FIFA World Cup 2022

• 2022-12-09
• ICA Admin

FIFA World Cup 2022:What’s in it for the Education and Tourism Sector

The biggest sporting event in the history of football, the FIFA World Cup is undoubtedly the most anticipated event that is organized every four years. Countries compete with one another in this massive football montage for the glory of it. Fans from all across the globe cheer for this majestic event either through physical attendance and broadcast views.

Seeing the world’s best football players live in action for their national glory is a treat to watch for all. For those of you who do not know, Qatar which is currently hosting the FIFA World Cup 2022 has spent a staggering $220 billion for the football festival. For your reference it is almost 15 times the national budget of Nepal as of the FY 2022. Isn’t that amazing?

Now to the fact where the FIFA World Cup 2022 and what it has to offer to the education and tourism sector. Definitely, this year’s FIFA World Cup is special than the previous years because it is one of the biggest sporting events being held after the COVID-19 pandemic. This is also one of the reasons why host country Qatar has seen an overwhelming surge of domestic and international tourists attending this grand sporting event. Based on speculations Qatar is expected to earn a revenue of more than $10 billion from tourism and other associated activities from the FIFA World Cup 2022.

It is exactly because a high number of people are traveling to the host countries and almost all countries across the globe are broadcasting this football extravaganza, the travel related activities including dining, accommodation, tours, short term rentals, and other industry services will be benefitted. Add to that the FIFA World Cup 2022 has also generated thousands of short term and long term employment opportunities, which will have a positive impact on both host nation’s and international labor markets. Talking about the economic boost that this event will provide in the short-run and long-run, it is true that these trends will help to boost the wide scale revenues not just of the host nation but also its regional and global markets.

Tourism industry is forecasted to grow at a healthy rate since it is one of the first mega events at its scale since the COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted gradually after the pandemic. Add to that the Arab state of Qatar is all set to promote its education industry taking advantage of millions of people worldwide attending and watching the FIFA World Cup-2022. According to Dr. Salem Al Naemi, the President of University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) the event will expose the world to Qatar and its significant development in so many areas, certainly including education. According to him, UDST is aggressively targeting the international student market and this exposure will without a doubt enhance awareness. The host nation potentially sees a surge in new applications for higher education as a positive effect on the education industry due to the ongoing FIFA World Cup-2022.   

Another key highlight of the FIFA World Cup has been the announcement of the “Education for All” campaign as an important pillar of ‘Football Unites the World Campaign’ launched by FIFA. Through the campaign FIFA envisions using football as a medium to promote school attendance and nurture the growing interest of young people in football and education.