POV

The Workers Cup

In 2022, Qatar will host the biggest sporting event in the world, the FIFA World Cup. But right now, far away from the bright lights, star athletes and adoring fans, the tournament is being built on the backs of 1.6 million African and Asian migrant workers. The Workers Cup gives voice to the men who are laboring to build sport’s grandest stage and competing in a soccer tournament of their own.

The Workers Cup - Trailer

1m 56s

In 2022, Qatar will host the biggest sporting event in the world, the FIFA World Cup. But right now, far away from the bright lights, star athletes and adoring fans, the tournament is being built on the backs of 1.6 million African and Asian migrant workers. The Workers Cup gives voice to the men who are laboring to build sport’s grandest stage and competing in a soccer tournament of their own.

Previews + Extras

  • The Workers Cup - Typical Work: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Workers Cup - Typical Work

    S31 E5 - 4m 18s

    We see the typical work and working conditions in Qatar, and meet Kenneth, whose hope for a pro soccer career is exploited by an employment agent.

  • The Workers Cup - Modern Slavery?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Workers Cup - Modern Slavery?

    S31 E5 - 3m 19s

    During lunch in the cafeteria, workers who are also members of the company’s soccer team talk about what they miss from home and their definitions of “freedom.” Their conversation touches on issues of racism and whether the conditions of their employment are a modern form of slavery.

  • The Workers Cup - Pay and Recreation: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Workers Cup - Pay and Recreation

    S31 E5 - 4m 9s

    The manager of the company soccer team calculates the cost of fielding a team and weighs it against the benefits. We also learn that a white collar foreign worker with eight years of service to the company still cannot earn enough to qualify for a visa to bring his wife to Qatar, nor can he earn enough to buy a car back home.

  • The Workers Cup - Housing: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Workers Cup - Housing

    S31 E5 - 5m 3s

    We learn that foreign workers outnumber Qataris and that those who choose to live outside of company camps live in squalor. We also see life in company housing and hear the story of a man who was stabbed by his roommate because his roommate believed that the only way the company would let him leave Qatar was if they believed he was mentally unfit.

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