Intercultural guidance
Initiative description: Developing and distributing guidance to participants, attendees and local communities that supports their preparation for intercultural exchange during the tournament, and works to prevent practices that may be considered discriminatory or disrespectful by others.
As the first FIFA World Cup™ in history to be hosted by an Arab nation, the tournament provided a unique opportunity for many to visit this part of the world for the first time and experience its culture. In addition, through its global nature, the FIFA World Cup™ brings together football fans and tournament workforce from many different parts of the world, and from a multitude of cultural backgrounds. Tournament organisers along with the host country, Qatar, sought to ensure that fans and tournament workforce from across the globe, as well as local communities, could enjoy the tournament in harmony by creating a welcoming, safe and respectful atmosphere.
Football Unites the World
Using the platform of a worldwide followership in excess of five billion, the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup™ emphasised football’s unifying powers, with a host of international icons coming together in a powerful video campaign. It was launched by FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the Executive Football Summit in Doha on the morning of the tournament kick-off and projected to fans in the stadiums and via an array of rights-holding broadcasters throughout the tournament.
The Football Unites the World campaign is a global movement to inspire, unite and develop through football. Alisson Becker, Karim Benzema, Lucy Bronze, Didier Drogba, Giulia Gwinn, Kaká, Robert Lewandowski, Carli Lloyd, Édouard Mendy, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Emmanuel Petit, Cristiano Ronaldo and many other football stars highlighted football’s unrivalled ability to bring people together.
#NoDiscrimination Campaign
‘No discrimination’ was a key pillar of the Football Unites the World campaign, that was promoted throughout the tournament and in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO).
Discrimination - in all its possible forms and expressions - is one of the most common forms of human rights violations and abuse, and a barrier to enabling cultural exchange and the creation of an inclusive tournament environment.
To mark International Human Rights Day on 10 December 2022, FIFA and the World Health Organization (WHO) reinforced the message that there is no place for discrimination of any kind, either in football or in society in general. During the FIFA World Cup™ quarter-final matches, the #NoDiscrimination message was displayed on the pitch before kick-off, through messages featured on giant screens, LED boards in stadium and on the captains' armbands.
Additional guidance on non-discrimination was also provided on FIFA.com to support fans’ intercultural exchange. This included videos encouraging fans to challenge their own bias, covering advice on how to speak about racism to children and on how to be an ally (see No Discrimination Campaign).
The campaign was successful in spreading the #NoDiscrimination message. Overall, the campaign is estimated to have reached 1 billion people. Over 12,700 pieces of content were shared and the sum of all social interactions such as likes, shares, retweets or comments was approximately 1.2 million.
“DISCRIMINATION of any kind against a country, private person or group of people on account of race, ethnic, national or social origin, gender, disability, religion, political opinion or wealth, birth or sexual orientation is STRICTLY PROHIBITED.”
Other intercultural awareness guidance
Guidance by the organisers: Cultural awareness information was provided to fans, attendees and the general public through the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Fan Guide, and the tournament’s website and Hayya (Fan ID) app.
Guidance by third parties: Seed funding was provided by FIFA to the globally renowned anti-discrimination agency Fare network to help produce an online Diversity Guide 2022 for fans. This included information about the culture of the host country, and reinforced messages to respect people from all cultures and backgrounds. In addition, FIFA commissioned the 3rd version of the Global Guide to Discriminatory Practices in Football authored by Fare network and shared it with all relevant FIFA match officials, security supervisors and the Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Assessors working in the stadiums.
Cultural activations: Artists from across the world were invited to performed at a variety of cultural activations across Qatar, to showcase their talents during the tournament – including visual arts, crafts and heritage, fashion and design, performance arts, theatre, music and film. For more information, please visit the cultural event series web page of this report.
FIFA Fan Festival™ activations: A temporary entertainment area where 1.8 million fans were able to watch matches on giant screens and participate in a wide range of cultural and educational experiences including video installations on the No Discrimination theme of the Football Unites the World campaign.
Workforce training: Developed and delivered stand-alone training as well as incorporated sustainability topics including human rights, anti-discrimination and diversity topics into induction training for staff, volunteers and contractors. Training programme included delivery partners and others working in sectors related to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ such as security, transport, accommodation and food and beverage. In total, anti-discrimination and diversity training programme reached over 71,000 volunteers, staff, security and contractors.
Training for accommodation sector partners: More than 900 employees from the accommodation sector in Qatar participated in an online training provided by FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ organisers focusing on anti-discrimination in regard to interactions with guests. Videos of the online training sessions can be found on the capacity building and awareness-raising web page of this report.
Visitor perceptions
The tournament organisers commissioned a survey including face-to-face interviews with a sample of 4,300 FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ spectators covering all regions. It concluded that 83% of visitors are ‘more likely to return to Qatar after this visit’ and 89% will ‘recommend Qatar as a tourist destination to friends and family in the future’.