investment opportunities for the private sector by 2023, related to the preparation and operation of the solution. fight.

However, the long-term financial prospects of this strategy remain in doubt. Forecasts by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) indicate that Qatar's economy will grow by 3.4% in 2022 and 2023 thanks to the World Cup, but will then slow to 1.4% in 2024.

In the face of criticism over the treatment of migrant workers, the Qatari government has made efforts to reform, remove the "kafala" monitoring system, and relax some conditions of dependence of employees for workers. with the employer.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) hailed the changes, calling them "an important milestone in Qatar's ambitious labor reform agenda". Early last year, the ILO also conducted a survey of 1,000 low-wage workers in Qatar with 86% of respondents saying they feel the labor reform has had a positive impact on their lives. .

According to Variety magazine, FIFA and Qatar "won their gamble", breaking the mold and holding the tournament in the winter instead of the mid-year months, dispelling doubts that the inherent schedule changes like in Europe would be a disaster.

"From the perspective of national inspiration, millions of Arab fans can't help but rejoice at the fact that the world football championship is finally taking place on their land. From a logistical perspective, the organization up and running, Qatar has done all it can to ensure a successful World Cup," commented Mazen Hayek, a media consultant in Dubai.

The way Qatar brought the World Cup back to its country is clearly an arduous journey. But throughout the tournament, when all the important goals and promises were fulfilled, Qatar "was absolutely successful," said Claire Enders, founder of Enders Analysis, a leading media consulting firm based based in London, commented.

"They have put Qatar on the world map, helping billions of people know where they are and certainly have a more positive view of the country than before," she stressed.