Qatar: First World Championship in the Arabian Peninsula
The election of Qatar as the host of the 2022 World Cup was a huge surprise. Nobody thought that it would be possible that FIFA take the risk to stage a World Cup in the desert, where temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius in summer are considered normal.
Qatar will invest around three billion dollars in the World Cup. The stadiums are practically a stone’s throw away from each other and will be fully air-conditioned.
Chairman of application committee promises “Green World”
However, whether that true football spirit will arise, in a nation that could never qualify for a World Cup, may be doubted.
“All the stadiums, training sites and fan zones will be air conditioned to 27 degrees Celsius. Everything is going to be powered by solar energy and therefore carbon neutral,” said Hassan Al-Thawadi, head of the World Cup application committee for Qatar, and emphasized the “Green World Cup” in Qatar .
The emirate also successfully pointed out the historical dimension of its potential election. “We offer the FIFA historic opportunity to break the boundaries of the world championship,” said Sheikh Mohammad Hamad al-Thani in his speech at the final presentation.
At the same time the emirate wants to promote a World Cup vision for overcoming religious and ethnic barriers.
Key Facts:
- World Cup hosts in 2022: Qatar
- Number of host cities: 7
- Number of planned stages: 12
- Investment cost: $ 3,000,000,000
- Number of Tickets: 2.869 million
- Best-known stages: construction of Lusail Stadium (fully air-conditioned)
- Population: 1.7 million
- Number of clubs: 18 professional clubs, and a few youth teams
- World Cup success: no
- Appearances: none
- All-Stars: Khalfan Ibrahim (Asian Player of the Year 2007)
- Feature: Qatar needed the final qualifying game a point to qualify for the World Cup in France in 1998, but lost 0-1 against Saudi Arabia and missed the World Cup finals.