It is probably not far with the openness of World Cup hosts conjured up by FIFA. Several of the official World Cup hotels reject homosexual guests or at least have strong reservations against their accommodation. This is shown by research by the Norwegian radio nrk with dr and svt from Denmark and Sweden.

For the three channels, journalists were allegedly married as a married gay couple from Sweden or Norway and asked overnight stays for their “honeymoon”, regardless of the World Cup. Three of the 69 contacted hotels answered openly that she would not take the couple. Once it was said that this was not possible “according to our hotel policy”.

20 of the contacted hotels informed clear reservations and let the guests know that they should not show themselves as gay. It was also pointed out that the police had already brought gays from the hotel in the past. 33 accommodations had no objections, 13 did not answer or are currently only available as quarantine hotels.

“Of course, this is not acceptable and does not match what the World Cup OK promised,” said Norwegian association president Lise Klaveness. The Danish association was “disappointed” and formulated the “clear expectation” of a solution.

FIFA: confidence in compliance with the measures

FIFA commented on the research results with a generally kept statement. One is “confident that all the necessary measures are taken so that LGBTQI fans and others can enjoy the tournament in an inviting and safe way”.

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Homosexuality is prohibited in Qatar and can be punished with up to seven years in prison. According to Islamic law, the death penalty is even possible, but the latter has not yet been enforced, according to various human rights organizations. Amnesty International warns of discrimination against women and members of the LGBTQI+scene in Qatar.