Qatar World Cup audience projected to be 5 billion: FIFA president

DAVOS: The 2022 World Cup hosted by Qatar this year is expected to be watched by five billion people around the world, said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

"The last FIFA World Cup was watched by 4 billion people while 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," Qatar news agency (QNA) quoted Infantino as speaking at a panel discussion titled "Sport as a Unifying Force" at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on Monday.

Infantino reiterated his long-held belief in football's ability to heal and unite on a global scale, using the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 as an example of an upcoming opportunity, after the pandemic and global conflicts have isolated and divided people around the world.

"Mandela was saying that sport can change the world, that it can inspire, that it unites, and he was right with that," Infantino said.

-- BERNAMA