The number is impressive. According to FIFA, more than 500,000 people around the world have registered on the volunteer platform for one or more of international football’s upcoming events. The body’s volunteer program, redesigned in December 2020, allows people to apply for any future FIFA competition. Since October 2021, more than 400,000 new applicants have registered for the program. The geographical distribution of applicants is not surprising, with 43.2% and 40.2% of applicants coming from Asia and Africa respectively. The most commonly spoken language is English (94.4%), followed by French (23.8%), Spanish (16.7%) and German (3.8%). The most represented age groups are young people: 42.9% for 24-34 year olds and 36% for 18-24 year olds. This is followed by the 35-44 age group with 15.6% and the over 45 age group with 5.5%. The registration period for the volunteer program for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar ends on Sunday, July 31. The tournament is expected to attract 20,000 volunteers. A series of interviews with applicants will end on August 13, 100 days before kick-off.
