The public needs to be aware of the devastating human costs associated with preparing for FIFA World Cup 2022.
With all the pomp and circumstance that comes from hosting a FIFA World Cup — the shining stadiums, festive fans adorned in their home nation’s colors, and the confetti storm covering the field at the end of the tournament — it is hard to forget the sheer effort it takes to embark in such an opportunity. However, amongst all the colors and celebrations, it’s easy to forget how dangerous and underpaid the workers are.
No World Cup has illustrated these struggles as much as the upcoming 2022 Qatar World Cup. Qatar was not known as a sporting powerhouse (arguably, they still aren’t). The country lacked many of the required stadium infrastructure necessary to host an event that draws millions to the host nation.
In developing seven shining new stadiums, Qatar needed a huge workforce to help with these massive projects, with an eighth being upgraded to meet FIFA standards for attendance. They enlisted thousands of migrant workers from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan willing to work for low wages.
The result? An estimated 6,500 deaths are directly related to the construction of these stadiums. These figures are likely vastly undercounted, too. Qatar does not report figures from all countries from which migrant workers originate. Plus no data are available yet from the final quarter statistics of 2020.
Stories from families whose loved ones never returned report constant work in heat that routinely hits 110F. Suicides and work-related accidents are reported at low. Researchers question the validity of the Qatari government’s numbers, leaving the true figure of casualties in question.
What has transpired since has left thousands of families heartbroken and in mourning over husbands, children, and friends who left for a job opportunity but never returned home.
The basic question is straightforward: What ‘costs’ are defensible when a country hosts international games? We assume that the answer is calculated in dollar terms. But in this case, it’s in human lives.
