Qatar 2022 will be an exceptional event, says FIFA president

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be an exceptional edition. He said matches being held on eight world class stadiums close to one another will allow fans to watch two or three matches a day. He also said he expects 1.5-2mn fans to visit Qatar and 5bn to watch the matches. Infantino was participating in a session called ‘Countdown to the Greatest Show on Earth’ as part of Qatar Economic Forum, Powered by Bloomberg. He had the World Cup’s official ball, called Al Rihla, on stage. He described it as a unique ball, given it was made specially for Qatar Economic Forum and had the forum’s name inscribed on it. He said that demand for ticket sales were high, with 23mn ticket requests in total and 5mn ticket requests for the final. “I think the whole country here, and more and more the whole region, is really tuning in for this World Cup...I’m now in this business for a couple of decades, I’ve never seen such a state of readiness of a big event like here. And we are getting ready now day by day, more and more, to welcome two million people here in Qatar,” he said.He said that having enough accommodation for visiting fans is not a worry, stressing that everything is done to have enough accommodation to the visiting fans. In terms of workers’ rights in World Cup facilities, Infantino said that his first visit after becoming FIFA President was to Qatar in 2016 to address the situation of workers. He noted that a lot of changes has been made since then, including the abolishment of the kafala system, the introduction of minimum wages, as well as regulations to address the heat among other measures. “It took us in Europe hundreds of years to arrive where we are now in terms of the social impact for the people...we are here and we are together and the cooperation is really great and we want to make sure this stands after the World Cup,” he added.He called on visitors who plan to come to respect the country and region’s culture, stressing that Qatar welcomes everyone and that all visitors will be able to see the progress the country has made in all fields. Speaking about the change of football in the coming years, Infantino said: “Football is a big industry, receiving over $2bn, which is the budget of countries, and it has an element that connects all the peoples of the world,” pointing out that FIFA was keen to organise this tournament for the first time on Arab soil, where Qatar has enjoyed this honour.He stated that following an unprecedented FIFA 2021 Arab Cup organised by Qatar tournament last December, where Arabs celebrated their tournament, and it was an impressive and exceptional competition. He added: “When people come here, they will see with their own eyes how the country’s culture and history are linked to the history of football.”Infantino said that organizing the World Cup in Qatar and selling tickets will benefit the country’s economy, noting that more than two million people will come to Qatar, and some of them will discover the country for the first time.