FIFA Logo – Picture: Getty Images
Just in time for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Netflix is releasing a brand new sports docuseries centered around FIFA, and the organization’s controversial history. Coming to Netflix in November 2022, FIFA Uncovered will be an eye-opener for football/soccer fans around the world.
Netflix has released a number of documentaries in recent years seeking to expose high-profile organizations and businesses. Recent examples include the Boeing documentary series, The Social Dilemma looking into prominent social media companies, and Alex Gibney’s Dirty Money series. Other documentaries Netflix has lined up in November 2022 include Killer Sally, Ancient Apocalypse, and State of Alabama vs. Brittany Smith.
This new documentary will sit alongside a slew of other sports documentary projects which Netflix released a trailer for. We’ve got a preview of all the major sports documentaries coming to Netflix over the coming years here.
What is FIFA Uncovered?
The official logline for FIFA Uncovered from Netflix is:
From power struggles to global politics, an exploration of FIFA reveals the organization’s checkered history, and what it takes to host a world cup.
From the synopsis, we can make some educated assumptions about what the docuseries will cover.
Over the decades, control of FIFA has seen many internal, and external power struggles between some of the sport’s most influential figures. From Joao Havelange and Lennart Johansson to Sepp Blatter and Michael Platini, some of the most powerful men in football have been at the epicenter of corruption allegations.
It’s thanks to these allegations, that has led to various football associations around the globe, and most importantly fans, questioning the decision-making behind awarding world cups to specific nations. The two most recent examples are the 2018 Russian World Cup and the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
The decision to award Qatar as a host for the World Cup was heavily scrutinized around the world. This was because at the time FIFA awarded Qatar as the host of the 2022 World Cup, the small nation had little infrastructure to accommodate a football tournament of this size. Not to mention, as a middle-eastern nation, the heat in the summer is extreme, which is why the tournament has been moved from the Summer to Autumn/Winter. The logistical and infrastructure controversies are also on top of sports washing allegations of corruption.
Khalifa Stadium stadium is a host venue of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 starting in November. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Most of the past decade has seen Qatar spend an eyewatering amount of money to build the infrastructure needed to host a world cup, which includes stadiums, training facilities, hotels, and an entirely new city. Just for the world cup.
The extent of the work carried out in Qatar has also led to a human rights issue due to the alleged number of deaths of migrant workers since the nation was awarded the world cup.
If you’re interested in knowing more about the history of the Qatar 2022 World Cup there is an excellent podcast from Men in Blazers at Crooked.com to learn from.
I’ve been working on a series with @rogbennett about all the ways the 2022 World Cup in FIFA is a disaster. The corruption. Their human rights record. The treatment of migrant workers. Give it a listen: https://t.co/j9yA3rTyts
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) October 15, 2022
When is FIFA Uncovered coming to Netflix?
We can confirm that Fifa Uncovered will be released on Netflix on Wednesday, November 9th, 2022. Just in time for the start of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.
What is the episode count?
At the time of writing, the episode count hasn’t been revealed. We aren’t expecting the episode count to exceed beyond 6 episodes.
Will you be watching FIFA Uncovered on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!