2022 FIFA World Cup (C1000x)

The 2022 FIFA World Cup (Arabic: 2022 كأس العالم لكرة القدم‎, 'Kaʾs al-ʿālam li-kurat al-qadam 2022) was an international football tournament played by men's teams and took place between 21 November and 18 December 2022 in Qatar. It was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, a world football tournament held once every four years. This was the first World Cup to be held in the Arab world and the first in a country with a Muslim-majority.

This was the 2nd World Cup held entirely in Asia, after the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan. The 2022 World Cup champion was Brazil, being the 6th time that Brazil has won the World Cup.

The tournament phase involved 32 teams, of which 31 went through qualifying competitions, while as the host nation, Russia qualified automatically. Of the 32, 25 also participated in the 2018 event. 64 matches were played at 12 venues in 11 cities. Host nation Qatar was eliminated in Quarter-Finals. In the final, Brazil faced France on December 18, at the Khalifa Stadium in Doha.

Brazil won the match 2–1 to claim its 6th World Cup.

Host selection
The bidding procedure to host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups began in January 2009, and national associations had until 2 February 2009 to register their interest. Initially, eleven bids were made for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but Mexico later withdrew from proceedings, and Indonesia's bid was rejected by FIFA in February 2010 after the Indonesian Football Association failed to submit a letter of Indonesian government guarantee to support the bid. Indonesian officials had not ruled out a bid for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, until Qatar took the 2022 cup. During the bidding process, all non-UEFA nations gradually withdrew their 2018 bids, thus guaranteeing that a UEFA nation would host the 2018 cup and thereby making UEFA nations ineligible for the 2022 bid.

In the end, there were five bids for the 2022 FIFA World Cup: Australia, Japan, Qatar, South Korea and the United States. The twenty-two member FIFA Executive Committee convened in Zürich on 2 December 2010 to vote to select the hosts of both tournaments. Two FIFA executive committee members were suspended before the vote in relation to allegations of corruption regarding their votes. The decision to host the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which was graded as having "high operational risk", generated criticism from media commentators. It has been criticised as many to be part of the FIFA corruption scandals.

There have been allegations of bribery and corruption in the selection process involving members of FIFA's executive committee. These allegations are being investigated by FIFA (see § Bidding corruption allegations, below).

Qatar is the smallest nation by area ever to have been awarded a FIFA World Cup – the next smallest by area is Switzerland, host of the 1954 FIFA World Cup, which is more than three times as large as Qatar and only needed to host 16 teams instead of the current 32.

Group A

 * Flag of Qatar.png Qatar 2-0 Flag of Costa Rica.png Costa Rica
 * Flag of Senegal.png Senegal 0-1 Flag of Argentina.png Argentina
 * Flag of Qatar.png Qatar 0-0 Flag of Senegal.png Senegal
 * Flag of Argentina.png Argentina 0-0 Flag of Costa Rica.png Costa Rica
 * Flag of Argentina.png Argentina 7-1 Flag of Senegal.png Senegal
 * Flag of Costa Rica.png Costa Rica 1-2 Flag of Qatar.png Qatar

Group B

 * Flag of South Korea.png South Korea 1-1 Flag of Sweden.png Sweden
 * Flag of Spain.png Spain 2-1 Flag of Colombia.png Colombia
 * Flag of Spain.png Spain 5-1 Flag of South Korea.png South Korea
 * Flag of Sweden.png Sweden 1-0 Flag of Colombia.png Colombia
 * Flag of Sweden.png Sweden 1-2 Flag of Spain.png Spain
 * Flag of Colombia.png Colombia 1-1 Flag of South Korea.png South Korea

Group C

 * Flag of England.svg England 4-0 Flag of Jamaica.png Jamaica
 * Flag of Germany.png Germany 2-0 Flag of Iran.png Iran
 * Flag of Iran.png Iran 3-1 Flag of Jamaica.png Jamaica
 * Flag of England.svg England 3-0 Flag of Germany.png Germany
 * Flag of Iran.png Iran 0-5 Flag of England.svg England
 * Flag of Jamaica.png Jamaica 0-6 Flag of Germany.png Germany

