The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be held in Qatar, FIFA confirmed on December 2, 2010, bringing the most prestigious sporting event in the world to the Middle East for the first time in the tournament’s 92-year existence. On the fourth ballot, Qatar defeated Australia, Japan, South Korea, and the United States to secure the right to host the World Cup.
The “most compact” World Cup ever was proposed in Qatar’s winning bid, with 11 of the 12 locations being no more than 60 kilometres apart. The organising committee impressed the FIFA Executive Committee with a stunning architectural vision and an ambitious proposal to harness the power of the sun’s rays to cool players and supporters in an eco-friendly manner, promising to build nine new stadiums and restore another three.
The 64 games, which will be played in the Lusail Iconic Stadium, which was built especially for the World Cup and has a zero carbon footprint, will feature 31 additional nations and be hosted by Qatar. The tournament’s organisers promised to redesign nine of the stadiums after the event and to donate 170,000 seats to developing nations to aid in the development of their sporting infrastructure, thus it also promises to leave a lasting impact not just in Qatar but all across the world.
Infrastructure Growth
In order for citizens and visitors to enjoy the World Cup, Qatar’s World Cup strategy calls for continuing infrastructure development. This will also provide the groundwork for future economic and national development.
A world-class infrastructure network will be built and expanded by Qatar at a cost of up to $70 billion. Although the majority of Qatar’s road network was constructed over the previous ten years, the government has committed $20 billion to network expansion through 2016. Major new highways connecting the Hamad International Airport to all of Qatar’s cities as well as a new highway leading to Bahrain are part of these commitments.
Following the signing of a $26 billion agreement between Deutsche Bahn and Qatar Railways Company (RAIL) in 2009, Qatar is now creating a world-class rail network for the first time. The deal outlined a joint venture to build a Doha metro system with four lines connecting 98 stations over 300 kilometres that is both attractive and friendly to the environment. The lines will connect important places such the Hamad International Airport, the Lusail City urban development region, Education City, and West Bay and will run through tunnels, at ground level, and as an overhead railway according on the demand.
The agreement also outlined ideas for a long-distance network that will offer freight and passenger transportation along with connections to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, two nearby nations. A 180-kilometer high-speed line with a top speed of 350 km/h will be part of the long-distance network, as will a 100-kilometer passenger transit line to Saudi Arabia with top speeds of 200 km/h. The proposals provide for a network of 325 km for freight transportation, of which 270 km will be utilised for passenger services.
To manage the flood of World Cup visitors, Qatar’s World Cup strategy calls for the building of nearly 55,000 more hotel rooms.
To meet the needs of an economy, there are already plans to double the number of hotel rooms and guest apartments available by 2022, and the government intends to make a sizeable investment in excess of $17 billion over the following years as part of its economic diversification strategies for the Qatar National Vision 2030. In order to accommodate each team, the Qatari government has also promised to build 64 “team base camp” facilities, including 32 hotels and 32 training facilities.
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