Argentina won the World Cup in Qatar 2022 after defeating France in a tense, nail-biting 4-2 penalty shootout. Their victory makes them one of the few teams to win the tournament three times: in 1978, 1986, and 2022.
However, here are ten facts to know about the just-concluded tournament.
Qatar used oil money to fund the World Cup. Buoyed by oil dollars, the Qatari government spent a whopping $300 billion to host the world in the first ever World Cup played in the Arab nation. Of the $300 billion, the government spent approximately $6.5 billion to construct seven stadiums, with one stadium refurnished to international standard. Of the eight stadiums, only the Lusail stadium and the Al Bayt stadium had the capacity to seat more than 40,000 people. The seating capacities of the Lusail Stadium and the Al Bayt Stadium are 80,000 and 60,000, respectively. The government has already made plans to demolish the majority of the stadium and repurpose it. Some are for philanthropic reasons, with the goal of assisting developing countries in growing sports. Mind you, the stadiums are fully air-conditioned and are the most sophisticated in football history.
Allegations of human right abuses. The government of Qatar has been accused by Amnesty International of using forced labour to build most of its stadium. In 2016, a human rights group accused the Qatari government of using “slave workers” who lived and worked in deplorable conditions while building the Khalifa International Stadium. The Guardian newspaper in the UK reported that between 2010 and 2020, approximately 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka had died in the country. This report on dehumanising migrant working conditions compelled the government to implement minor labour reforms.
Read also: Argentina are winners of Qatar World Cup 2022
Record numbers watched the finals between Argentina and France. Though an official figure about the number of people that watched the World Cup final is yet to be released by FIFA. Its officials claimed that over 2.5 billion people watched the final between Argentina and France. This figure was based on the number of people that tuned in to watch France beat Croatia in 2018. However, the excitement of a Messi vs. Mbappe contest seems to draw in more viewers, with some media agencies claiming that about 4 billion people were expected to watch the final. As the match progressed into extra time, the exhilarating moments of the first 90 minutes played a greater role in drawing more viewers to watch the penalty shootout.
Most expensive ticket sales. The final was played in the Lusail stadium, which raked in the most money for a World Cup final. The stadium, which is the biggest in Qatar, has a seating capacity of 80,000 people. Throughout the tournament, tickets were sold in five categories: Cat 1, Cat 2, Cat 3, and Cat 4, with prices ranging from $1,607 to $1,003, $604, and $206 respectively.
Messi and Argentina pockets $42 million. FIFA had budgeted a total prize money of $440 million for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. In it, the eventual winner, Argentina, pocketed $42 million, $12 million more than France, which cashed out $30 million. This is bigger than the previous prize money that France pocketed after defeating Croatia to win the World Cup.
Despite the Super Eagles of Nigeria absence, Nigerian music was well represented. Davido, Nigeria Afropop music talent is the first Nigerian to perform on stage at either the closing or opening ceremonies of the World Cup.
Adidas and Nike win big at Qatar, 2022. Spurred by Messi and Argentina’s victory, Adidas, the official kit sponsor of the Albeceste, is projected to rake in $425 million from the Qatar World Cup, while Nike, the official shirt sponsor of the Le Blues of France, is expected to rake in more than $300 million. Information from South American media giant Globo says that since Argentina’s victory, Adidas has run out of Messi No. 10 jerseys, putting more pressure on the company to make more.
More broadcast partners than Russia 2018. There were over 100 broadcast licences issued by FIFA to broadcast channels globally, with Fox Sports and Telemundo having paid about $1 billion to secure both 2018 and 2022 rights.
Europe’s top leagues dominates Argentina and France final. La Liga had the most players in the finals, with about 15 players, followed by 10 players from the English Premier League. While the Ligue 1 of France had eight players with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star players.
World Cup voyage finally complete. With a successful hosting in Qatar, the World Cup is now certified to have been played on all continents of the world.
