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A tournament billed as a ‘World Cup of firsts’ has left the global football community unsure about how they should feel about the greatest show on earth. The first World Cup to be held in the Middle East will also be the first to be held mid-season - meaning a first summer World Cup experience for half the world, and a first in winter for everyone else. Perhaps most pertinently, it’s also the most controversial World Cup to date, being held against a backdrop of allegations and investigations. At COPA90, our perspective has always been informed by fans and this tournament is no different. Having spoken with over 200 fans and journalists in 30 countries, as well as delving into our own experiences of reporting on major international tournaments, we’ve aimed to paint a balanced picture of fan sentiment towards Qatar 2022.
AN UNREPENTANT SHADOW OF CONTROVERSY IS DRIVING FAN SENTIMENT FOR WORLD CUP
The notion that FIFA awarded the World Cup to Qatar in order to breathe new life into a tired tournament format was widely rejected by fans. In fact, four out of five of the fans surveyed believed that it was awarded due to financial doping. One respondent summed this up by telling us he felt “the whole process was an insult to the intelligence of football fans”.
It’s not hard to see why fans feel this way. There are obvious impracticalities to hosting the world’s biggest sporting event in a country the size of Yorkshire - not to mention playing the matches in searing desert heat that many fans and players won’t have ever experienced.
This is an even tougher pill to swallow for fans from nations who failed with their own bids to host the tournament. The likes of Australia could lay claim to far more suitable infrastructure whilst also delivering against FIFA’s stated promise of bringing the game to new places. As one respondent from Melbourne put it:
“FIFA hide behind this idea of bringing the World Cup to new territories, but realistically, it is about who can offer them the most money.”
This overwhelming sense of injustice is compounded by the human rights abuses and anti-LGBTQ ideology that have been widely reported in news cycles over the past 12 years, particularly in Western media. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was respondents in these countries that felt most strongly about these issues. If FIFA or the Qatar state were hoping that these reports and investigations would die down over the following decade then they were certainly mistaken. If anything, the ill feeling amongst fans has become even more vehement in the wake of increased criticism from high profile figures in recent weeks.
BUT THINGS COULD CHANGE ONCE THE TOURNAMENT KICKS OFF
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In the men’s game, World Cup tournaments rarely arrive without controversy. From the township protests of South Africa in 2010 to the threats of widespread violence ahead of Russia 2018, the narrative in the run-up to recent tournaments has almost always been influenced by socio-political issues off the pitch.
And yet once the first ball is kicked on the opening day, history suggests that attention invariably turns to matters on the pitch. In each of the last three tournaments, social media headlines about spiralling costs and wealth inequality were quickly replaced by stories of plastic horns, rogue insects and wonder goals once the action had commenced.
Even against the backdrop of corruption, greed and slavery, most fans surveyed were still able to find reasons to look forward to this World Cup - particularly for those who have been waiting a long time to watch their team on the grand stage.
Amongst fans from countries like the US, Ghana, Netherlands and other nations that failed to qualify for the last tournament, there’s a sense that this has been a long time coming and they aren’t going to let geo-politics ruin their enjoyment of it:
“As a big USMNT fan, it's hard not to be excited…we haven't been in a World Cup since 2014, and have an exciting crop of players. We also had a pretty incredible draw, narratively speaking, and every game will have some pretty wild storylines.”
This is also about the witnessing of iconic sporting moments - something that World Cups have consistently delivered (or as one fan so eloquently put it - “bookmarks for some of the best times in our lives”). Qatar 2022 will be no different. Should Lionel Messi lift the trophy in potentially his final appearance for the national team, the human rights record of a far off Middle Eastern state is unlikely to be front of mind for those partying in the streets of Buenos Aires.
Choosing to focus on events closer to home could be an attempt from fans to dissociate the football itself from the organisers. The idea of fans congregating in town squares once again - a shared sense of coming together and the making of memories with friends and loved ones - is something that many will feel they can enjoy guilt-free. As one respondent from the Netherlands put it “I can’t wait to see my country in orange again”.
THIS IS BIG FOR QATARIS - AND THE GULF REGION AS A WHOLE
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If there’s one place on earth when excitement is likely to reach fever pitch, it’s Qatar. Whilst much has been made of its meagre size (this will be the first tournament in history where it will be possible, in theory, for a fan to attend every single match) it’s clear that passion for football runs deep amongst the locals.
Qatari respondents to our research spoke of how far the national team has come in the last decade, highlighting the impact that winning the 2019 Asian Cup has had on national mood. Football is now a regular subject of conversation in Majils across the country.
They were also effusive in their feelings of pride that come with hosting the greatest show on earth, describing it as “a great opportunity to show the world our country” and “not only for Qatar, but for all Arabs”. There’s a sense amongst local fans that this is a long overdue opportunity to showcase Arab culture and overturn misconceptions about the region, with Qataris playing a leading role.
Despite the ill-feeling around the awarding of the tournament, it seems that fans from other nations don’t begrudge Qatari fans this once in a lifetime experience. Respondents from Los Angeles to London expressed an interest in hearing local perspectives on the tournament and seeing their football culture, perhaps demonstrating an awareness of Western media biases that they’ve been exposed to in recent years.
COPA90 fans consistently report that getting a window into new football cultures is something they relish, as demonstrated during our coverage of South Africa, Brazil and even Russia in recent years. For Qatari fans, there’s a sense that their time has come to show the world how much football really means to them.
A WORLD CUP LACED WITH COMPLEXITY - BUT IT IS STILL THE WORLD CUP
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All of this contributes to a feeling of unease amongst fans whose moral compasses are directly at odds with their love of football and the culture that surrounds it. A tournament that promises so much through its sheer novelty in footballing terms is simultaneously making fans question how involved they want to be with it.
It was this line of questioning that generated the most mixed responses from fans. Whilst 36% of respondents said they wouldn’t feel guilty about supporting their team against the moral backdrop of this tournament, a nearly identical percentage said they would, with a quarter of fans going as far as saying they would celebrate less if their team were to win the tournament.
It’s clear that many fans are put off by the uncomfortable truths that have come to define the Qatar World Cup over the past decade or so. But the reality is that many aren’t. Whilst the football will be played in Qatar, it will be experienced everywhere, and that’s an important distinction for fans looking to enjoy a guilt-free tournament and create long lasting memories.
The World Cup is still the World Cup - a global event that’s able to capture public attention and imagination in a way that few, if any, other events on earth can. Which, it’s worth remembering, is exactly why politicians keen on enhancing their reputations on the global stage go to such lengths to bring the tournament to their doorsteps in the first place.
THE COPA90 WAY - UNIQUE, AUTHENTIC AND TRANSPARENT
Regardless of what happens on or off the pitch, there is no doubt that this is a World Cup that will be forever etched in our collective memories.
Here at COPA90 we remain committed to providing the unique stories and experiences that our global fan community has come to expect from our coverage of the beautiful game.
For us and our brand partners, that means providing a balanced global perspective that includes Qatari fans. It means celebrating the big tournament magic but doing so with transparency and without shying away from reality.
And of course, it means giving fans a voice and a platform to express their passion. After all, the game belongs to them - and we believe it always should.