Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

The human cost of this year's World Cup

Construction underway in 2019 to complete Lusail's 80,000-seat venue for the opening World Cup game and final

Construction underway in 2019 to complete Lusail's 80,000-seat venue for the opening World Cup game and final Source: AAP / Peter Josek/AP

SBS News In Depth
View Podcast Series

Follow and Subscribe

Apple Podcasts Spotify Listnr Download (5.65MB)
Download the SBS Audio appAvailable on iOS and Android

This year's World Cup in the middle of the desert is one of the most luxurious to be staged, but while players and spectators will enjoy state of the art facilities in Qatar, advocates are questioning the human cost.

Share

Latest podcast episodes

OTM No Ricardo - Generic 2 (Getty).jpg
WNW EP59_Thumbnail 070526.jpg
The large scale video presentation at Confined 17 (Supplied-The Torch).jpg
A poster in a car window reads 'I'm voting Reform UK Wales' is seen at Trago Mills on May 05, 2026 in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales (Photo by Finnbarr Webster-Getty Images).jpg

Recommended for you

A stylised illustration of a suburban house sketched in soft lines, with three windows — each framing a portrait: a young girl, a middle-aged woman, and an elderly woman.
A stylised image of two men in the foreground, with the one on the right leaning against a white ute. There's a sheep at a solar farm in the background.
Viktor Orban
Taiwanese mother faces deportation
A stylised graphic showing Donald Trump on one side with the Republican Party logo, a blue silhouette on the other with a Democratic Party logo, and the US Capitol in the backdrop.
Graphic art of Victor Orban, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and JD Vance against a backdop of a red, white and green banded flag that is cracking
A composite image showing a fire at an oil refinery in the foreground, with a black and white image in the background of an older oil refinery with a ripped paper effect through the middle.
A group of protesters, some holding a Palestinian flag and a “QLD Greens“ banner, face off against a large line of police officers under the shade of a large tree.

Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Watch now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world