Qatar is a devoutly apolitical place, with speech and assembly heavily restricted and a large population of foreign workers who could lose their livelihoods if they cause a stir.
But that could change next month when an estimated 1.2 million soccer fans descend on the tiny Gulf Arab nation for the World Cup. Authorities may face calls for labour rights, LGBTQ equality and other causes in the glare of an international spotlight like no other.
They might also have to contend with public drunkenness and hooliganism in a conservative, Islamic country where such behaviour is taboo and virtually unheard of.
Qatar has had more than a decade to prepare for the monthlong tournament, which begins on Nov. 20, and has spared no expense — thanks to natural gas reserves that make it among the world’s wealthiest countries. It also has some recent experience hosting major international sporting events
Qatar, the first Arab or Muslim nation to host a World Cup, is a wealthy and politically stable outlier in the volatile Middle East. Citizens enjoy generous cradle-to-grave welfare paid for by its gas riches. Foreign workers make up more than two-thirds of the population of less than 3 million and account for nearly 95% of the labour force.
Qatar hosts the pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera and has supported Islamist groups across the region, but politics is nearly nonexistent within its borders. Power is concentrated in the hands of a hereditary emir, criticism of authorities is heavily restricted, and politically oriented groups are banned.
U.S.-based Freedom House, which surveys democratic change and backsliding worldwide, classifies Qatar as “Not free.”
Qatari officials have said the security forces will adopt a light touch during the World Cup, tolerating minor infractions like public intoxication and intervening in response to only violence, destruction of property and threats to public safety.
“Differing perspectives are encouraged, and fans will be free to express themselves during the World Cup, as they have done during other events hosted in Qatar,” a Qatari government official said on condition of anonymity in keeping with regulations
Kristian Ulrichsen, a Gulf expert at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, said he expects Qatar to “tolerate instances of activism during the World Cup, especially if they do not relate to political or geopolitical issues.”
“Qatari police have been training alongside international counterparts, including from the United Kingdom, and focusing on issues such as crowd control and policing in ways that de-escalate rather than intensify volatile situations.