It is happening for the very first time, that FIFA is being
held in the northern hemisphere’s winter. The game will kick off in the Gulf
nation of Qatar on 20th of November.
There have been a lot of questions related to human rights
abuses for this year’s world cup. The reports show that thousands of guest
workers lost their lives in the country since it officially won the right to
host the world cup ten years ago. Despite the history and the questions raised,
the tournament tickets have been selling out at a similar rate as of the past
two decades. According to a statement by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, there
has been sales of up to 2.9 million tickets as of mid-October.
The demand for FIFA tickets has been highest in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the United States, England, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, and France. According to a Statista survey conducted last year, only a third of respondents worldwide thought that the tournament should not be held in Qatar because of human rights violations.
The Shadow Cabinet Leader Keir Starmer, of the United
Kingdom has announced recently that he is boycotting the games. A survey
conducted by Public First for More in Common, between November 1 and 3, found
that of the 2,030 UK respondents, 69 percent supported his decision, while 12
percent disagreed.
Infographic by: statista
