More fans than ever confirmed to have engaged with FIFA World Cup 2022™
Five billion supporters around the world and across all media engaged with the ground-breaking tournament in Qatar
Final Sustainability Report – published in accordance with the GRI Reporting Standards – identifies key achievements across 79 initiatives
FIFA, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC (Q22) and the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), have completed the publication of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Final Sustainability Report – the most thorough of its kind in tournament history – detailing the deliverables benchmarked against the commitments made in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Sustainability Strategy. The final report has been prepared in accordance with the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards. Produced online, the report identifies key achievements across 79 initiatives. Commenting on the publication of the report, FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström said: “When it comes to staging our flagship competition and the largest single-sport event in the world, we recognise its significant impact with preparations taking place over several years and a wide variety of stakeholders involved, there is great potential to drive positive change and leave a significant legacy in the host country. “The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 capitalised on this potential and marked many firsts, not least in the field of sustainable event management. FIFA, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC (Q22) and the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) set new standards for sustainable mega-sporting events years before the tournament kicked off, and these will continue to inspire event sustainability management for many years to come.”
SC Secretary General H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi added: “The work that has been undertaken since we were awarded the hosting rights in 2010 has transformed Qatar and provided a model for inspiring positive social, economic and environmental change that other host countries can learn from and build on. “By working together, we have delivered on our vision to use the power of football to open the door to a world of amazing experiences, showcase our wonderful nation and region to the world, and leave a genuine legacy of sustainable development.” Among many more, 10 key achievements stand out that FIFA, Q22, the SC and their stakeholders have delivered in the preparation, delivery and legacy phase of the tournament. These achievements which span environmental protection, human rights, workers’ welfare and accessibility note a number of firsts for the tournament, best-in-class practices, and programmes that will ensure the legacy of the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup™ will be long-lasting and far-reaching.
In addition, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Global Engagement & Audience Report has confirmed that the competition engaged five billion fans around the world making the tournament in Qatar the most followed FIFA World Cup™ ever. The figures, which have been produced industry-leading independent organisations, confirm the event as the greatest in the tournament’s distinguished 94-year history. The final between France and Argentina had 1.42 billion viewers, the highest-ever, and the average global audience for individual matches across the first tournament to be held in the Middle East was 175 million – while Telemundo’s coverage of the final was the most-streamed FIFA World Cup match in US media history. FIFA’s social media channels also saw significantly more traffic. Total engagements (811 million) were up 448% on 2018 with the 3.6 billion video views tallied during the tournament representing a 202% rise across the same timeframe. The report shows increased consumption of the tournament that reflects the evolving media landscape, accounting for linear TV, digital/streaming, social media and FIFA’s owned and operated platforms – with a geographical breakdown also provided.
Asia and Oceania accounted for just over half of the total engagements (2.591 billion) for the tournament, which was played in Qatar in November and December 2022, while Africa and the Middle East provided the next-biggest audience (945 million). Across individual markets, China led engagements with 1.161 billion ahead of India (745.7 million). The detailed report clearly explains the criteria by which someone can be said to have engaged with the tournament as well as detailing the methodology used to measure the audience, reflecting the evolving media landscape. They show that digital consumption of the FIFA World Cup is increasing exponentially and methods for measuring viewership must accompany this.
Sustainability: 10 key achievements at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ was the first-ever to achieve ISO 20121 certification for sustainable event management
For the first time in FIFA World Cup™ history a dedicated, event-related, Human Rights Grievance Mechanism was introduced
The first FIFA World Cup™ ever to implement a Sustainable Sourcing Code
Every stadium achieved sustainable building certification, consumed at least 40% less water and was 42% more energy efficient vs international benchmarks
77% of waste from stadiums during the tournament and nearly 80% of stadium construction waste was reused, recycled or composted
Legislative reforms were accelerated, including the introduction of a non-discriminatory minimum wage and the dismantling of the worst aspects of the kafala system
Workers were reimbursed for recruitment fees by their employers – totalling USD 23.8 million via the SC Universal Reimbursement Scheme
4.5 out of 5 satisfaction rating from disabled spectators and spectators with limited mobility for accessibility of stadium infrastructure and services
More than 130,000 people were trained in matters related to sustainability and event management
Over one million people in 75 countries benefited from the football for development programme, Generation Amazing