The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 significantly contributed to the Qatar National Vision 2030, emphasising sustainability across environmental, human, economic, and social pillars. From the bidding stage, sustainability was a cornerstone of Qatar’s plans, aligning governance and policies to create long-term benefits for the country and its people. Following the announcement made in November 2022, FIFA has now taken the implementation of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Legacy Fund to the next level with an investment of $50m in a series of social programmes in collaboration with Qatar and three global organisations, namely the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. The objective of this fund and the multi-stakeholder partnership help FIFA deliver results beyond the pitch and support international organisations drive positive social and developmental impacts across the globe. For the first time, the FIFA World Cup Legacy Fund will be invested in social impact projects in different regions across the following pillars. By partnering with UNHCR, the Legacy Fund will support programmes that empower communities and promote resilience and self-sufficiency for some of the world’s most vulnerable people with a view to enhancing access to basic services, improving social inclusion and strengthening national systems. The Legacy Fund will foster initiatives that will build on the role played by the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 for promotion of health and well-being and will extend to improving working conditions. FIFA will join forces with the WHO to support Beat the Heat, a flagship initiative to mount action to safeguard the health and safety of high-risk individuals from extreme heat and the related occupational and environmental hazards and impacts in the context of climate change. Together with the WTO and the International Trade Centre, FIFA will support the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy Fund, which aims to economically empower women entrepreneurs by leveraging the potential of digitalisation to help them access global value chains. Aspire Academy and the FIFA Talent Development Scheme, led by Arsène Wenger, will collaborate in identifying promising young talents in remote areas in a dedicated number of developing countries, with the objective of giving more talent around the world a chance to shine. The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Legacy Fund is a landmark project that builds on the unprecedented impact of the tournament from a sustainability point of view, said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has demonstrated that global sporting events can transcend the field, promoting sustainability, innovation, and development.
