2022 World Cup projected to be watched by 5 billion
According to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, the World Cup in Qatar will be the most watched in the history of the sport.
We are less than six months away from the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and according to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, it will be the most watched in history. Infantino said that the upcoming World Cup is projected to be watched by 5 billion people worldwide.
“The last FIFA World Cup was watched by four billion people, the last FIFA Women’s World Cup by 1.2 billion people. This World Cup in Qatar will be watched by five billion people, way above half of the world’s population. All these people who follow and pursue the same passion, they all feel the same way and they all know that football has this uniting force,” he said.
How many people watched the last World Cup?
The broadcasting audience for the 2018 World Cup in Russia was a record-breaking 3.5 billion people worldwide for the entire campaign. This means that an additional 1.5 billion people are expected to tune in for the tournament that will start on Nov. 21 and conclude on Dec. 18.
The sport can change the world
Infantino spoke during a panel at the World Economic Forum and also talked about how soccer can change the perspective on Qatar, a country that has been heavily criticized over hosting the World Cup.
“Mandela was saying that sport can change the world, that it can inspire, that it unites, and he was right with that,” said the FIFA president. “Football, as the most popular sport in the world, has a unique reach.”