The relatively small Gulf emirate of Qatar's anti-LGBTQ policies have come to the forefront of a contentious event with national teams being penalized for wearing rainbow-colored "One Love" armbands, international fans are being told that they cannot wear rainbow shirts, and Qatari minister making anti-LGBTQ remarks this week. Off the field, gay rights are a hot-button issue in the Gulf state.

Conflict over Qatar's rules and policies toward queer people and even those who support LGBTQ rights have arisen as a result, and there is local concern over what will happen once the tournament is done and the focus of the world turns elsewhere. In Qatar, being LGBTQ carries a sentence of 1-3 years in prison.