Ambassador of Mexico H E Graciela Gomez Garcia has underlined the importance of awareness campaigns for fans ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 as most would be visiting the Middle East for the first time.
Speaking at a flag-raising ceremony yesterday for Mexico and the USA to commemorate their qualification for the football fiesta, Garcia said the Mexican team had done the hard part by qualifying for the World Cup. She stressed that it is time for the fans and the embassy to work together to ensure that everyone is prepared to guarantee a memorable World Cup experience.
“The important part is information. We have been working for about a year and a half with our fans back home, and they have lots of questions. Take into account that it will be their first time in the Middle East and first visit to a Muslim country for many of them.
“We will start from now with important campaigns of some of the region’s peculiarities. The traditions that are different from ours and ideally give them enough elements so that when they come here, they know what to expect and behave in a satisfactory way,” Garcia stated. Mexico will host the 2026 World Cup alongside regional Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) neighbours the US and Canada
Ambassador of Mexico said the 2022 event would provide a crucial platform for the next World Cup host to learn and partner with local organizers.
“This is an extraordinary opportunity because we want to learn from Qatar. This will be a great experience, and I think that Mexico, US and Canada can benefit from the lessons, challenges and good practices. Let’s not forget that Mexico will be the first country ever to have hosted three World Cups, so we want to learn a lot from our brothers in Qatar,” she added.
On the other hand, the US has qualified for the World Cup after missing out on the last edition in 2018. Michael J. Schreuder, Political and Economic Chief at the Embassy of the United States of America, said many US fans are expected to attend the World Cup, which would open more frontiers of partnership with Qatar.
“We are very happy that the United States has qualified to participate in Qatar 2022. It will be exciting, and we are expecting a lot of American fans. We are very excited about the new relationships we can build in preparation for and after the World Cup. We see this as an opportunity to grow the US-Qatar relationship, especially on cultural issues and education,” Schreuder said.
He added that the US, Canada, and Mexican embassies are already cooperating with Qatar authorities with an eye on 2026.
“We are learning the organisation of what’s done here and how Qatar can help us do a good job in four years. It would be a new partnership and an amazing opportunity, and we are excited about it,” he added.
SO far, 29 teams, including Qatar, have qualified for the 32-team tournament from November 21 to December 18. The remaining three spots will be decided soon.
