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The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar is the most expensive tournament in the game's history, as the host nation spent more than 16 times as much on preparations as the previous host, Russia. Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter declared in December 2010 that Qatar would host the 2022 World Cup, igniting wild celebrations in the streets of Doha.
In the 12 years that followed, Qatar built the greatest infrastructure project in the history of the World Cup to ensure that football stadiums, transportation links, airports, and lodging facilities would be ready for the big kickoff. An estimated one million people have arrived in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup, and there is great debate regarding the infrastructure costs and issues surrounding the tournament. Let’s discover why Qatar spent $220 billion to host the World Cup.
How Much Qatar Paid To Host The World Cup?
It has been reported that Qatar has spent a total of $220 billion on World Cup infrastructure, however, the official team for the World Cup has not acknowledged this figure. According to the Russian Tass news agency, the finance ministers of the country revealed that they spent $500 million every week for years during the course of the infrastructure project.
However, the greatest figure confirmed by a Qatari official was $220 billion, which is a significant difference. The varying statements made over the course of the past 12 years about the cost of infrastructure elements such as stadiums, hotels, and transportation links have made it difficult to piece together an accurate estimate of the total cost of the World Cup.
According to the Communications Executive Director of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy of the World Cup, Fatma Al Nuaimi, the Tass article cited a figure of $6.5 billion as the cost of the eight stadiums that will be used for the World Cup. When asked about the cost of the stadiums, Hassan Al Thawadi, the secretary general of the committee, estimated that it would be between $8 billion and $10 billion to build them.
What Has Qatar Spent Money On?
It is not an exact science, but determining exactly how much money Qatar has spent and what it has spent is one of the most difficult tasks facing the country. It has been reported that the installation of cooling systems in all but one of the eight stadiums that are being used at the World Cup resulted in a significant increase in construction costs. Architects were tasked with putting in place technology that would maintain an appropriate temperature for players, fans, and the World Cup turfs.
Due to the hot and dry climate in Qatar, the turf that will be used for the World Cup fields had to be produced in special nurseries using imported grass seeds. Additionally, the turf needs to be kept at a cool temperature and adequately hydrated in order to be in suitable condition for football. Huge sums of money have been spent on the World Cup's accommodations, which include private islands, villas, flats, and hotels.
This is in addition to the money that was spent on building or redeveloping the eight stadiums that will host the tournament. It has cost more than $15 billion to construct an accommodation complex known as The Pearl in Doha, while it has cost $36 billion to construct the Doha Metro. In another location, a complete city has been built around the Lusail Stadium to accommodate its inhabitants. Lusail City is going to have 22 hotels, enough housing for 200,000 people, a theme park, two marinas, and two golf courses.
