Qatar 2022 World Cup: Can you take the heat?

A couple of years ago, FIFA, the governing body that rules football announced their decision to give the 2022 Football World Cup to the Middle-Eastern state of Qatar. At the time, this was greeted with celebration and delight, with Qatar the first Arab nation to host the major event. However, since then, scientists and geographers around the world have become increasingly concerned about the climate of the country, especially during the summer months, when the World Cup is usually played.

The country is predominantly made up of deserts, with almost all of the country some sort of desert, which goes a long way to emphasise the heat and climate of the country. The country has a desert climate.

Temperatures in Doha, the capital of Qatar, are over 40°C, with record temperatures in the region hitting 53°C. These extremely high temperatures are largely due to the desert climate in the country and the surrounding areas. During the period that the World Cup is usually played, June to August, Qatar’s average temperature exceeds 50°C, with them going no lower than 30°C, clearly too hot to be able to watch 90 minutes of football, let alone play it.

Qatar has long summers, May to September, characterized by the intense heat mentioned and alternating dryness and humidity through the season. The sun shines brightly on almost all days, as Qatar is almost on the Equator, and is continually bathed in intense sunlight. The Sun hits the Earth at right angles, at 90° at the Equator. It is hotter there as the heat is stronger because it has less distance to travel before it heats an area, as Qatar is almost at a 90° angle from the Sun.

At 30° both north and south of the Equator, there are no clouds. Here, there is nothing obstructing the Sun’s rays, and therefore they hit and heat the ground without interruption, and at full heat and strength. The absence of clouds is due to the high air pressure.

The air pressure explains for both the hot weather and lack of clouds. Cold air sinks and upon reaching the ground surface, remains there. This results in the area above the ground having a higher air pressure due to a larger proportion of cooler air present. Over time, the ground heats the air causing it to rise in the form of convection currents. It then cools and condenses into clouds causing rain during the night. By the next morning, precipitation is minimal and the cycle restarts.

Therefore, as suggested, the heat is most intense in Qatar during the period of year in which the World Cup is usually held. However the majority of football fans are opposed to a winter World Cup in Qatar. Whilst ideas for geo-engineering technology (creating rain and clouds, similar to that used in the Beijing Olympics) have been suggested; these are neither affordable, efficient nor safe.

For now, FIFA have yet to make a decision. However, due to the heat in Qatar, playing a World Cup in the Arabic summer has almost been ruled out. However, management of this unique issue must be carefully assessed to ensure that the needs of the football fans, the players and the sponsors are all met.