Group D

 * Flag of France.svg France 4-1 Flag of Turkey.png Turkey
 * Flag of Uruguay.svg Uruguay 1-0 Flag of Egypt.png Egypt
 * Flag of France.svg France 2-0 Flag of Uruguay.svg Uruguay
 * Flag of Egypt.png Egypt 0-0 Flag of Turkey.png Turkey
 * Flag of Egypt.png Egypt 0-4 Flag of France.svg France
 * Flag of Turkey.png Turkey 1-3 Flag of Uruguay.svg Uruguay

Group E

 * Flag of Japan.png Japan 1-2 Flag of Algeria.png Algeria
 * Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil 2-1 Flag of Denmark.png Denmark
 * Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil 5-1 Flag of Japan.png Japan
 * Flag of Algeria.png Algeria 1-1 Flag of Denmark.png Denmark
 * Flag of Algeria.png Algeria 0-4 Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil
 * Flag of Denmark.png Denmark 1-0 Flag of Japan.png Japan

Group F

 * Flag of Italy.svg Italy 2-0 Flag of Mexico.png Mexico
 * Flag of Chile.png Chile 0-0 Flag of Slovenia.svg Slovenia
 * Flag of Slovenia.svg Slovenia 0-1 Flag of Mexico.png Mexico
 * Flag of Italy.png Italy 0-1 Flag of Chile.png Chile
 * Flag of Slovenia.svg Slovenia 0-2 Flag of Italy.svg Italy
 * Flag of Mexico.png Mexico 0-0 Flag of Chile.png Chile

Group G

 * Flag of Belgium.png Belgium 1-2 Flag of Ivory Coast.svg Ivory Coast
 * Flag of the United States.png USA 2-1 Flag of Wales.png Wales
 * Flag of Belgium.png Belgium 2-0 Flag of the United States.png USA
 * Flag of Wales.png Wales 2-2 Flag of Ivory Coast.svg Ivory Coast
 * Flag of Wales.png Wales 0-3 Flag of Belgium.png Belgium
 * Flag of Ivory Coast.svg Ivory Coast 2-0 Flag of the United States.png USA

Group H

 * Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal 4-0 Flag of Australia.png Australia
 * Flag of Croatia.png Croatia 1-1 Flag of Nigeria.svg Nigeria
 * Flag of Australia.png Australia 1-1 Flag of Nigeria.svg Nigeria
 * Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal 2-1 Flag of Croatia.png Croatia
 * Flag of Australia.png Australia 1-2 Flag of Croatia.png Croatia
 * Flag of Nigeria.svg Nigeria 0-2 Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal

Round of 16

 * Flag of England.jpg England 0-0 (4-1 pens) Flag of Uruguay.svg Uruguay
 * Flag of Argentina.png Argentina 2-1 (aet) Flag of Sweden.png Sweden
 * Flag of Spain.png Spain 0-1 Flag of Quatar.png Qatar
 * Flag of France.png France 2-1 Flag of Germany.png Germany
 * Flag of Brazil.png Brazil 6-0 Flag of Chile.png Chile
 * Flag of Ivory Coast.svg Ivory Coast 4-3 Flag of Croatia.png Croatia
 * Flag of Italy.png Italy 1-1 (4-2 pens) Flag of Denmark.png Denmark
 * Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal 1-0 Flag of Belgium.png Belgium

Quarter-Finals

 * Flag of Argentina.png Argentina 0-2 Flag of England.jpg England
 * Flag of Brazil.png Brazil 3-0 Flag of Ivory Coast.svg Ivory Coast
 * Flag of Qatar.png Qatar 0-1 Flag of France.png France
 * Flag of Italy.png Italy 2-4 Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal

Semi-Finals

 * Flag of England.jpg England 0-3 Flag of Brazil.png Brazil
 * Flag of France.png France 2-1 Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal

Third Place

 * Flag of England.jpg England 2-2 Flag of Portugal.svg Italy (4-2 pens)

Final

 * Flag of Brazil.png Brazil 2-1 Flag of France.png France

Branding
The official emblem was unveiled on 3 September 2019 during simultaneous events at the Doha Tower, Katara Cultural Village Amphitheatre, Msheireb Downtown Doha, and Zubarah. It is designed to resemble the tournament trophy, the infinity symbol, and the number "8", reflecting upon the "interconnected" event and the eight host stadiums. It also evokes imagery of shawls to signify the tournament's winter scheduling, and contains waves resembling desert dunes. The typography of the emblem's wordmark incorporates kashida—the practice of elongating certain parts of characters in Arabic script to provide typographical emphasis.

