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2022 World Cup In Qatar: What Has This Small, Gas-Rich Country Built For The Most Expensive World Cup Ever?

Written by Luciana Ramalhao
Published on 22/11/2022 at 00:05
Copa do Mundo Catar, Gás, Custo da Copa no Catar
Fonte: Ulmer/IMAGO
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The 2022 World Cup Will Be The First In Qatar, And Undoubtedly The Most Expensive Of All Time. The Tiny Arab Country Worked Hard To Ensure That This Tournament Is An International Success, With Some Very Generous Investments. So What Did It Build For The Cost Of Hosting The Biggest Event In Football? It Seems A Lot, Doesn’t It? A Deep Analysis Of The Construction And Renovation Of The Infrastructure Reveals How Much Money Was Spent On Stadiums, Hotels And Other Facilities. Here Is Everything You Need To Know About Qatar’s Preparations For The 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The Host Qatar Started Its Campaign In The 2022 World Cup Against Ecuador On Sunday, November 20, 2022. In The 12 Years Since The Small Gas-Rich Country Won The Right To Host The Event, It Has Spent US$ 300 Billion Preparing For Sunday’s Opening Match. The Capital Has Transformed, With New Stadiums And Hotels Rising Up Across The City, Along With More Than A Million Visitors Expected Next Month. Doha Has Also Transformed, Thanks To The Construction Of Several Stadiums And Hotels.

The Tournament Is The First World Cup For The Region And Will Be The First World Cup To Be Held In The Middle East. In Many Ways, It Will Be The Region’s Largest Attempt To Compete In The World Of Sports. Besides Formula 1, Saudi Arabia And Its Wealthy Neighbors Have Poured Billions Into European Football Clubs And The Region Will Host Four Golf Tournaments, In Addition To The 2022 World Cup. The 2022 World Cup Has Been Accompanied By Numerous Controversies Since Its Conception. There Have Been Concerns About Qatar’s Record On Issues That Restrict The Rights Of Women And LGBTQ People And The Treatment Of Migrant Workers. It Is Clear That The Qatari Government Is Trying To Use The 2022 World Cup As A Way To Boost Its Prestige.

How Much Did Qatar Spend On The FIFA World Cup 2022?

The Expenditures For The 2022 World Cup In Qatar Are Astonishing. The Qatar National Vision 2030 Document, Released In May 2017, Revealed That The Country Will Invest $165 Billion In Infrastructure And Transportation Projects By 2030. It Is Estimated That The 2022 World Cup Will Cost US$ 6 Billion, And The Construction And Renovation Of The Stadiums Will Cost US$ 5 Billion.

Meet The Qatar World Cup Stadiums 2022.

YouTube video
SOURCE: 2022 QATAR WORLD CUP STADIUMS. YOUTUBE

Additionally, The Doha Metro Is Estimated To Cost US$ 3 Billion. To Put It All In Perspective, The Country Has Spent US$ 300 Billion On The 2022 FIFA World Cup. This Amount Is More Than Double The Country’s GDP And More Than Four Times The Per Capita GDP. In Other Words, The Country Spent More On The World Cup Than Would Be Needed To Make Every Citizen Rich. Not All Of The Infrastructure Spending Was Related To The World Cup. Qatar Spent 300 Billion Dollars On Infrastructure Development, Including Roads And Railways, Designed To Be Ready By 2030. Data Are From Bloomberg, 2022.

Qatar Built Seven New Stadiums To Host The FIFA World Cup 2022 And One Under Renovation. Most Of Them Are Located In The Capital Doha, While The Others Are In The Gulf State Of Abu Dhabi, With Most Located 25 Kilometers From The Capital Doha.

Both Stadium 974 And Al Thumama Stadium Are Located In Doha, With The Former Just Seven Miles From The City Center. Al Bayt Stadium Is The Most Remote Of The Eight Venues, Sitting 46 Miles From Downtown Doha.

Binladin Group Of Companies – Samsung’s Main Contractor In Qatar

The Construction Of The World Cup Infrastructure In Qatar Was Made Possible Due To The State-Of-The-Art Infrastructure And The Ease Of Doing Business In The Country. The Country Has Been A Troublemaker In Attracting Foreign Direct Investment But Has Made Significant Progress In Improving The Ease Of Doing Business. The World Bank’s Doing Business 2018 Report Ranks Qatar As The Easiest Country In The World To Do Business. The World Cup Stadium Infrastructure Was Built With The Help Of A Qatari Company Called Binladin Group Of Companies. The Company Is Among The Largest Construction Firms In The Middle East And Has Received Numerous Construction, Engineering, And Consulting Contracts In Qatar. The Binladin Group Was Founded In 1952 By Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Bin Hamad Binladin. The Company Has Been Awarded Several Projects In Qatar, Including The Construction And Renovation Of The Aspire Dome And Khalifa Stadium.

Location And Cost Of The 2022 World Cup Stadiums:

Doha: Stadium 974 (unknown), Al Thumama Stadium ($342 Million)
Al Rayyan: Khalifa International Stadium ($78 – $315 Million), Education City Stadium ($700 Million), Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium ($360 Million)
Lusail: Lusail Stadium ($767 Million)
Al Wakrah: Al Janoub Stadium ($572 Million)
Al Khor: Al Bayt Stadium ($847 Million)

The World Cup In Qatar Has Been A Huge Success In Terms Of Infrastructure Development, With Seven New Stadiums And The Aspire Dome, Which Is The Largest In The World. The World Cup Is Expected To Attract A Flow Of Tourists To The Country, Giving Qatar A Significant Economic Boost.

Luciana Ramalhao

Arquiteta e Urbanista e Mestre em Planejamento e Desenvolvimento Urbano Regional. Conhece inúmeros projetos distribuídos em quase 20 países pelos quais já visitou. Além da construção civil, atua como pesquisadora científica e copywriter. Atualmente mora no Canadá, onde está fazendo mais uma especialização.

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