FIFA World Cup 2022 as a Catalyst for Environmental Sustainability in Qatar

Abstract

Hosting the FIFA World Cup, an international football competition for national men’s teams, in Qatar has acted as a catalyst for environmental sustainability. A mega sporting event such as the FIFA World Cup requires concerted efforts from nearly all sectors of a country. A strong sustainability program with a focus on preparation, event time operations, and post-event legacy was required to capitalize on the opportunities associated with hosting such an event. A robust and inclusive process to design such a program for the event laid the foundation for positive legacy outcomes. The legacy outcomes are categorized as physical, knowledge, and institutional, all being important contributors towards the realization of the Qatar National Vision 2030. This chapter describes the sustainability program development process, provides examples of how strategic initiatives for Sustainable Buildings, Greenhouse gas Emissions, and Waste Minimization catalysed positive developments leading to strong and tangible legacy outcomes. It is plausible that future events may look to this program to seek inspiration and lessons learnt for how to design and benchmark their sustainability programs. Qatar will also host many large events in the future, including the Asian Games 2030, and will capitalize on the developments that the FIFA World Cup brought about.