Cultural Understanding
Promote cultural exchange among parties engaged with the FIFA World Cup 2022™, with a focus on enhancing understanding of the culture of Qatar and the region
As the flagship tournament of the most popular sport in the world, no event has such an extraordinary global reach as the FIFA World Cup™. With the participation of 32 national football teams, fans from all around the world and an international event management and volunteer workforce, Qatar is expected to host as many as one million visitors during the tournament. For Qatar and the Middle East, the region’s first FIFA World Cup™ is a tremendous platform for exchange between locals and people from all over the world that can enhance cultural understanding and showcase what the region has to offer.
In the past ten years, Qatar has implemented several projects to position itself as a regional cultural hub and attract visitors, including opening museums and cultural sites focusing on Islamic and Arab art and traditions. Qatar also continues to support organisations and initiatives that encourage intercultural exchange and is relaxing visa requirements for many nationalities.
Under the Qatar Second National Development Strategy 2018-2022, Qatar aims to further create and implement mechanisms to protect and develop the cultural heritage of Qatar; to put into effect and enable cultural programmes that promote national pride and Qatari values and support cultural dialogue; and to establish and actualise a plan to reinforce knowledge of migrant cultures and means of interaction. Preparing to host the FIFA World Cup 2022™ has been a major driver and catalyst for implementing these various initiatives and projects by the Qatari government.