Football, Power, and Social Change: Understanding the Qatar World Cup

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar will be a record-breaking affair. The tournament is poised to be the most-watched and highest-grossing sporting event of all time. It has also been the most criticized World Cup; for over a decade, football fans, players, and national associations have condemned FIFA for granting hosting rights to a country with little football tradition and a lengthy record of human rights abuses.

In spite of this controversy and doubts about football’s ability to support liberal values internationally, Qatar looks ahead to using the World Cup to boost its global standing and improve its national security.

As the tournament kicks off in Doha, Carnegie Europe is delighted to invite you to a virtual public discussion featuring Rafiah Al Talei, Ronny Blaschke, and Francesco Siccardi on the social, ethical, and foreign policy implications of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

To submit a question for the event, please use the YouTube chat, email brussels@ceip.org, or tweet at us @Carnegie_Europe.

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

Football, Power, and Social Change: Understanding the Qatar World Cup

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