In preparation for the 2022 World Cup, Qatar spent around 220 billion dollars. It was because of the lack of infrastructure required to hold the amount of people traveling to their country for the event. They constructed things such as airports, metro systems, hotels, and eight stadiums. Even though Qatar is one of the richest countries in the world, they had to expand and rebuild properties to be capable of hosting the World Cup. Qatar spent more money on this one occasion than all of the previous World Cups put together. 

In addition to spending billions of dollars, there was also an investigation on the use of unpaid labor. Thousands of workers died in Qatar while building these new developments. This has caused many to question the ethics behind the event enjoyed widespread by millions of people. An estimated 6,500 workers died while building the expansions. Information quickly spread about how workers weren’t permitted breaks nor to get water. It can be deadly to bear harsh desert temperatures without proper precautions. However, Qatar still refuses to give out any information about the use of inhumane labor.

There are many other countries that could have hosted the World Cup, so why was it held in Qatar? The World Cup was a great opportunity for the country to share their culture and ideals with the world. It’s suspected that Qatar had bribed FIFA (Fédération internationale de football association) in order to be selected to hold the World Cup. There are official documents allegedly proving bribes were accepted by football officials but all allegations were denied by those accused. A lot of controversies have risen because of the corruption in relation to the world cup. People hope that in the future there will be smarter decisions for the hosting of the competition. In 2026, the World Cup is going to be hosted by North America’s countries with pre-built stadiums to prevent another conflict.