Qatar 2022: Five Arab countries rank in top 10 for 'World Cup' Google searches

Five Arab countries were ranked among the top ten nations globally for the proportion of 'World Cup' Google searches they have seen over the past seven days. 

Searches for 'World Cup' were most popular relative to population and total number of Google searches in the country in Qatar, according to Google Trends data.

The other Arab countries in the top ten were Lebanon, Bahrain, the UAE and Oman. 

This reflects the massive popularity of football's biggest showpiece, which is being held in the Middle East for the first time. 

"Hosting the world cup in Qatar is... a message to the world," Rawan, a 25-year-old medical student from Lebanon, told The New Arab. 

"Despite stereotypes, we are people of culture, of ability, of potential, and we can leave our mark on the world’s sports map," he added. 

Searches for the World Cup were also popular in Nepal, Bangladesh, Uganda, Guatemala and Cameroon. 

The UK, US and Canada were lower down on the list. 

“Supporters from the United Arab Emirates, who just missed out on the World Cup after losing a play-off to Australia, are the sixth biggest purchaser of tickets.”

Backyard kickabout: Arab teams embrace home advantage ahead of World Cup showdown https://t.co/9wJkgn0T82

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) November 22, 2022

Millions have descended on Qatar for the highly-anticipated FIFA World Cup, set to take place from 21 November to 18 December. 

On Tuesday, Arab football fans hailed Saudi Arabia’s stunning 2-1 win against tournament favourites Argentina. 

"This will go down as the biggest upset in World Cup history," wrote Reem Al-Harmi, a self-described Arab columnist and writer, on Twitter.  

"As a Qatari, I’m so proud and happy to see an Arab team winning," she added.