And you thought the vuvuzela was annoying. Welcome to Qatar 2022, where that buzzing sensation is caused by heatstroke.
Seriously, if there was any doubt that FIFA was a broken organization, the decision process for 2018 and 2022 has put that issue to rest.
Let’s start with the fact that Qatar is tiny. It’s sort of equivalent to the Bay Area hosting a World Cup. Except without any of the cool stuff that they have in the Bay Area. And without legal rights for gay people. And with extreme restrictions on alcohol consumption in public. Which is okay, though, because it’s not like people at the World Cup like to drink at all. Oh, and they are going to build all the stadiums for this over the next 12 years (unlike the US or Australia who already had most/all of the necessary infrastructure) and then…wait for it…tear it all down again once it’s over.
And then there’s the heat. Temperatures above 110 will be the norm. They claim that this won’t be a problem because they will simply air condition all the (outdoor) stadiums. Which is so preposterous that I hardly know what to say about it. And let’s even suppose that air conditioning all these stadiums works as hoped for. Well, what about the many many fans who attend the World Cup but only actually go to a couple matches? Those folks will need to spend their entire time inside. Where is the interaction with the local culture? What sort of day-trips are people going to be able to take? Where is the camaraderie of wandering around and finding a random bar to watch the day’s game with a bunch of people from around the world?
It’s going to be an absolute disaster.
Obviously I wish the US had won the bid. But I would have been 100% okay with Australia winning, too. Even Japan or South Korea would have been fine. They did a pretty good job in 2002, and while 20 years seems like a pretty quick turnaround, the US had it back in 1994 so I can’t really play the “you just had it” card too much.
And, I almost forgot the kicker. Qatar has never (as in, zero times) qualified for the World Cup! How exciting it will be for them to get an automatic bid!
Finally, just to preempt, I’m someone who thinks there’s a ton of value to the effort to make it a truly ‘global game.’ I support giving more slots to the regions outside of Europe and South America. I thought it was great to have a World Cup in Africa and think they should go back soon. And I even think there is a good case that events like this help to liberalize states. So, for example, China getting it for 2026 would seem reasonable to me. But the right way to do this is NOT to reward corruption and oil money. That is the antithesis of actually building the game.
In conclusion, FIFA is the worst.
I don’t suppose that anyone who could ever qualify for a nation’s World Cup team would consider not going for health reasons…? Didn’t we just have a world class swimmer die of heat stroke this year? Isn’t that a sport you do in water?
I just learned that Qatar has the highest per capita CO2 emissions in the world–a factor of two higher than the runner up, Kuwait, and three times higher than the US. I wonder if they’re already in the habit of air conditioning outdoor stadiums?
They allow women to both drive and vote, which surprised me. So, things could be worse, but applauding Qatar for women’s rights is sort of like saying someone is a great dad because he never beats his kids.