The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy's volunteer initiative has been hailed an 'overwhelming' success after more than 140,000 people registered within the opening week.

In total 141,215 people have so far signed up to the initiative – which invites people from Qatar, the region and the world to register their interest in becoming a volunteer on the road to 2022. It was launched on Sunday 2 September and will remain open, as excitement around the first FIFA World Cup™ to be held in the Arab world continues to gather pace.

Of the thousands of would-be volunteers to register, more than 160 nationalities were represented, with 22 MENA nations among them, including Qatari, Omani, Jordanian, Saudi Arabian, Emirati and Bahraini – once again outlining the universal appeal the biggest sporting event to ever take place in the region brings with it.

More than 7,200 Qatari nationals were among those to put their names forward to volunteer, while over 10,000 Omanis and 9,800 Jordanians also applied. There has also been 12,000 Egyptians, 10,500 Moroccans and 8,000 Algerians, making up the highest represented North African nations.

With over 20,000 applicants, India is the best represented country by nationality – while the most common age range of applicants was among the 18-25-year-old bracket.