The Perceived Impacts of Staging the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar

Abstract

This paper aimed to examine residents’ attitudes and perceptions of the social and cultural impacts of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and to understand the legacy dimensions of this sport event in Qatar. Drawing on social exchange theory, this paper reports results from survey data comprising 1018 nationals and 1014 expatriates who participated in the Survey of Perceptions and Attitudes towards the 2022 FIFA World Cup conducted in 2019 in Qatar. An impact scale comprising 21 social and cultural impact items was used to elicit participants’ responses. Results from ANOVA indicated that nationality matters with respect to perceived significant predictors of the World Cup. Results revealed that residents, national and expatriates, were supportive of hosting the event in Qatar but were concerned over traffic, pollution, price increases, and the potential rise in the overall cost of living. The paper concludes with implications for mega-sports events and future research are proposed.