From the very moment that FIFA announced Qatar had won the bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, objections rang loud. Doubts were raised about the Qatar’s ability to pull off an event of this scale as a tiny country that had never qualified for a World Cup final before, lacking at that time the necessary sporting infrastructure. As time went on, this criticism evolved into accusations of corruption regarding the decision-making process and a campaign to discolour the host country’s efforts, with demands to withdraw hosting rights based on allegations of corruption, human rights violations and concerns about the Gulf climate. Even as the World Cup successfully set off in Qatar, this campaign reached new heights. It adopted a broader political dimension represented in the
European Parliament resolution on the situation of human rights in the context of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the Transport for London decision to ban all advertisements related to Qatar on public transport and taxis. This paper thus investigates the substance of and motivations behind these allegations and whether or not the campaign has been successful.