The 2022 FIFA World Cup came to a magical end on Sunday. As the Supersport presenter Thomas Mlambo said, the final was the “fairytale end fans wanted.” Lionel Messi finally lifted the FIFA World Cup trophy, perhaps the most coveted sports trophy in the world, and the only football award which was hitherto missing from Messi’s stellar career. For Qatar, as with any other host country, the FIFA World Cup was more than a sporting event. It was an image-making event, and the award they sought to win was the respect of the West and hearts of global football fans.
Though the 2022 FIFA World could be the most controversial World Cup to date, the reputational gains for Qatar are innumerable.
Firstly, despite doubts about Qatar’s capacity to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup due to a lack of “football history” and infrastructure, Qatar ignored the naysayers and went to work. Forbes reported that “Qatar is estimated to have spent as much as $220 billion in the dozen years since being chosen as a World Cup host in late 2010, more than 15 times what Russia spent for the 2018 event.” Thanks to that, they pulled off a spectacular month-long event.
Amid accusations of human rights abuses, Qatar put together a spectacular event from start to finish. They held a magnificent opening ceremony with a performance from K-pop star and BTS’ Jung Kook who his new song “Dreamers.” More noteworthy was the performance by Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman and Qatari YouTuber Ghanim Al Muftaha that sent a strong message about diversity and inclusion.
Next, Qatar successfully put its culture on display and fans embraced it.
From a branding standpoint, the tournament’s official mascot called La’eeb stands out from the pack. La’eeb is an Arabic word meaning super-skilled player dressed in the Qatari traditional attire called Thobes. The Qatari Thobes also became popular among fans who praised the country for its hospitality and organisation.
In addition, whilst it was expected that the ban on the sale of alcohol at stadia would cause fan disenchantment, some fans agreed that they could enjoy the game without alcohol and others said that it was alright to be respectful of a people’s culture.
To crown the cultural display, the Emir of Qatar dressed Messi in the traditional robe “bisht” before he lifted the World Cup trophy.
For the closing ceremony, Hayya Hayya (Better Together) – music from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Official Soundtrack – was performed by Afrobeats star Davido, Qatari Aisha, Trinidad Cardona and several other stars. The song is rooted in all that world football represents – a moment that we celebrate our togetherness, and it reinforced the message about diversity.
To cap the 2022 FIFA World Cup broadcast, Qatar asked us what we would remember about the event. In spite of the allegations of human rights abuses, we have to say that we will remember this FIFA World Cup as the “World Cup of Dreamers.”
Stating that the FIFA World Cup is one of the most powerful image-making tools in the world would be stating the obvious. It is the reason that brands fall over themselves to sponsor or associate with the FIFA World Cup. When given the platform, the key is to make the most of it as Qatar did.
Header image: AP via Marca
