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 remains the benchmark the 2026 tournament was measured against on pricing and human rights. On pricing: the cheapest 2026 World Cup final ticket was listed at approximately $4,185, roughly seven times the equivalent at Qatar 2022, a comparison 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 the human rights scrutiny applied to the 2026 US hosts. On scoring: the 2026 tournament passed 300 total goals by its final weekend, well clear of Qatar 2022's 172, continuing the format's higher scoring output despite pre-tournament fears that 48 teams would dilute quality.

Lusail Iconic Stadium, the 2022 final's venue, carried a second echo into 2026. UEFA had planned to stage the traditional Finalissima between its champions, Spain, and Conmebol's champions, Argentina, at Lusail; it ruled out the venue on 15 March 2026 after conflict erupted in the region in late February, and the fixture never took place. The Qatar tournament also set the commercial template that shaped FIFA's 2026 ambitions: revenue from Qatar 2022 was approximately $7.5 billion, against a projected $13.1 billion from the expanded 2026 format, a near-doubling that explains both the aggressive ticket pricing and the scrutiny it attracted from European regulators.