Will Scholz travel to the Qatar World Cup?

Chancellor probably still undecided - Faeser announces his own presence

Created: 11/18/2022, 10:20 p.m

By: Anna Lorenz

The World Cup kicks off in Qatar on Sunday.

It is obviously still unclear whether Scholz will arrive if the German national team reaches the final.

According to government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, the presence of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) at the World Cup in Qatar is neither excluded, but also not yet clear.

The tournament starts on Sunday (November 20th) and the final is scheduled for December 18th.

Because of the questionable human rights situation in Qatar, the World Cup is highly controversial, and various celebrities have already announced that they will boycott the tournament.

But how is German politics positioned?

Chancellor assistance in the event of a final of the German team: mandatory?

Ever since the German team won the home World Cup in 1974, the Federal Chancellors have always been in the stadium when Germany was in the final.

In 1974 in Munich in the win against the Netherlands and in 1982 in Madrid Helmut Schmidt kept his fingers crossed for the team in the stands, Helmut Kohl was there in 1986 in Mexico City and in 1990 when he won the title in the Olympic Stadium in Rome.

In 2002 Gerhard Schröder traveled to Japan to support the German team in Yokohama against Brazil.

Even in the dressing room, Angela Merkel celebrated the 2014 World Cup title with the DFB selection at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

On the other hand, the German team played two World Cup finals without the Chancellor's support from the stands: Konrad Adenauer missed the miracle of Bern in 1954 and Ludwig Erhard was not there when Germany lost to England at London's Wembley Stadium in 1966.

Will Scholz travel to Qatar for the World Cup?

- "We'll take a closer look then"

In which direction the World Cup in Qatar will go is still completely open.

As Hebestreit announced on Friday (November 18), the chancellor will initially follow the German team's games on television "if his schedule allows it".

Whether Scholz will travel to Qatar if the German national soccer team is able to reach the World Cup final, “we will then take a close look.”

After the previously proclaimed uncertainty, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has now announced that she wants to support the German team on site.

However, the plans are not yet complete.

In addition to watching football, the SPD politician wants to continue the dialogue with the Qatar government on reforms there, in particular to improve the human rights situation and the situation of migrant workers.