The FIFA World Cup in Qatar is fast approaching, and teams are preparing to compete for a place in history. The clock is ticking, it’s time for FIFA and Qatar to compensate the migrant workers that have been exploited and abused to make this competition possible. 

Without the two million migrant workers, the 2022 World Cup simply would not be possible in Qatar. Men and women, mostly from Africa and Asia, built the stadiums, the roads, the metro; they will be providing security for the football matches, transporting fans in taxis to the games, greeting them in hotels and serving them in restaurants as the tournament edges closer. 

Despite Qatar’s important reforms, in the lead up to the tournament, hundreds of thousands of migrant workers have faced abuses such as illegal recruitment fees, unpaid wages, injury and in the worst cases even death. While some workers have received compensation for some abuses, the vast majority are still waiting for Qatar and FIFA to ensure effective remedy for harms suffered. 

In 2017, after years of mounting international pressure, the Qatar government signed an agreement with the International Labour Organization (ILO), promising to tackle widespread labour exploitation and “align its laws and practices with international labour standards”,and offering a glimmer of hope for those contributing so much to the country and its dream to realise the World Cup. These promises have gone unfulfilled. 

In May of this year, a coalition of human rights organizations—including Amnesty International—fans groups and trade unions launched a global campaign calling on Qatar and FIFA to compensate migrant workers for human rights abuses endured to make the world cup a reality. 

Our campaign has been publicly supported by multiple football associations, fans groups, and FIFA World Cup sponsors. Our global opinion poll also showed the campaign is backed by the vast majority of the public – but despite this, neither FIFA nor Qatar have yet responded. 

We are therefore calling on FIFA and Qatar to urgently: 

1. Publicly commit to remedy all past unaddressed abuses connected to the 2022 World Cup.  

2. Work together to establish and implement a remediation programme to compensate hundreds of thousands of workers and their families.  

3. Set aside sufficient financial resources to fund this compensation. 

With one month until kick off, the clock is ticking. Sign the petition now and call on Qatar and FIFA to do the right thing.