Why Welsh Farmers Could be the Real Winners at Qatar 2022

There can have been few more exciting moments in the history of Welsh football than when the bitter-sweet victory over Ukraine booked the national team’s tickets to Qatar 2022.

It came as a decisive end to 64 years of disappointment and has helped to truly unite the nation behind the team, which, it is hoped, will do the country proud. Placed in a group with USA, Iran and England, how sweet it could be if their final Group B match against the latter saw them going through to the knockout stages of the tournament.

Anticipation has been mounting for some time in the run-up to the November start date with regular updates on the www.gov.wales website, including the announcement of a £1.5 million spending package to maximise the opportunities that participation will bring.
The aim is to raise the global profile of the country, something which it’s anticipated will more than repay the investment in terms of boosting the economy.

Among the initiatives that have been announced is a festival of Welsh creativity and culture including a concert in North America on the eve of the match against the US team. There will also be an exciting new tourist attraction with a national football museum based in Wrexham.

“Bale: street art, Whitchurch, Cardiff” (CC BY 2.0) by Dai Lygad

Other sectors are also likely to do very well off the back of Wales’ involvement in Qatar. For example, the makers of replica shirts are expecting something of a bonanza, especially when it comes to Bale No.11 kits.

There’s also likely to be some pretty big sportsbook action as fans pin their hopes, and money, on the team’s progression. Those who head for sites like www.lottoland.ie might also be introduced to some of the other services they provide. Given the name, it’s no surprise that lotteries from all around the world feature heavily and there are also online casino games and the ever-popular slots, even including some with a football theme.

But a more unexpected part of the Welsh economy that stands to benefit is the farming sector, and sheep farmers in particular. This is because www.meatpromotion.wales is launching a drive to build sales of high quality lamb in the two key markets of the USA and Qatar. It’s hoped that the match with the former will provide a perfect platform for this while a marketing campaign will target Qatari restaurants, hotels and caterers.

The reputation of Welsh lamb is already fairly high in the country where you will find it on many of the menus in more high-end establishments. It’s also building on some very firm foundations. In the two years leading up to 2020 exports of the meat to Qatar rose by 500%. In the case of the US, sales are set to be boosted by the lifting of the restriction, earlier this year, on exports across the Atlantic.

With a £100,000 government grant to support these export drives it’s expected that this will present something of an open goal for exporters.

Here’s hoping the team itself will be just as fortunate in Qatar.