FIFA President Gianni Infantino has thanked the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ volunteers, describing them as the “heart and soul” of the tournament. The FIFA President was speaking at the Volunteer Celebration Event, held at the FIFA Fan Festival on Doha’s famous Corniche, which he attended alongside H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.

Around 20,000 diverse, skilled, multi-lingual and motivated volunteers, working mainly behind the scenes, have helped to deliver the FIFA World Cup and showcase the true spirit of Qatar.

“You are the best volunteers ever for the best World Cup ever, thank you very much from the bottom of my heart, from all of those who love football, to all of you. You are fantastic,” said the FIFA President, speaking from the FIFA Fan Festival stage.

He remembered that 400,000 people had initially applied to be FIFA World Cup volunteers and that only 20,000 were selected. “Congratulations,” he said. “You are the heart and soul of the World Cup and, most importantly, you are the face and the smile of the World Cup. You are the first person that people see when they come to this fantastic World Cup, and the last person they see when they leave. Your smile is making this World Cup what it is, which is the best ever.”

Volunteers have been at the heart of the tournament’s operations, providing support across a wide variety of areas in both official and non-official sites such as stadiums, training sites, airports, fan zones, hotels and the public transportation network. They are regarded as essential to the joyful atmosphere of the FIFA World Cup.

“It’s been phenomenal, it’s been historical. You are a part of it, you are a part of history like nothing else,” said H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi. “Each one of you has planted a seed in the hearts and minds of people. You dedicated time, you dedicated effort, you dedicated sweat and tears.“

“Every single one of you has made history.”