logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2022
24m 35s

Qatar World Cup

Bbc World Service
About this episode

It’s 12 years since Qatar was announced as the host country for the men’s World Cup football tournament. Awarding the event to Qatar was a controversial decision at the time and still is, on several levels. The country has strict anti-LGBTQ+ laws, and women's rights are the subject of ongoing debate. More recently, treatment of the 30,000 migrant labourers, who built many of the tournament's stadiums and infrastructure has been severely criticised. James Reynolds has been talking to fans around the globe, including gay rights activists, and hears from women living in Qatar, as the eyes of the world turn to their country.

Up next
Today
In Iceland's Defence
Iceland is an island of great beauty and even greater strategic importance. Its position in the Greenland Iceland UK Gap, the gateway between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, makes it crucial to Nato operations in the High North.But Iceland is one of the few nations in the world w ... Show More
26m 43s
Apr 11
Bringing India's daughters back home
In India, official figures suggest that one in three women experience domestic violence. In 2023, police registered over 130,000 cases of marital abuse and more than 6,000 women were killed in disputes relating to dowries. Despite these high numbers, societal attitudes to domesti ... Show More
26m 29s
Yesterday
The Last Dance Floor in Chernobyl
The untold story of a young couple falling in love and getting married against the backdrop of disaster. Serhiy first laid eyes on Iryna under the swirling lights of the best disco in town. She was wearing a cool jumpsuit with a bright red belt, which drew attention to her waist ... Show More
58m 43s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2022
Qatar’s World Cup gamble
The Gulf state of Qatar is currently hosting the most expensive Fifa World Cup ever having spent an estimated $220 billion on the event. Seven of the eight stadiums have been built from scratch with new railways, motorways and dozens of new hotels also adding to the cost. It’s th ... Show More
49m 6s
Nov 2022
Qatar’s Big Bet on the World Cup
<p>The World Cup, the biggest single sporting event on the planet, began earlier this month. By the time the tournament finishes, half the global population is expected to have watched. </p><p>The 2022 World Cup has also been the focus of over a decade of controversy because of i ... Show More
34m 14s
Dec 2022
World Cup: LGBT+ Qataris feel ‘removed’ from the conversation
The World Cup in Qatar put the country’s record on human rights and laws on homosexuality into the international spotlight. Same sex-relations are banned under Islamic law. Qatari law calls for a prison sentence of one to three years for "inducing or seducing a male or a female i ... Show More
13m 9s
Nov 2022
Qatar's World Cup
Football, aka soccer, is life. At least, it is for many people across the globe. There are few things that are universally beloved but this sport comes close. And as teams on nearly every continent prepare for the start of the World Cup, all eyes are on one tiny country at the ti ... Show More
51m 48s
Nov 2022
Qatar World Cup: Has football become a side show?
32 teams are competing in the FIFA World Cup being held in Qatar. It’s the first winter championship and first tournament to be held in the Middle East. But the choice of host has come under scrutiny; homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, and poor conditions for migrant workers buil ... Show More
18m 36s
Nov 2019
FIFA’s Qatar World Cup Slave Labour Shame | Pete Pattisson
“It’s not called the World Cup, it's called the FIFA World Cup. So of all the actors who have been involved in this issue, concerned about workers rights, my feeling is that they have been the least active, the least effective.” - Pete Pattisson- - - - -Location: Skype Date: Thur ... Show More
59m 35s