Football without beer. Alcohol ban for Qatar 2022 stadia
July 8 – Alcohol will not be served at World Cup venues in Qatar, according to agency reports.
World Cup
FIFA gathers World Cup qualifiers in Doha for ‘Team Workshop’
July 6 – With the final tickets on sale for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, FIFA and local organisers have hosted the 32 qualified teams in Doha for a ‘Team Workshop’.
FIFA fuels Qatar 2022 carbon-neutral debate saying its methodology is not misleading
By Samindra Kunti in Odense
July 1 – FIFA’s head of sustainability Federico Addiechi has defended the world governing body’s claims of staging a carbon-neutral World Cup in Qatar.
Semi-automated offside cleared to make World Cup debut in Qatar
July 1 – FIFA have confirmed that semi-automated offside technology will be used at the Qatar World Cup, providing alerts to video match officials using 12 dedicated tracking cameras inside the stadiums along with a sensor in the match ball.
UEFA working group finds Qatar is making human rights progress, but cautions still more to do
June 30 – A UEFA working group studying human rights conditions in Qatar has made its third visit to the World Cup hosts and acknowledged that significant progress has been made.
Final Qatar 2022 tickets to go on sale July 5, FIFA pushes sustainability messaging
June 29 – FIFA have announced that remaining tickets for the Qatar 2022 World Cup will go on sale July 5 on a first-come, first-served basis.
Qatar 2022 accommodation crisis: Accor hunts for 12,000 staff but where are the rooms?
June 29 – One of the world’s largest hotel operators, Accor, is recruiting 12,000 temporary overseas employees to operate 65,000 empty rooms in apartments and homes in Qatar as temporary accommodation for fans at the World Cup.
Danish FA cautious on backing HRW call for $440m Qatar worker compensation package
By Samindra Kunti in Odense, Denmark
June 28 – The Danish Football Association (DBU) and its president Jesper Moller have remained circumspect over backing a repeated call from Human Rights Watch (HRW) for FIFA and Qatar to compensate the families of workers who died in Qatar in the build-up to the World Cup.
Infantino and Al-Thawadi reassure that more Qatar 2022 accommodation is coming on-line
By Samindra Kunti
June 23 – FIFA and local organisers have once again expressed their confidence that there won’t be a shortage of accommodation for fans planning to travel to the World Cup.
Qatar 2022 flip-flop on Taiwan’s nation status, returning to ‘one-China’ naming convention
June 22 – Taiwan has accused China of “bullying” after organisers of the World Cup in Qatar again changed the reference for Taiwanese visitors applying for an identification card that doubles as an entry visa, this time to “Chinese Taipei”.
Poland drop Rybus from World Cup squad for signing for Spartak Moscow
June 21 – A Polish international defender is being omitted from his country’s World Cup squad as punishment for joining Russian club Spartak Moscow.
Frito-lay chips in with North American regional sponsorship for Qatar 2022
June 20 – Hard on the heels of the host venues announcement for the 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada, FIFA has unveiled US snack brand Frito-Lay as regional sponsor for the Qatar 2022 edition.
FIFA unveils 2026 host cities with 11 in the US. New York immediately stakes claim for the final
June 17 – The 2026 World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico is beginning to take shape after FIFA announced the 16 host cities for the tournament on Thursday. The American capital Washington, D.C./Baltimore and Edmonton didn’t make the cut, reducing Canada very much to a junior partner with just two host cities.
2026 host bidding cities await final FIFA verdicts tonight
June 16 – World federation FIFA will announce the host cities for the 2026 World Cup today, Thursday, bringing to an end a four-year bidding war among 17 US finalists.
Chinese whispers: World Cup organisers unravel Taiwan nationhood knot
June 16 – Organisers of the Qatar World Cup have ceded to a request from Taiwan to alter a ticketing system that had wrongly identified Taiwanese attending the tournament as hailing from China.