Controversies
A number of groups and media outlets have expressed concern over the suitability of Qatar to host the event, with regard to interpretations of human rights, particularly worker conditions and the rights of fans in the LGBT community because of the illegality of homosexuality in Qatar. Hassan Abdulla al Thawadi, chief executive of the country's 2022 World Cup bid, said that Qatar would also permit alcohol consumption during the event, even though drinking in public is not permitted, as the country's legal system is based on Sharia.

The selection of Qatar as the host country has been controversial; FIFA officials were accused of corruption and allowing Qatar to "buy" the World Cup, the treatment of construction workers was called into question by human rights groups, and the high costs needed to make the plans a reality were criticised. The climate conditions caused some to call hosting the tournament in Qatar infeasible, with initial plans for air-conditioned stadiums giving way to a potential date switch from summer to winter.

In May 2014, Sepp Blatter, who was FIFA president at the time of the selection but later banned for illegal payments, remarked that awarding the World Cup to Qatar was a "mistake" because of the extreme heat. However, while addressing delegates from African and Asian confederations, Blatter said allegations of corruption and some of the criticism, including those from sponsors, were "very much linked to racism and discrimination".

Migrant workers, slavery allegations and deaths
The issue of migrant workers' rights has also attracted attention, with an investigation by The Guardian newspaper claiming that many workers are denied food and water, have their identity papers taken away from them, and that they are not paid on time or at all, making some of them in effect slaves. The Guardian has estimated that up to 4,000 workers may die due to lax safety and other causes by the time the competition is held. These claims are based upon the fact that 522 Nepalese workers and over 700 Indian workers have died since 2010, when Qatar's bid as World Cup's host was won, about 250 Indian workers dying each year. Given that there are half a million Indian workers in Qatar, the Indian government says that is quite a normal number of deaths.

In 2015, a crew of four journalists from the BBC were arrested and held for two days after they attempted to report on the condition of workers in the country. The reporters had been invited to visit the country as guests of the Government of Qatar.

The Wall Street Journal reported in June 2015 the International Trade Union Confederation's claim that over 1,200 workers had died while working on infrastructure and real-estate projects related to the World Cup, and the Qatar Government's counter-claim that none had. The BBC later reported that this often-cited figure of 1,200 workers having died in World Cup construction in Qatar between 2011 and 2013 is not correct, and that the 1,200 number is instead representing deaths from all Indians and Nepalese working in Qatar, not just of those workers involved in the preparation for the World Cup, and not just of construction workers. Most Qatar nationals avoid doing manual work or low-skilled jobs; additionally, they are given preference at the workplace. Michael van Praag, president of the Royal Dutch Football Association, requested the FIFA Executive Committee to pressure Qatar over those allegations to ensure better workers' conditions. He also stated that a new vote on the attribution of the World Cup to Qatar would have to take place if the corruption allegations were to be proved.

In March 2016, Amnesty International accused Qatar of using forced labour and forcing the employees to live in poor conditions and withholding their wages and passports. It accused FIFA of failing to stop the stadium being built on "human right abuses". Migrant workers told Amnesty about verbal abuse and threats they received after complaining about not being paid for up to several months. Nepali workers were even denied leave to visit their family after the 2015 Nepal earthquake.

In October 2017, the International Trade Union Confederation said that Qatar has signed an agreement to improve the situation of more than 2 million migrant workers in the country. According to the ITUC, the agreement provided for establishing substantial reforms in labour system, including ending the Al-Kafala system. The ITUC also stated that the agreement would positively affect the general situation of workers, especially of those who work on the 2022 FIFA World Cup infrastructure projects. The workers will no longer need their employer's permission to leave the country or change their jobs.

In February 2019, Amnesty International questioned whether they would be able to complete the promised labour reforms before the start of the World Cup, a sentiment that was backed by FIFA. Amnesty International found that abuses were still occurring despite the nation taking some steps to improve labour rights.

In May 2019, an investigation by the UK's Daily Mirror newspaper discovered some of the 28,000 workers on the stadiums are being paid 750 Qatari Riyal per month, which is equivalent to £190 per month or 99 pence an hour for a typical 48-hour week.

The Dutch company Hendriks Graszoden refused to supply Qatar with World Cup turf having been the supplier for the 2006 edition and the European Championships in 2008 and 2016. According to company spokesperson Gerdien Vloet one reason for this decision was the accusations of human rights abuses.

