What’s in it for Qatar?

Dubbed the biggest sporting event in the world, the World Cup draws over 5 billion fans in viewership. (Photo: Skysports)

The 2022 FIFA World Cup opened in Qatar this weekend, kicking off a month-long competition where the best teams in the world go head to head for the most prestigious football championship.

Now, I don’t know much about football, the World Cup, or about Qatar, frankly. I can rattle off a few random names but if you asked me to actually identify who they were, I’d fail miserably. So everything I knew about the biggest football tournament came almost exclusively from the headlines that surround it, like Saudi upsetting the Messi-led Argentinian squad.

In the lead up to November, Qatar’s hosting has been the subject of a lot of controversy. From bribery allegations during the country’s hosting bid in 2010 to the illegality of same-sex relationships and poor working conditions for migrants. Celebrities declined to perform while clubs and fans campaigned for a boycott. Additionally, the BBC didn’t air the opening ceremonies on the 16th in favor of airing coverage on criticisms of the Qatari government and FIFA.

Criticism of Qatar has included sportswashing, fear of possible LGBTQ+ persecution, and being dismissive and insulting of migrant workers conditions. The criticism is rightfully earned. It shows that sport, despite efforts to separate it from socio-politics, is rooted in the context it exists in.

However, many have pointed out that some discourse surrounding Qatar’s human rights issues come off preachy and sets a double standard for Qatar, an Arab-Muslim country. Journalist Ayman Mohyeldin said that “If Qatar is a villain, it is not one in isolation” and urged for “more nuance” and “self-reflection” in critique.

For David Wearing, the Western world shouldn’t be dismissed of any criticism, considering their brands have been sponsoring the World Cup.

“And to the extent that the tournament serves to sportswash authoritarianism, it will be sportswashing an authoritarianism that has long been a joint venture between the west and Qatar,” said Wearing.

Much to gain, much to lose

A peninsula off the coast of Saudi Arabia, Qatar doesn’t have much name recognition to commonfolk. Oil and petroleum are Qatar’s biggest contributions to the global marketplace, making Qatar the richest country in the world.

Qatar stands to gain on image remaking, especially given the international backlash of the World Cup. The World Cup is for Qatar to earn and diversify; position itself as a relevant nation in landscapes dominated by giants.

Qatar’s culture is on full display for a rare moment of international spotlight. Hotels and leisure facilities were built and booked in preparation for the World Cup to anticipate the 1.2 billion fans that could be flying in and traveling around the country. There will be music festivals throughout the duration of the matches that fans can enjoy.

Hosting a global sporting event like the World Cup or the Olympics is a gamble. The bidding process can take decades of preparation and once awarded, it takes billions to get a nation game-ready. Qatar spent $220 billion in the 12 years spanning the bid before the World Cup even opened.

But for many countries, it’s a chance to draw investors in, create new jobs, invigorate the economy, bump up tourism, and put their name out among the world players.

It’s why hosting the 2019 SEA Games was such a big deal for the Philippines that the government shelled out billions in national budget allocations and private deals for the biennial event—including P50 million allocated for the torch-cauldron. The P1.5 billion used for our athletes’ training and preparation, seemed to have paid off as the country was crowned overall champion.

The SEA Games were fun to watch on TV. Even though I knew it was costing us what could have been classrooms, food, or rehabilitation efforts, I was willing to push that to the back of mind for a moment of #PinoyPride in the spotlight.

For many financial experts, the costs had to be worth it. The property and development, tourism, and sports sectors hoped that the Games would boost the Philippines as a country and people worth pouring money into.

TL;DR: It’s all in the name of good, old clout chasing.

Making $220 billion count

From a non-sports fan perspective, Qatar is not off to a great start.

The national team crashed and burned in the first game of the competition, losing 0-2 to Ecuador in front of a thinning home crowd. But it’d be unfair of me to count the team out immediately, considering they haven’t played official competitions since 2019. Qatar will face Senegal and the Netherlands before the end of November.

It’s also a known fact that hosting events like the World Cup doesn’t bring as much economic benefit as we’d hope. It’s become more expensive for host countries to shoulder costs especially as much of the revenue generated from these events goes back to the organizers like FIFA—but that’s yet another can of worms.

Qatar must also rise to another challenge when it comes time to wrap up the festivities: the “white elephant” phenomenon that has plagued host cities for years. History shows that when the post-Games hype dies down, countries are left with facilities they cannot use and billions in debt like in Rio, Brazil.

But it can’t be all bad for Qatar. For the Tokyo Olympics, dubbed the most expensive Olympics, experts said that the benefits were in the long-term. Skateboarding went from dangerous to daring, breathing life into Japanese youth amid the pandemic. Hotels and restaurants were poised to benefit from the renovations undergone initially for tourists—before COVID at least.

Much like how the SEA Games were the catalyst to building infrastructure in New Clark City in Tarlac, it also became about legacy that lasts after the flames go out. The athletes’ village was turned into a COVID-19 quarantine facility in 2020. We’re seeing a rise in interest in other sports thanks to home-grown champions like Hidyln Diaz, EJ Obiena, Carlos Yulo, and Alex Eala loosening the hard grip of basketball. For the Philippines, we’re trying to shape a national identity for sports that we’ve long lost or maybe never had.

The reward of soft power on the global stage could outweigh the risks of debt and waste. There’s optics at play, sending messages of visibility, relevance, and appeal. While the hefty price tag will definitely hover over them for years, the World Cup might just be what Qatar needs to reshape their nation’s identity into more than just an oil hub.