10 Compelling Reasons Why The FIFA World Cup 2022 In Qatar Could Be The Worst One So Far

Everyone is excited about the World Cup, I know I am. It’s arguably the most widely anticipated sports event of all time where multiple teams from different nations and regions all come together to compete for the grand trophy. However, one thing you may or may not have heard of is the controversies surrounding this year’s World Cup, and that is its location.
Qatar will host the FIFA World Cup in 2022, but the Middle Eastern nation faces many difficulties in the process. However, people have been wondering what kind of football culture Qatar has exactly. The nation has so far hosted two Asian Cups, in 1998 and 2011, but no other significant competitions. This is why people are starting to worry about their lack of experience on the matter.
And there’s the weather issue. Initially, Qatar promised FIFA to organize the World Cup 2022 during the summer along with air-conditioning infrastructure to deal with the heat. However, it seems that Qatar deceived them and made FIFA accept an ultimatum to host the tournament next winter.
Mind you, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Scroll down to know the top 10 reasons why people think the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar might be the worst yet.

#1 Only Eight Stadiums

Source: timeoutdoha

Qatar had pledged to construct 12 stadiums for the World Cup, but in 2013, they sought to just build eight or nine! This was really embarrassing because FIFA had even considered having neighboring nations co-host the event. In the end, the expense of constructing so many stadiums proved to be intolerable, especially in light of the expenditures made on highways and even a new city. Qatar will spend more than $200 billion on the event in all.
Only eight venues will host the competition, as FIFA ultimately decided, as all but one are rather near to one another. This might make the event turn into a nightmare by causing more infrastructure-related issues. Fans won't have much of a choice but to wait their turn and get to the games early in order to show up on time. The FIFA World Cup may be the largest event on a global scale, but it may appear small in Qatar.

#2 Qatar is too small to host the FIFA World Cup

Source: iloveqatar

Switzerland became the smallest country to host the FIFA World Cup in 1954. But Qatar wins that distinction since it has a population the size of Utah and is the same size as Hawaii! Since all the venues are so near together, this should have some benefits. Teams and supporters won't have to go far, and everyone will be in the same place. Qatar, however, may be too tiny to host such a huge competition, according to FIFA.
Qatar must provide care for 32 teams in 64 games, in contrast to Switzerland, which hosted 16 teams and 26 games! They still have a lot of room to fill with the over 100.000 certified attendees and additional football fanatics. This implies that the little country will be overrun with tourists who could have trouble finding a place to sleep or getting to games. Because the country is still developing its infrastructure, all we hear are promises.

#3 The Qatar football team has poor performance

Source: sportingnews

Italy hosted the first and only FIFA World Cup that year without having previously qualified for the event. Even though it was just the second World Cup, Italy proved to be one of the finest teams by taking home the trophy. Qatar came near to qualifying for the tournament multiple times, but they never succeeded. Despite some recent regional success, they do not rank among the top Asian teams. We only need to consider their performance throughout the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification to provide an example.
Qatar played friendlies against each team in UEFA Group A to better prepare for the competition. They had a terrible season, winning only one of their eight games, against Luxembourg's underdogs (1-0). However, they only managed to score one goal while surrendering 14 against Serbia and Portugal. They will undoubtedly be the worst team at the World Cup, and playing at home won't make that any stronger. Only countries who have hosted the World Cup before should be allowed to do so, according to the regulation!

#4 Russia and Israel

Source: Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS

Israel and Qatar have a highly strained relationship to the point that they don't even acknowledge one another. Israeli athletes did compete in Qatar, although there were never any national teams from Israel. This meant that it may turn into a nightmare if Israel did manage to qualify for this World Cup. Israeli players wouldn't be in the same situation as everyone else, despite Qatar's declaration that they are welcome. The Blue and Whites, fortunately for the hosts, finished third in their group and were eliminated from the tournament.
The other nation dealing with challenges was Russia, but Qatar was unrelated to that. Russia was expelled from all major competitions in 2019 by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), although being permitted to participate in qualification events. In reality, FIFA might prevent Russia from playing if they were to make it to the finals by invoking WADA. A different name for Russia and participation without a flag or national song would be a possible possibility. Only two days before the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, this embargo expires on December 16th, 2022. However, FIFA suspended Russians following the attack on Ukraine, removing them in the process.

