For years, there has been a controversial debate about the 2022 FIFA World Cup taking place in Qatar and, moreover, in November and December. There is no critical word from EA in the hype trailer for the new World Cup mode in FIFA 23. On the contrary, they are excited that the World Cup is taking place in November, as it opens up new opportunities to earn money in FUT. This is cynical, believes MeinMMO author Schuhmann.
Why do so many people have a problem with the 2022 World Cup? There are two points of criticism: the location and the timing.
This is the problem with the location: The World Cup is being held in Qatar. For years, press representatives, politicians, human rights organizations, and even individual football officials and teams have criticized that the stadiums there are being built under poor conditions by foreign workers. There are talks of slave labor:
- According to the World Cup organizing committee, 37 people have died during the construction of the stadiums, only three of them from work-related causes. (via theguardian).
- However, according to other sources from ZDF, which refer to Amnesty International, 15,021 non-Qataris are reported to have died. (via amnesty.org)
There have been accusations for years that the World Cup was only awarded to Qatar because votes from FIFA officials were bought. Qatar is engaging in “sportswashing”, wanting to polish its image with a lavish and expensive festival while simultaneously covering up the criticism of the conditions there.
Additionally, the human rights situation in Qatar is criticized and that football actually plays no role there.
If you watch the new trailer for FIFA 23, do you know afterwards in which country the World Cup takes place?
What’s the problem with the timing? Normally, the World Cup is held every 4 years in the summer. However, that’s not possible in Qatar because it is simply too hot in the summer to play football.
Therefore, the World Cup will be played from November 20 to December 18: This is strange for many in Europe because a “Winter World Cup” lacks the summer World Cup atmosphere. Traditionally, many watch the World Cup in the garden while grilling, or at public viewings outdoors – none of that will happen if there’s snow outside, gingerbread is eaten, and mulled wine is drunk.
Moreover, a December World Cup disrupts the entire planning of the football year around it: the Bundesliga will pause for 10 weeks. Each team plays 14 games in 2022 and then 20 remaining in 2023.
There are also objections from environmentalists: It is grotesque that the World Cup is held in “air-conditioned stadiums” in times of climate change, right in the desert.
Timing of the World Cup gives FIFA 23 a “unique opportunity”
How does FIFA 23 see this in their trailer? The trailer for FIFA 23 sounds cynical: In the trailer, the speakers, a community manager, and a producer are excited about the unique opportunity that the World Cup is held in November.
Something else, which I know will please the community: Because this World Cup is taking place in November and December […] allows us the timing of this World Cup to create a unique experience for FUT. It will be a full season with daily content.
EA promises:
- Special player items
- Tasks
- Bringing special cards for players that shape the World Cup
The World Cup mode can now be combined with the FUT team that players are already building.
EA remains silent about Qatar in the trailer – uses generic phrases
Regarding the atmosphere of the World Cup, the trailer includes some generic phrases and images that would actually fit any World Cup, but not this one:
- The German flag is waved vigorously
- You see cheering people in the streets cheering for their teams, their faces painted with the colors of their national flag
- EA promises the players they could feel the “unique atmosphere”. It speaks of an “iconic atmosphere”
The word “Qatar” does not appear in the trailer even once – it is only seen on the trophy and the banners, but it is never spoken. It is always referred to as “the biggest tournament” or “this World Cup” – it seems as if the World Cup is taking place in Mexico or South America.
The microtransactions from EA in FIFA 23 in the FUT mode have been viewed critically for some time now.
The World Cup update for FIFA 23 will be released on November 9 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
There is also some criticism of the mode in terms of gameplay. There are simply hardly any new stadiums, only 2 are said to be in the game:
FIFA 23 disappoints fans with the new World Cup mode so much that they want the 2014 version back