In April 2020, the government of Qatar provided $824 million to pay the wages of migrant workers in quarantine or undergoing treatment for COVID-19.

In August 2020, the Qatari government announced a monthly minimum wage for all workers of 1,000 riyals (US$275), an increase from the previous temporary minimum wage of 750 riyals a month. The new laws went into effect in March 2021. The International Labour Organization said "Qatar is the first country in the region to introduce a non-discriminatory minimum wage, which is a part of a series of historical reforms of the country's labour laws," while the campaign group Migrant Rights said the new minimum wage was too low to meet migrant workers' need with Qatar's high cost of living. In addition, employers are obligated to pay 300 riyals for food and 500 riyals for accommodation, if they do not provide employees with these directly. The No Objection Certificate was removed so that employees can change jobs without consent of the current employer. A Minimum Wage Committee was also formed to check on the implementation.

Move to November and December
Owing to the climate in Qatar, concerns were expressed over holding the World Cup in its traditional timeframe of June and July. In October 2013, a task force was commissioned to consider alternative dates and report after the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. On 24 February 2015, the FIFA Task Force proposed that the tournament be played from late November to late December 2022, to avoid the summer heat between May and September and also avoid clashing with the 2022 Winter Olympics in February and Ramadan in April.

The notion of staging the tournament in November is controversial since it would interfere with the regular season schedules of some domestic leagues around the world. Commentators have noted the clash with the Western Christmas season is likely to cause disruption, whilst there is concern about how short the tournament is intended to be. FIFA executive committee member Theo Zwanziger said that awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar's desert state was a "blatant mistake". Frank Lowy, chairman of Football Federation Australia, said that if the 2022 World Cup were moved to November and thus upset the schedule of the A-League, they would seek compensation from FIFA. Richard Scudamore, chief executive of the Premier League, stated that they would consider legal action against FIFA because a move would interfere with the Premier League's popular Christmas and New Year fixture programme. On 19 March 2015, FIFA sources confirmed that the 2022 World Cup final would be played on 18 December.

Bidding corruption allegations
Qatar has faced growing pressure over its hosting of the World Cup in relation to allegations over the role of former top football official Mohammed bin Hammam played in securing the bid. A former employee of the Qatar bid team alleged that several African officials were paid $1.5 million by Qatar. She retracted her claims, but later said that she was coerced to do so by Qatari bid officials. In March 2014, it was discovered that disgraced former CONCACAF president Jack Warner and his family were paid almost $2 million from a firm linked to Qatar's successful campaign. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating Warner and his alleged links to the Qatari bid.

Five of FIFA's six primary sponsors, Sony, Adidas, Visa, Hyundai, and Coca-Cola, have called upon FIFA to investigate the claims. The Sunday Times published bribery allegations based on a leak of millions of secret documents. Jim Boyce, Vice President of FIFA, has gone on record stating he would support a re-vote to find a new host if the corruption allegations are proven. FIFA completed a lengthy investigation into these allegations and a report cleared Qatar of any wrongdoing. Despite the claims, the Qataris insist that the corruption allegations are being driven by envy and mistrust while Sepp Blatter said it is fueled by racism in the British media.

In the 2015 FIFA corruption case, Swiss officials, operating under information from the United States Department of Justice, arrested many senior FIFA officials in Zurich, Switzerland. They also seized physical and electronic records from FIFA's main headquarters. The arrests continued in the United States, where several FIFA officers were arrested and FIFA buildings raided. The arrests were made on the information of at least a $150 million (USD) corruption and bribery scandal.

On 7 June 2015, Phaedra Almajid, the former media officer for the Qatar bid team, claimed that the allegations would result in Qatar not hosting the World Cup. In an interview published on the same day, Domenico Scala, the head of FIFA's Audit and Compliance Committee, stated that "should there be evidence that the awards to Qatar and Russia came only because of bought votes, then the awards could be cancelled."

Qatar diplomatic crisis
On 5 June 2017, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of destabilising the region and supporting terrorist groups. Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Mauritania, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt in a letter asked FIFA to replace Qatar as World Cup Host, calling the country as a "base of terrorism". In October 2017, Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Head of Dubai Security for the UAE, wrote about the Qatar diplomatic crisis; saying the blockade on the country will end if it surrenders the FIFA World Cup. The message appeared to imply that the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar was only enacted due to Qatar hosting the world's biggest football event.