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FIFA and Qatar are extending the 2022 World Cup’s impact with a $50 million fund dedicated to transforming lives globally through education, healthcare and football development. The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Legacy Fund will support social programs from the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and UNCHR, the UN Refugee Agency.
“Sport can be a powerful channel of hope and empowerment for marginalized individuals and communities,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. “This fund will take the World Cup legacy beyond stadiums and screens to millions displaced by war, conflict and persecution. It will enable life-saving assistance and long-term opportunities for uprooted people, helping them rebuild safely and in dignity.”
In an era where sport is increasingly intertwined with global social issues, this initiative seeks to offer a forward-thinking approach to shaping the legacy of major sporting events. The fund aims to drive lasting change beyond the pitch and support international organizations to accelerate positive social change through sport.
Across the following pillars, this marks the first time that the World Cup Legacy Fund will focus on social impact projects in multiple regions:
- Refugees: In partnership with UNHCR, the fund will support programs that empower displaced communities, promoting resilience and self-sufficiency. The goal is to improve access to essential services, foster social inclusion and strengthen national systems, offering new opportunities for some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
- Public Health/ Occupational Health and Safety: The fund will expand on the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022’s contribution to promoting health and wellbeing, while also addressing the improvement of working conditions. In collaboration with WHO, FIFA will support “Beat the Heat,” a flagship initiative focused on protecting vulnerable populations from the dangers of extreme heat. It aims to mitigate the occupational and environmental risks associated with rising temperatures, which are exacerbated by climate change, ensuring the health and safety of high-risk individuals in affected communities.
- Education: In partnership with the WTO and the International Trade Centre (ITC), FIFA will support the “Women Exporters in the Digital Economy Fund.” This initiative is designed to economically empower women entrepreneurs by harnessing the transformative potential of digital technology, enabling them to access global value chains and expand their reach in international markets.
- Football Development: Aspire Academy and the FIFA Talent Development Scheme led by FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, Arsène Wenger, will work to identify and nurture promising young talents in underserved regions across several developing countries. The goal is to provide more aspiring footballers with the opportunity to showcase their potential and pursue their dreams on the global stage.
The fund will be implemented in collaboration with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), based in Doha, Qatar. “We always recognized the power of the FIFA World Cup to impact positively within our country, the region and around the world and that to harness its unrivaled potential, we needed to approach the event as far more than 28 days of football,” said SC Secretary General H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi. “It will always be remembered as a landmark moment in the history of our region. With this in mind, we wanted to enact legacy projects that would address issues critical to the region and to the international community as a whole.”
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