By Layal Al Challah | Staff Writer
By hosting the 2022 World Cup, Qatar attracted a lot of attention to itself and the Arab world. Despite there being some criticism, it was honestly refreshing to see the Middle East present amongst headlines for such a joyful occurrence. The huge surge in tourism during the World Cup brought everyone together, and created an environment of inclusion and diversity. Therefore, it abolished everyone’s differences where the only thing that mattered is their mutual love for football. Other than its mesmerizing implications for the Middle East, this event also featured iconic moments that deemed this world cup, in my opinion, a cultural reset, and here’s why:
- World’s view of the Middle East
Being the first World Cup to be hosted in the Middle East, it sparked an everlasting conversation about the region. The huge success of this event showed the (around) 2.5 million people who attended, how qualified Qatar was at hosting major international events, which will encourage everyone to host more international events in the Middle East in the future. This implies that the Middle East is in line for more prosperity, success, and distinction. We are finally getting the long-awaited recognition that we deserve!
- The Arab teams’ successes
Many can agree that the efforts of the Arab teams that played in the Cup were extremely unforgettable, especially Morocco, which claimed the title of first ever Arab country to reach the semi-finals in a world cup; this was absolutely huge and exciting. It was so surreal for Moroccans and the rest of the Arab people to witness the Moroccan national team excel and empower its country, culture, and entire region. Additionally, Saudi Arabia’s 2-1 victory against Argentina also sparked huge amounts of joy as it also was an extremely remarkable accomplishment. Moreover, Tunisia’s 1-0 victory against France was Tunisia’s grand exit from the cup. Even though they were not qualified for the next round, they exited the world cup as champions. Other than the beautiful emotions that these successes brought, they also generated countless hilarious memes that everyone enjoyed, including ‘Where is Messi?’
- The Final Match
The legendary final match featured amazing performances from both the Argentinian and French teams, especially from the French player Kylian Mbappe. During the entire match, we were all on our nerves, starting off by thinking that Argentina had established its victory. However, the teams kept going back and forth until the end, and finally settled the score with penalties. Honestly, the penalties were a very underwhelming way to end this tense, legendary match. But, it was made all the more exciting again with the impressive fireworks and lights show that followed. Additionally, winning the world cup was especially meaningful for Messi because he has achieved everything that a football player possibly can, ending his stellar international career with a world cup win. What made this especially important to Arabs however, was that Messi raised his trophy to his fans and his countrymen while wearing the traditional Bedouin Bisht gifted to him by the Prince of Qatar in front of millions, if not billions of onlookers.
- Cristiano Ronaldo’s Team Transfer
The amazing improvements and benefits for the Middle East that I mentioned earlier are already coming to life. As of January, 2023, Ronaldo has joined the Saudi football team, Al Nassr. Whether it was before the World Cup or after, Ronaldo’s transfer being right around the time of the Cup in Qatar is surely no coincidence. This transfer will only bring Saudi Arabia and the Middle East more notability, and space for improvement and flourishment by virtue of the sheer attention the Saudi league will garner with Ronaldo’s signing,
This World Cup and the success that it brought will undoubtedly be immortalized in football history. Everyone will forever remember the Qatar World Cup because it encapsulated such an unprecedentedly broad and diverse spectrum of people in one rather unlikely location and provided a football experience that is honestly unmatched in World Cup history. To top it off, all football fans around the world will now recognize, and perhaps even take interest in, the history and traditions of the Arab Gulf specifically and the Middle East generally.