October 27 – Australia’s World Cup squad are the latest country to take aim at Qatar’s human rights record, issuing a three-minute video focussing on treatment of foreign workers and restrictions on the LGBTQI+ community.
October 27 – Qatar is set to drop mandatory pre-arrival Covid-19 tests for thousands of visitors from across the globe attending the World Cup.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 25 – FIFA is coming under further pressure to kick Iran out of next month’s World Cup – this time because of its military support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
October 25 – The ruler of Qatar has taken the unusual step of publicly adding his voice to that of World Cup organisers in denouncing the constant stream of criticism levelled against the host nation in the build-up to next month’s tournament.
October 24 – Despite promises by organisers and FIFA president Gianno Infantino that everyone will be welcome at the Qatar World Cup regardless of gender or sexual orientation, it’s a very different story on the ground in the build-up to the tournament, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
October 19 – US Soccer has become the latest football federation to support a compensation fund for migrant workers in Qatar.
October 19 – The United States expects “patience and tolerance” from Qatari authorities when the Gulf state welcomes hundreds of thousands of fans to the World Cup next month.
October 19 – With little over a month to go before the World Cup, several nations are being forced to revise their plans, with a number of key players ruled out by injury.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 18 – In the face of continued western media scepticism, FIFA president Gianni Infantino and World Cup organisers are cranking up the public relations narrative, insisting to anyone who will listen that the tournament in Qatar will be remembered for all the right reasons.
October 14 – In a remarkable turn round, the FBI and FIFA have teamed up to protect this winter’s World Cup in Qatar from potential crime including match-fixing.
October 14 – Through a high-ranking administrator, global governing body FIFA has suggested it’s considering compensation for migrant workers in Qatar who suffered human rights abuses in the build-up to the World Cup.
October 13 – World Cup boss Nasser Al Khater has said that England and Wales should focus on their teams’ preparations for the World Cup rather than demanding compensation for migrant workers or making political statements.
FIFA is collaborating with eight leading artists to showcase a new ‘Spotlight: Your Dreams’ campaign ahead of the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
October 11 – FIFA has opened the financial compensation process for clubs whose players will be participating at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
October 11 – With the World Cup less than six weeks away, Qatar’s tightly-controlled media have joined forces to retaliate against European attacks on the Gulf state’s suspect human rights record.