With the 2022 FIFA World Cup just around the corner, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) and Qatar Stars League have signed an agreement with Qilaa Consulting to help implement the ‘Shiamuna’ initiative.

The Shiamuna initiative is a scheme that looks to build awareness among the people of Qatar that sport can spread and build values such as respect and fair play. The initiative has been launched ahead of the 2022 World Cup as Qatar looks set to welcome thousands of football fans from all across the globe. 

Speaking at the signing of the agreement, Mansoor Al-Ansari, general secretary of the QFA, said: “I would like to commend the objective of this initiative, which focuses on preparing the general atmosphere and fans ahead of the World Cup, as the QFA and various partners are working to make the tournament the best version of World Cup. We also welcome and support various constructive initiatives aimed at developing Qatar football in all aspects.”

The initiative looks to put in a foundation of making Qatari society better. The committee behind Qatar’s successful World Cup bid has made no secret of its desire to make the 2022 World Cup the greatest World Cup tournament in history. The hope is that through the education of the initiative, Qatar will be impeccable hosts for the hundreds of thousands of fans who will be visiting the country later this year. 

With such a big event, the hope is that it will create a positive atmosphere for the whole nation and to build a legacy that it can then build upon.

To embed the new initiative into Qatar’s football community, the partnership with the QFA and Qatar Stars League will see action taken within the stadiums and clubs in the lead-up to the World Cup itself.

This World Cup can be unlike any other that has come before it. Never before has the tournament visited the Middle East and it has never visited a country as small as Qatar. Often, the success of the home nation can dictate how successful a World Cup can be – football fever can often grip a nation and the organizers of Qatar 2022 will be hoping for success both on and off the pitch. 

The World Cup is scheduled to start on November 21 and will run until December 18. It will be the first World Cup to be played during the winter to avoid the extreme summer heat.

Qatar has eight venues where the matches will take place across five different cities: Al-Khor, Doha, Lusail, Al-Rayyan and Al-Wakrah. 

There will be 32 teams featuring in the tournament, with qualifying still taking place to see who will be playing in the finals. The draw for the tournament will take place in April 2022.