FIFA launches $50 million world cup Qatar 2022 legacy fund for global social impact
FIFA president Gianni Infantino speaks with Hassan Al Thawadi, secretary-general of the World Cup organising team. (Getty Images/picture alliance: Christian Charisius)
FIFA is expanding its World Cup Qatar 2022 Legacy Fund with a groundbreaking $50 million investment in social programs, in collaboration with Qatar and three global organizations: the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
The initiative was unveiled during a virtual meeting featuring FIFA President Gianni Infantino, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WTO Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, and Supreme Committee Secretary General HE Hassan al-Thawadi.
The move focuses on four core areas: Refugees, Public Health, Education, and Football Development.\
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Key Components of the Legacy Fund include partnering with UNHCR. The fund will support programs to empower displaced communities, enhance social inclusion, and improve access to essential services.
Similarly, the WHO and FIFA will be collaborating to expand the Beat the Heat initiative, addressing climate change-related risks and improving occupational health and safety.
Together with WTO, the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy Fund will promote economic empowerment by helping female entrepreneurs access global value chains via digital platforms.
Aspire Academy and FIFA’s Talent Development Scheme, led by Arsène Wenger, will identify young talent in remote and developing regions, broadening global opportunities in football.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino described the Legacy Fund as a transformative project leveraging the tournament’s sustainability impact, while SC Secretary General HE al-Thawadi emphasized its role in addressing critical regional and global issues.
UNHCR’s Filippo Grandi, WHO’s Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, and WTO’s Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala underscored the fund’s potential to empower communities, improve health standards, and foster economic opportunities, cementing the tournament’s legacy far beyond football.
