Qatar’s World Cup Debuts in Prime Time on Sunday, Nov. 6, on ESPN and ESPN+

In a few short weeks one of the most controversial sporting decisions in recent memory will become a reality – Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup. In its newest episode, ESPN E60 examines the controversies surrounding the selection of the Gulf state as the venue for the world’s most popular sporting event.

Qatar’s World Cup will debut in prime time on Sunday, Nov. 6, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, available for on-demand streaming on ESPN+ after the initial airing. From the selection process itself, to the claims of human rights abuses, to the promises by Qatar’s government to improve conditions for migrant laborers, the program is a comprehensive look at the state of Qatar’s World Cup.

E60 first reported on the plight of migrant workers in 2014. At the time, it was estimated that thousands of laborers would die before a game was played in the 2022 World Cup. E60 crews visited Qatar’s capital city of Doha where they witnessed squalid living conditions and met workers who feared for their safety. E60 also traveled to Nepal to speak with the families of young, healthy workers who had died while working in Qatar.

In May 2022, reporter Jeremy Schaap and his crew traveled back to Doha where they visited the new stadiums, spoke with workers, and interviewed government officials to find out what has changed over the last eight years. E60 also filmed with workers who had been in Qatar more recently. One such worker from Bangladesh described how he was imprisoned and deported for participating in a protest over wages while in Qatar. E60 also spoke with the family of a Bangladeshi man who died while working at a stadium site in Qatar.

As is reported in the program, independent reports state that an estimated 6,500 migrant workers have died in Qatar since it was awarded the World Cup. All in a country that by most metrics is one of the world’s richest and is reportedly spending $220 billion to build stadiums and infrastructure for the World Cup.

As a global audience prepares to watch the World Cup kickoff on November 20th, E60 presents an in-depth look at what could be the true lasting legacy of Qatar’s World Cup.

Among those interviewed for the program:

Mohammed Al-Obaidly – Assistant Undersecretary, Qatar Ministry of Labor

Tamim El-Abed – Project Manager, Lusail Stadium (site of WC Final)

Max Tuñón – Head of Internal Labor Organization’s Doha Office

Sharan Burrow – General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation

Ambet Yuson – General Secretary, Building and Wood Workers’ International

Nick McGeehan – Founder, Fair Square Research

Gaziur Rahman – Migrant worker imprisoned and deported for protesting wage theft

Abdus Salam and Surma Begum – Adult children of Mosharraf Hossen who died while working in Qatar

E60 also interviewed a dozen migrant workers in Qatar along with families of Nepali workers who died in Qatar and managers and doctors at labor camps in Qatar.

Qatar’s World Cup was produced and directed by Max Brodsky.

The multiplatform presentation will include excerpts from Qatar’s World Cup featured in segments on Outside the Lines in SportsCenter; and an edition of the ESPN Daily Podcast will further explore the story.

After the premiere on ESPN, the program will be available on ESPN+ and will re-air multiple times across ESPN networks.

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