Qatar’s vast wealth helps it host FIFA World Cup but is its own future in jeopardy?
Qatar’s vast wealth helps it host Fifa World Cup but is its own future in jeopardy?
Qatar has become one of the largest financiers of major events, including the 2008 Olympics and 2014 Football World Cup. But just last month the Gulf sheikhate’s rulers announced they were cutting the Qatar Investment Authority’s budget – its first major budget cut since the early 1990s.
Qatar plans to spend up to $100bn on hosting the 2022 Fifa World Cup. The emirate’s ruling family says its wealth of oil and gas is not just an asset but part of the future of the country and will benefit the host nation and the international community.
But what will happen to the billions of dollars in investments in infrastructure at home and overseas that are dependent on the hosting of the World Cup?
BBC Monitoring was last in Qatar last week to find out how much the country’s rulers are really spending to host the Fifa World Cup – and what the future for it may be.
Qatar’s World Cup plans
The emirate hosts the country’s first World Cup in 2022 and is spending an enormous sum on infrastructure and preparations.
Last year the Qatari government announced its plans to spend a budget of between $100bn and $250bn for the tournament.
The biggest single investment in infrastructure is to take place at the Jazeera Sports City sports arena. It will include a four-lane, 100m-long running track, three-storey stadia, and Olympic-standard sports infrastructure, such as a multi-storey building for the 2022 Rio Olympic Games.
And there will also be upgrades to the capital’s power stations, airport and tunnels to make the city more efficient for spectators, athletes and the media.
The Qatari national carrier, Qatar Airways, will be the title sponsor of the tournament for the first time, in celebration of the emirate’s national day on 5 October, celebrating Qatar’s history and heritage.
But the World Cup will also bring billions of dollars worth of investment to the country