Lionel Messi is dressed in a bisht robe by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani the Emir of Qatar, following Argentina’s victory over France in the FIFA World Cup 2022 Final at Lusail Iconic Stadium
The Qatar 2022 World Cup
The month and a half I spent in Qatar covering the 2022 World Cup has to be one of the strangest and most contradictory experiences of my career. We all knew, even before it started, that it would be a World Cup like no other. The tournament was the first to be held in winter months (20th November until 18th December, to avoid the worst of the desert heat,) and the host country was far smaller than any of its predecessors – yet one for whom money was no object. The aim for the authoritarian Qatari regime was not only to deliver a successful sporting event, but to brush their highly dubious human rights record and climate crimes as far under the proverbial carpet as possible.
Exploring Doha in between matches, nothing seemed real. Yet on the pitch, the action was as authentic and thrilling as ever. As the tournament progressed, it was as if the narrative of the Qatari World Cup had shifted. The world’s attention turned towards Lionel Messi, and the tens of thousands of Argentina fans who had travelled to watch their idol complete his career trajectory and, at long last, bring home a World Cup win. In an amazing final, culminating in penalties, perhaps the greatest player of all time achieved his goal. It was an electric moment to photograph.
The real winner, however, was Qatar. The regime got exactly what it wanted from the tournament: the opportunity to promote the country, while diverting foreign eyes from the truth of their controversies. The ultimate example of ‘sportswashing,’ the 2022 World Cup symbolises the complex power of the game. The pictures in this essay document this shifting story, juxtaposing the unsettlingly artificial landscape of the tournament with the authenticity and spectacle of sport itself.
Converted shipping containers in the unfinished Rawdat Al Jahhaniya fan accommodation, built on wasteland near the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, two days before the start of the World Cup
Saudi Arabian fans watching a match on their phones, sitting in a Gold Class carriage while travelling on the Doha Metro
A Saudi Arabian defender lies unconscious in the penalty box as Lionel Messi dribbles towards the goal, during the group C match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia at the Lusail Iconic Stadium
Locals walk past painted facades, erected to hide building works, in front of the luxury Katara Towers where many FIFA officials stayed during the tournament
Qatari 'Ultras' sing and dance in unison during the opening game between Qatar and Ecuador. The group of around 1,500 young (male) Lebanese, Egyptian and Algerian football supporters had been offered free flights, accommodation, match tickets and a daily allowance to pretend to support Qatar. They came a month earlier to write and rehearse their songs and dances. Half of the spectators at this particular match left before the end
The Lusail Iconic Stadium after the FIFA World Cup group C match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia
Workers carry a giant Argentina flag during a fireworks display, before the quarter-final match between Netherlands and Argentina at Lusail Stadium
An Argentina fan, dressed as the World Cup trophy, gathers with fellow supporters outside the ground before their team's match against Mexico
The exterior of Stadium 974, pictured before the last sixteen match between Brazil and South Korea. So named because it was built from 974 shipping containers, the stadium represented Qatar's supposed commitment to the environment. The structure was also supposed to be temporary, with the plan being to donate it to a poorer country in either South America or Africa. As of November 2025, Stadium 974 remains in Qatar
Morocco and Egypt fans pose outside the ground before the last sixteen match between Morocco and Spain at Education City Stadium
Gareth Southgate and Harry Kane walk to their matchday-1 press conferences along the 'Green' Carpet, FIFA's mandatory entrance to the Qatar National Convention Centre for managers and players
Lionel Messi dribbles away from three Dutch defenders during Argentina's quarter-final against The Netherlands at Lusail Iconic Stadium
Brazil and Serbia fans walk to the stadium underneath a recently unveiled 30-metre installation of a whale shark in Al Sa'ad Plaza. The artwork, called Al Nehem and suspended between the four Lusail Towers, was designed to celebrate Lusail’s development and raise awareness for one of the largest endangered animals in the world
An artificial canal with motor-powered gondolas for hire, under the painted ceiling of the Venice-inspired Villaggio Mall shopping centre, decked out with flags for the World Cup
Achraf Hakimi, having scored the winning penalty for Morocco, is greeted by his mother following their last sixteen match against Spain at Education City Stadium
A handful of journalists watch Netherlands v USA in one of FIFA's ‘Virtual Stadiums’ in the Main Media Centre of the Qatar National Convention Centre
Josko Gvardiol of Croatia takes a guarana shot during the semi-final match between Croatia and Argentina
An advert for the Qatar One Pass, featuring a heavily photo-shopped image of David Beckham, at a busy road junction in the Al Waab district of Doha
Argentina fans celebrate with the team after scoring a third goal in their semi-final match against Croatia
Lionel Messi of Argentina scores past Hugo Lloris of France during the World Cup Final penalty shoot-out at Lusail Iconic Stadium
Messi is paraded around the pitch on the shoulders of Sergio Agüero in celebration of Argentina's World Cup victory against France