Qatar 2022

Qatar 2022 was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, held from 20 November to 18 December 2022 — the first World Cup in the Middle East and the last to feature 32 teams before expansion to 48 for 2026. Eight purpose-built and renovated stadiums hosted 64 matches across the compact Qatari landscape, with air conditioning required due to summer heat. The tournament cost Qatar an estimated $220 billion in infrastructure. Argentina defeated France 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw in the final at Lusail Iconic Stadium on 18 December — one of the most dramatic finals in World Cup history. Lionel Messi won the Golden Ball for the second time.

Qatar 2022 is a live reference point for the 2026 tournament in two main areas. On pricing: the cheapest available 2026 World Cup final ticket is listed at approximately $4,185 — roughly seven times the equivalent at Qatar 2022 — a comparison that fan organisations cited when filing the first EU competition law complaint against FIFA under Article 102 TFEU in March 2026. FIFA's top official price for a 2026 front-category final seat reached $10,990 by April 2026. On human rights: Qatar 2022 attracted sustained criticism over migrant worker conditions, LGBTQ+ protections, and press freedoms — critiques that directly prefigured, and informed, the human rights scrutiny now being applied to the US as a 2026 host.

The Qatar tournament also set the commercial template that shaped FIFA's 2026 ambitions. Revenue from Qatar 2022 was approximately $7.5 billion; FIFA has projected $13.1 billion from the 2026 expanded format — a near-doubling that explains both the aggressive ticket pricing and the scrutiny it is attracting from European regulators.