The 2022 World Cup is being held in Qatar. The small nation bid $200 million dollars to host the tournament, almost tripling the next highest bid. Money has always been the superior motive for FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) the official governing body that runs international soccer tournaments. This suspicion was only confirmed with Qatar winning the World Cup bid in a landslide. However, the nation is clearly not fit to host the tournament for many undeniable reasons.

With the size and population of Qatar, there were zero stadiums large enough to host in the country before the World Cup construction. Eight stadiums began construction in March of 2010, giving just over 11 years to complete. Finishing construction unbelievably quickly, there isn’t any secret that Qatar abused workers’ rights in the stadium building process. The nation used refugees from many different countries in the Middle East, keeping them under low-wage contracts that they couldn’t get out of, and forcing them to work days on end in often grueling conditions. As Qatar rakes in enormous financial gains from the tournament, the migrant workers are lied to about wages. They were unable to leave the stadium construction site, and were threatened when they sought for help. It is a fact that Qatar has violated human rights in the process of preparing for the World Cup, as 6,500 migrant workers have lost their lives in the capital city of Doha since the tournament was awarded in 2010. Unfortunately, this awful situation has been overshadowed by the lights and glamor of the 2022 World Cup.

Wildly high profits lead FIFA to simply turn a blind eye to the forced labor in Qatar. Profit-driven aspirations let down millions of soccer fans’ hopes for the 2022 World Cup, even when disregarding the thousands of deaths building the stadium. Not only did they abuse workers rights but also homosexuality is outlawed in Qatar, leaving many supporters unable to attend for their personal safety. The tournament also had to be held in the winter due to extreme temperatures during the summer months in Qatar, ending the decades of summer World Cup tradition. Additionally, the lack of tourism in Qatar means there’s very little hotel space available, and traveling fans have to stay in pop-up tents in cramped areas leaving thousands concerned for their safety when sleeping.

Although viewership may be at an all-time high this year, the horrendous trade-offs that FIFA made for profit will not be forgotten. The poor fan experience has been widely covered by mainstream media, but the 6,500 deaths from forced labor seem to have been swept under the rug. FIFA’s actions have made the 2022 Qatar World Cup a violation of human rights.