Fresh from its historic achievement of hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Qatar is preparing to bid for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup in a development that confirms the Gulf nation’s relentless ambition to establish itself as a global sports and entertainment hub. While the bid capitalizes on the country’s massive infrastructure spending and organizational expertise, it also resumes global criticism of human rights abuse particularly against migrant workers that tarnished its 2022 World Cup legacy.
Qatar’s foray into international football competitions began with an ambitious promise: to stage the most compact, technologically advanced and sustainable World Cup in history. In pursuit of this ambition, the nation invested a staggering $220 billion, transforming its face with motorways, hotels, metro lines and eight futuristic stadiums, which cost an estimated $6.5 billion.
The tournament, held in November to December 2022 to avoid the blistering summer heat was both praised and criticized. On one hand, FIFA described it as one of the best World Cups ever, citing logistics, infrastructure, and security. On the other, human rights organizations raised alarm bells.
In the years leading up to 2022, Qatar was under intense international criticism for its treatment of migrant workers, who comprised the vast majority of the workforce powering its construction boom. In a report in 2022 from Amnesty International, thousands of South Asian and African migrant workers were being exploited under the now-reformed Kafala system a sponsorship system that tied workers to their sponsors and restricted labor mobility.
The report documented grave abuses, including:
Excessive working hours in extreme heat
Unpaid or withheld wages
Freedom of movement curtailed
No access to legal remedy for labor grievances
Some estimates, including those reported by The Guardian, place the death toll of migrant workers who have died in Qatar between 2010 and 2020 in all sectors at over 6,500 though the Qatari government disputes that figure and reports that many of the deaths were not World Cup preparation related.
Despite introducing labor reforms in 2020 and establishing a minimum wage, watchdog groups assert that enforcement remains uneven and that systemic abuse persists.
A Bid for Redemption or Repeat?
As rumors swirl about Qatar’s bid for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup, observers are asking whether lessons have been learned and whether international pressure will shape how the next major tournament is organized.
Hosting the Club World Cup, though smaller than the World Cup, would still necessitate huge planning, accommodation, and mobilization of workers. The eyes of the world and particularly labor rights activists are very likely to still be on Qatar and how it treats its workers this time around.
The Qatari state argues it has achieved considerable progress in protecting workers and in transparency.The International Labour Organization (ILO) has acknowledged improvements, including:
A wage protection system
A complaints mechanism for workers
Removal of exit permit requirements
NGOs, however, argue that change is partial and incremental, tending to be less present in rural work sites and smaller subcontractors.
Qatar’s drive to host global sporting events is all part of a broader soft power strategy, using football and culture to rebrand itself in the guise of a progressive, modern nation state amidst current regional turmoil. Coming after hosting the Asian Cup in 2023 and purchasing PSG through its sovereign wealth fund, the Club World Cup is the logical next step in Doha’s sports diplomacy playbook.
By linking itself to high-profile global events, Qatar is trying to diversify its economy away from oil and gas, boost tourism, and acquire clout in international organizations including sports federations.
FIFA’s openness to entertaining Qatar’s bid will also be questioned. After being accused of prioritizing revenue over rights in 2022, the organization has a moral dilemma: Does it award another tournament to Qatar in recognition of its logistical capability? Or does it weigh moral issues and reputational damage?
FIFA has been tight lipped thus far on potential 2029 hosts, but insiders point to Qatar as a front-runner, notably because of its already in-place infrastructure and close rapport with FIFA executives.
Qatar’s likely bid for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup presents a complex picture a nation eager to make a case for itself and rebrand its global reputation, yet one still under intense pressure to comply with human rights standards. If it succeeds, the tournament will test not only Qatar’s capacity to host, but the world’s to hold it accountable.
Really, the question is not so much whether Qatar can host but whether it should and on what terms.
Qatar Eyes 2029 FIFA Club World Cup Amid Ongoing Human Rights Scrutiny
