The long wait for hosting world’s biggest tournament is over now as the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 kicked off yesterday. The Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani announced at Al Bayt Stadium the opening of the tournament by saying “I welcome from Qatar, from an Arab country, everyone to the World Cup 2022”.
In 2006, the Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani had expressed his interest in hosting the FIFA World Cup. It was then when Qatar embarked on a mission to bring the FIFA World Cup for the first time to the Middle East and the Arab world and four years later the country succeeded in winning the right to host the 2022 edition, defeating bids from the USA, South Korea, Japan and Australia.
The organisers have said almost all of the 3 million tickets made available for the 64 matches have been sold as Qatar welcomes an estimated 1.5 million fans from across the globe.
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 presents an opportunity to convey an honourable image of the Qatari identity and culture as well as the true image of Arabs and Muslims away from distortion and stereotypes.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has said that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be the best edition in the history of the World Cup. He said that Qatar is determined to make it an exceptional tournament, which will make the world feel proud of football.
“It’s the most compact World Cup with not much travelling involved. The conditions are ideal for teams and fans. It is the first time when fans coming from different countries can unite, that’s what makes it unique. We have always said that Qatar will deliver the best-ever edition of the FIFA World Cup. And as you look around the country today, at the state-of-the-art stadiums, the training pitches, the metro, the wider infrastructure, everything is ready and everyone is welcome,” Infantino said at a press conference.
He also spoke about the criticisms levelled against the FIFA and Qatar regarding many matters, saying these criticisms as unfair. Infantino said that many international institutions have recognised the labour rights standards in the Qatar similar to labour rights standards in Europe.
The tournament is a tremendous opportunity for the region to welcome and connect with billions of people from across the globe, showcasing its unique identity and culture and building new bridges of understanding. A key objective of the World Cup is that it serves as a catalyst for the achievement of Qatar’s long-term development goals as laid out in the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 2018-2022.
