Qatar detained and deported dozens of migrant workers who took part in a protest because their employer did not pay them, according to labor rights activists. The emirate is hosting the World Cup in three months, and it has depended on foreign labor to build infrastructure, including gleaming stadiums, for the flagship men’s soccer tournament.

This month, at least 60 workers were detained for participating in the rare protest, outside the offices of Al Bandary International Group, a major construction and hospitality firm, according to Equidem, a London-based labor rights organization. Some of the demonstrators, who came from countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Egypt and the Philippines, had not been paid for as many as seven months, Equidem said, adding that most of them have been sent home.

“As far as we are aware, authorities have decided to deport everyone who was at the protest,” said Equidem’s executive director, Mustafa Qadri...

Al Bandary did not immediately respond to a request for comment.