The 2022 FIFA World Cup (Arabic: كَأسُ اَلعَالَمِ 2022, romanized: Kaʾsu al-ʿālami 2022; Gulf Arabic: كَاسُ اَلعَالَمِ ٢٠٢٢, romanized: Kāsu al-ʿālami 2022) is scheduled to be the 22nd running of the FIFA World Cup competition, the quadrennial international men's football championship contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It is scheduled to take place in Qatar from 21 November to 18 December 2022. This will be the first World Cup ever to be held in the Arab world,[1] and it will be the second World Cup held entirely in Asia after the 2002 tournament was held in South Korea and Japan.[a] In addition, the tournament will be the last to involve 32 teams, with an increase to 48 teams scheduled for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The reigning World Cup champions are France.[2] Due to Qatar's intense summer heat, this World Cup will be held from late-November to mid-December, making it the first tournament not to be held in May, June, or July; it is to be played in a reduced timeframe of around 28 days.[3] The final is due to be held on 18 December 2022, which is also Qatar National Day. In May 2011, allegations of corruption within the FIFA senior officials raised questions over the legitimacy of the World Cup 2022 being held in Qatar. According to the Vice-President Jack Warner, an email has been publicised about the possibility that Qatar 'bought' the 2022 World Cup through bribery via Mohammed bin Hammam who was president of the Asian Football Confederation at the time. Qatar's officials in the bid team for 2022 have denied any wrongdoing. The whistleblower at the centre of the allegations later admitted fabricating the claims of corruption. FIFA confirmed receipt of the retraction. After the winning bid, The scheduling of the event remains uncertain. Owing to the climate in Qatar, concerns have been expressed since the bid was made about holding the event during the traditional months for the World Cup finals of June and July. In October 2013, a task force was commissioned to consider alternative dates and report after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The issue of migrant workers' rights has also attracted attention, with an investigation by the Guardian newspaper claiming that many workers are denied food and water, have their identity papers taken away from them, and that they are not paid on time or at all, making some of them in effect slaves. The Guardian has estimated that up to 4000 workers may die due to lax safety and other causes by the time the competition is held. Accusations of corruption have been made relating to how Qatar won the right to host the event. A FIFA internal investigation and report cleared Qatar of any wrongdoing, but chief investigator Michael J. Garcia has since described FIFA's report on his enquiry as containing "numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations."[4] On 27 May 2015, Swiss federal prosecutors opened an investigation into corruption and money laundering related to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.[5][6] On 6 August 2018, former FIFA president Sepp Blatter claimed that Qatar had used "black ops", suggesting that the bid committee had cheated to win the hosting rights.[7] Additionally, Qatar has faced strong criticism due to the treatment of foreign workers involved in preparation for the World Cup, with Amnesty International referring to "forced labour" and stating that hundreds or thousands of migrant workers have died as a result of human rights abuses, and careless and inhumane work conditions.[8][9] Between 2015 and 2021, the Qatari government adopted new labour reforms to improve working conditions, including a minimum wage for all workers and the removal of the kafala system. Amnesty International referred to these measures as "a significant step towards protecting migrant workers". On 20 May 2020, the World Cup organizing committee secretary general Hassan Al Thawadi raised a concern that the global economy could witness a recession period due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which will turn in and impact the ability of football fans to afford traveling and participating in the celebrations of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.