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Before a ball has even been kicked, the World Cup in Qatar has been surrounded in controversy, which began 12 years ago when the world's biggest football tournament was awarded to the country.

Qatar, which follows strict Muslim laws, has been criticised for its human rights record. In the country, women are heavily restricted in what they are allowed to do and it's also illegal to be in a gay relationship.

Preparation for the World Cup has also seen concerns over the treatment of workers from abroad in the country.

It's expected that several teams, players and fans will protest against Qatar's human rights record during the tournament, prompting Fifa to write to all 32 national teams competing at the World Cup telling them to "now focus on the football".

In response Amnesty International, which campaigns on human rights issues, said: "There's never been a right time to talk about human rights issues in Qatar as far as they [Fifa] are concerned.

"Now is the time to apply pressure on these issues. Once the World Cup rolls out of town, are we still going to be having conversations about Qatar? I don't think we are."

Ten European football associations - including those of England and Wales - said "human rights are universal and apply everywhere".

Gay relationships are banned and against the law in Qatar and gay, lesbian, and transgender people in the country face fines, time in prison or even the death sentence.

The World Cup's organisers say "everyone is welcome", and claim no one will be discriminated against.

But chief executive Nasser al Khater said there will not be a change to the country's laws during the tournament and asked visitors to still "respect our culture".

He has said that in Qatar any public displays of affection such as kissing between couples - whether gay or straight - is also culturally inappropriate.

Meanwhile the captains of several World Cup teams including England's Harry Kane and Wales' Gareth Bale will wear a rainbow 'one love' armband during the tournament in support of the LGBTQ+ community.

Treatment of migrant workers

Those working on construction ahead of the World Cup in Qatar have mostly been from outside of the country.

Roughly 30,000 people from countries such as India, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines have been building seven new stadiums from scratch, as well as new hotels and roads in the country.

Qatar's labour laws known as the 'kafala system' allow businesses or business owners in Qatar to take workers' passports and stop them leaving the country.

Human Rights organisations such as Amnesty International say that as a result, since 2010, hundreds of thousands of these workers have faced human rights abuses and exploitation in difficult working conditions with little pay.

Qatar says its kafala system has been partially dismantled and allegations of human rights abuses are unfair.

However, the Guardian newspaper claims that figures show more than 6,000 workers have actually died in Qatar since it won its World Cup bid 12 years ago.

The Qatar government said that total is misleading, and that between 2014 and 2020, there were 37 deaths among workers at World Cup stadium construction sites, and only three were "work-related".

Australia became the first team competing at the tournament to release a statement criticising Qatar on human rights, saying the "suffering" felt by migrant workers and their families caused by the tournament "cannot be ignored".

European team Denmark will wear "toned down" shirts during the tournament in protest against the country, with kit provider Hummel saying it "does not wish to be visible" in a tournament it claims "has cost thousands of lives".

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