BY SAIGOPAL RANGARAJ ‘23
The 2022 FIFA world cup broke many records. It was the first to be held in a Middle Eastern country; it was the highest-scoring world cup; and it was the most expensive sporting event in recorded history. After a final described as one of the greatest contests of all time and one that reaffirmed Messi’s GOAT status, the world seems to have moved on from Qatar and forgotten about the World Cup and what it has meant for people in Asia. For the people of Asia, this world cup will hold two very different meanings: for some Asians, it was a moment of pride and jubilation, while for other Asians it is a symbol of suffering and loss.
On one hand, a record number of teams from Asia qualified for the 2022 World Cup. According to FIFA, five teams from Asia–the Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, the Korean Republic (South Korea), Qatar, and Saudi Arabia–participated in the tournament. The Samurai Blue (Japan’s national team) put in impressive performances–defeating European powerhouses Germany and Portugal–to make it to the quarter-finals against Croatia. Although they lost, the Japanese team received a hero’s welcome when it returned home. This world cup saw Asian soccer reach new heights and this will likely continue as the world cup expands to 48 teams in 2026, allowing for more competition and new teams to play in the tournament.
The glamor and glory of the world cup conceal the lived experiences of the people that made it possible for Qatar to host this competition. When Qatar was selected to host the 2022 World Cup in 2010, many were skeptical of its ability to host what is arguably the world’s greatest sporting event. At that time it had neither the infrastructure to accommodate large crowds nor the arenas. In addition, there were concerns that the excessive heat would take a toll on players and spectators alike. All the naysayers were proved wrong, yet the costs of Qatar’s “I told you so” moment were astounding. To host the 2022 World Cup, Qatar is said to have spent over $220 billion on stadia, infrastructure, hotels, and other vanity projects. This eye-watering figure too conceals the human toll of the world cup: the exploitation of a vast army of temporary workers from Asia that built the infrastructure, stadia, and luxury hotels to house the global rich. It is estimated that since 2010, approximately 6,500 migrants lost their lives working at various construction sites in Qatar.
The majority of the workers who built Qatar’s infrastructure were recruited from countries such as India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Despite its popularity in the region, South Asian teams have been absent from the World Cup and other global soccer tournaments because the sport is relatively underdeveloped. It was not the love of soccer that led the hundreds of thousands of South Asians to sign up to go and work in Qatar. Rather, it was the prospects of a better future for themselves and their families. To Qatar’s credit, studies have shown the scale of the positive impact that migration has on migrant workers. One study claimed that migrant work in the Persian Gulf does more to reduce global inequality than the combined welfare states of the rich world.
Qatar and FIFA’s hubris led to a much better life for people, but their tone and response to criticisms of the plight of migrant workers leave much to be desired. Qatar and FIFA should have worked to improve migrant worker rights when they signed the contract in 2010, yet it took countless deaths and international scrutiny for positive changes to be made; there were some huge changes like the removal of the Kaffala system or the institution of a minimum wage but they did not go far enough. The erasure of migrant workers’ voices and identities was crucial to ensure a smooth world cup as the focus needed to be on soccer and not on the coffins being sent back to South Asia. The removal of a mural created on one of the stadium facades serves as a stark reminder to many of how expendable migrant workers were to Qatar.
Qatar 2022 was Asia’s world cup. It brought together people from all corners of the continent; bringing fame and fortune to some while erasing the existence of others. The world cup led to lasting changes in Middle East labor policies and contributed to significant reductions in poverty, yet it also exacerbated the inequalities and power dynamics that exist on the continent. As the world’s focus moves away from the tiny peninsula, the only question that matters is whether we will see the same triumphs and tragedies repeated again when the rulers of another oil-rich Arab state decide that it is their turn in the spotlight.
