多哈艾哈迈德·本·阿里体育场, 卡塔尔 Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Doha, Qatar (© Qatar 2022/Supreme Committee via Getty Images)

多哈艾哈迈德·本·阿里体育场, 卡塔尔 Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Doha, Qatar (© Qatar 2022/Supreme Committee via Getty Images)

卡塔尔开球 Kickoff in Qatar

2022年国际足联世界杯

最后，经过多年的规划、建设和争议，2022年世界杯将在卡塔尔拉开帷幕。这是国际足球日历上最大的活动，汇集了全球顶尖球队，自豪地代表他们的国家。自1930年以来，这项享有盛誉的世界杯锦标赛每四年举行一次，但1942年和1946年第二次世界大战使其出轨。随着冠军法国队寻求卫冕，卡塔尔将面临激烈的竞争，决赛定于12月18日卡塔尔国庆日举行。这是中东国家主办的第一届世界杯，由于卡塔尔天气炎热，今年的天气比平时晚。

争议从一开始就围绕卡塔尔2022展开。足球管理机构国际足联（FIFA）的高级官员对卡塔尔承办世界杯过程中的腐败表示担忧，尽管内部调查并未证明有任何违规行为。很快，卡塔尔对该国价值200万的移民工人的待遇受到了批评，其中大部分来自非洲和亚洲，大赦国际等组织引用了不道德的劳工做法。尽管卡塔尔颁布了新的法律，以改善工人的安全、条件和薪酬，但大赦国际强调，这些法律也必须得到有效实施。也许随着足球迷涌入全国，电视摄像机的滚动，改革的程度将被揭示出来。

2022 FIFA World Cup

Finally, after years of planning, building, and controversy, the 2022 World Cup is kicking off in Qatar. It's the biggest event on the international soccer calendar, bringing together the globe's top teams to proudly represent their countries. The prestigious World Cup tournament has been held every four years since 1930, except when WWII derailed it in 1942 and 1946. There will be fierce competition in Qatar as the champion French team seeks to defend their title, with the final scheduled for Qatar National Day, December 18. This is the first World Cup hosted by a country in the Middle East, and it's later in the year than usual due to the hot weather in Qatar.

Controversy swirled around Qatar 2022 from the get-go. Senior officials in FIFA, soccer's governing body, expressed concerns about corruption in the process of awarding World Cup hosting to Qatar, though an internal investigation didn't prove any violation. Soon Qatar's treatment of the country's invaluable 2 million migrant workers—most from Africa and Asia—was criticized, with groups like Amnesty International citing unethical labor practices. While Qatar enacted new laws to improve worker safety, conditions, and pay due to the international spotlight, Amnesty has stressed that these laws must also be effectively implemented. Perhaps the extent of the reforms will be revealed as soccer fans flood the nation and the TV cameras roll.