Every Saturday, we revisit a story from the archives. This originally aired on October 24, 2022. None of the dates, titles, or other references from that time have been changed.

The World Cup is about to head to the Middle East for the first time. Ever since it was announced back in 2010 that the tournament would be held in Qatar, the country has been getting ready to host the world’s biggest sporting event. In this episode, the first in The Take’s coverage of the World Cup, we look at some of the preparations for the tournament, their associated controversies, and a preview of what we might expect after kickoff.

In this episode:

• Tony Karon (@TonyKaron), AJ+ Editorial Lead
• Sohail Malik (@SohailAJE), Al Jazeera Reporter

Episode credits:

This episode was updated by Sarí el-Khalili. The original production team was Negin Owliaei, Chloe K. Li, Ruby Zaman, Alexandra Locke, Amy Walters, and our host, Malika Bilal. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Andrew Greiner is lead of audience engagement. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer.

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