20221117 An image of Son Heung-min of South Korea adorns a skyscraper

Larger than life: South Korean forward Son Heung-min adorns a skyscraper in Doha ahead of the FIFA World Cup, hosted by Qatar this year. © Getty Images

Why Asia Inc. is rushing to sponsor the Qatar World Cup

Concerns over human rights take back seat to reaching global audience

JOHN DUERDEN, Contributing writer

November 18, 2022 06:00 JST

SEOUL -- Asia has never had a bigger presence at a World Cup than it will this year, either on or -- by a more significant margin -- off the field.

A record six Asian teams will compete in the quadrennial soccer tournament, which kicks off in Qatar on Sunday, out of a total of 32. Asia-based companies, meanwhile, make up nine of FIFA's 14 partners and World Cup sponsors.