#5 Sponsoring Terrorism Allegations

Source: opindia

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt accused Qatar of supporting terrorism with state funding in 2017. These states essentially put sanctions on Qatar, and eventually, other Asian and African countries followed suit. Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt are just a few countries that have even asked FIFA to stop them from hosting the World Cup. Germany joined them as well and even contemplated quitting the competition. Qatar, however, refuted these claims in the meantime and asserted that it actively supports the War on Terror.
The conflict was ultimately settled in 2021, and the borders between the contending nations were opened. But before Qatar's reputation changes, a lot of time and money will be required. This might be another factor preventing supporters from traveling to the nation during the FIFA World Cup. However, we hope that the agreement will continue long after the

#6 The Shortest World Cup of the Millennium

Source: Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera

We all want the FIFA World Cup to run as long as possible because it only occurs every four years. The FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022 will be the shortest in history, nevertheless! Additionally, with only 24 teams competing, this tournament will be the shortest since 1982. In all, 64 games will be squeezed into 28 days, which will provide less time for recuperation for everyone. Many athletes will be worn out or hurt by the semifinals.
Few people would set out for 12 hours to watch every game during the group stage because there will be four games every day. The irony is that everyone will likely forgo these games, which will negatively affect Qatar. They are likely the weakest squad in the competition, as we have determined, thus nobody will be interested in watching them until their preferred club is involved. The fourth item on our list provides an explanation if you're wondering why this is taking place.

#7 The First Winter FIFA World Cup

Source: living2022

The 2022 FIFA World Cup begins in late October and ends soon before winter. Those who support this choice point out that during the summer, everyday temperatures in Qatar may get as high as 50 degrees. The hosts, however, initially asserted that they would use air conditioning to remedy the issue before conceding they couldn't. By giving FIFA an ultimatum to host the competition at the end of 2022, they effectively defrauded FIFA. However, this will have negative effects on everyone concerned.
Because the World Cup is in the middle of the club season, as we have said, this will lead to a busy schedule and have an impact on the players. Furthermore, many Americans will disregard the tournament since it conflicts with vacations and the NFL playoffs. FIFA is undoubtedly eager for this World Cup to be over since it is already experiencing problems with sponsors and broadcasters. We're very confident FIFA has learned its costly lesson and will never again follow the summer schedule.

#8 Boycott Calls

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The calls for a boycott are widespread because many FIFA executives believe that this World Cup is an error. Qatar has only seen a negative influence in the past 10 years, despite the fact that the tournament should promote Qatar. The irony is that now that everyone is aware of what is happening there, the government has to spend a ridiculous amount of time and money trying to improve its reputation. Even though none of the nations will abstain from the tournament, the damage has already been done.
Due to the protests and boycott requests coming from strong human rights organizations, they probably won't cease even during the World Cup. It will impact their earnings even if FIFA and the hosts will undoubtedly overlook it. On the plus side, Qatar has been improving lately, and even if they only do it because they have to, it's still encouraging.

#9 Modern Slavery and LGBT Rights

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Qatar has to engage a lot of foreign laborers to build the World Cup's infrastructure. However, they are compelled to live in work camps and get pitiful wages. Additionally, they no longer enjoy their basic human rights because they are unable to resign from their occupations or leave the nation without permission. Over 6500 individuals perished during the construction process and this is combined with the appalling working conditions. Two construction workers pass away on average each day, mostly from the heat and dangerous working circumstances. As they are preoccupied with covering up all the deaths, the Qatari government is making little effort to change the situation.
Furthermore, despite the fact that homosexuality is a crime punishable by severe jail terms, Qatar continues to exhibit great animosity against the LGBT population. However, in response to demand, they pledged greater tolerance and even installed rainbow flags in the stadiums. Nobody is certain, though, if LGBT fans will feel secure walking about. Undoubtedly, many people would believe that traveling to a place where they are unwanted is not the ideal way to spend the winter season.

#10 Qatar May Have Bought the Rights to Host the World Cup

Source: CNN

We provided a long list of arguments against this World Cup, many of which were rather clear even before the vote. Furthermore, FIFA is considerably more familiar with each prospective nation than any of us are since they investigate each one carefully. This, therefore, raises the question, "Why was Qatar chosen?" Well, there are numerous allegations of bribery and corruption that led the appropriate people to vote in favor of Qatar. Numerous reports have been made about this since 2011, some even mentioning former FIFA vice president Jack Warner.
Finally, Michel Platini, a former president of UEFA, was detained in 2019 on allegations of corruption. We still don't know much about it, though. However, Platini has previously been charged with fraud, suggesting this story has some merit. The Qatari administration has maintained that everyone is envious throughout the whole period. The World Cup will go on as planned, and if we learn the truth at all, it won't be for many years. No one, however, thinks Qatar deserves to host the World Cup in a proper manner.