In a recent survey by BBC Sport, football fans favoured the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 as the ‘best World Cup this century.’ With a record-breaking 78% amount of voters choosing this year’s World Cup in Qatar as their favourite, other World Cups such as in Brazil, Russia and Germany received only 4%-6% of votes.
For many reasons, the World Cup in Qatar was enjoyed by fans from around the world, with some seeing the tournament as a worldwide celebration.
Despite the initial controversy surrounding Qatar’s involvement in the World Cup, the tournament that took place on the small peninsula has won the hearts of many.
For some, this was already a settled belief. Well before the BBC poll, the FIFA President, Giannni Infantino described this year’s World Cup as the best ever, largely due to the diversity and inclusion. “Many people from around the world have come to Qatar and have discovered the Arab world, which they didn’t know or they knew only for what was portrayed to them,” he told Al Jazeera.
Shocks and Surprises
The World Cup was filled with many jaw-dropping moments. After a few games, the world was taken back by the successive wins of Morocco. What’s more, by reaching the semi-finals, Morocco left behind the likes of teams such as Belgium, Spain and Portugal. By going this far, Morocco became the first African and Muslim team to reach the last four – an achievement which no one was ready for, not even the team themselves. This alone created a lot of noise and caught the attention of many Muslims from around the world.
The finals itself was one of the tensest games witnessed by the world. With plenty of extra time and Mbappe’s hat trick, fans were on the edge of their seats as the finals reached the penalty shootout stage. With Messi donning the Bisht and embracing a new culture, many like him were seen immersing themselves in a culture unlike ever before.
This year’s World Cup was different and regarded highly by the world for many reasons. From embracing a different culture to shock wins, we can easily say that the World Cup in Qatar was one of the most entertaining tournaments so far.
Main Image Credit: Rhett Lewis
Juber Ahmed is our Digital Editor and travel enthusiast with a keen interest in Islamic history and heritage. He travels with his wife to various places around the world and writes about his experiences.
Juber's favourite Quote...
"The World Is a Book and Those Who Do Not Travel Read Only One Page" [Saint Augustine]
