"We go to new lands," FIFA President Sepp Blatter said on Thursday after announcing that Qatar would host the 2022 World Cup. Qatar, originally thought to be a long shot to get the Cup, outbid Australia, Japan and the United States for the right to be host. FIFA, the world's soccer governing body, announced that Russia would receive the 2018 Cup; the country beat out Spain/Portugal, Belgium/Netherlands and England.
Qatar was a surprising selection, considering the number of concerns expressed about its candidacy prior to the voting. It was initially criticized for its size — it is approximately the size of Connecticut. Because the World Cup will take place in the summer, FIFA officials were also concerned about the extreme temperatures.
Qatar has answered these critics throughout the bidding process. It cited its national wealth, guaranteeing state−of−the−art air−conditioned stadiums, at least one of which is an "island stadium" accessible by water taxi. The committee also downplayed the importance of the country's size — it preferred to look at it as a way of fostering a more intimate World Cup community. Qatar expects the time and cost of team transportation to be much lower than that for the average World Cup because of its massive planned investment.
There are many reasons to applaud FIFA for its choice. Expanding the world of FIFA to the Middle East demonstrates its commitment to inclusivity — it brings the world's largest single−sport event to a population that is not only fanatical about soccer, but that has historically been on the fringe of the world game.
Furthermore, members of the Qatari lobby cited the ability the World Cup has to have a transformative impact on the region. Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al−Thani said that he hoped hosting the World Cup would not only unify the Arab world, but also facilitate a positive dialogue with Western nations during the tournament. Already Qatar has promised to allow the Israeli national team to enter the country were it to qualify.
Unfortunately, both Russia and Qatar's selection comes amid allegations of corruption. There has been widespread speculation that Qatar influenced voters through bribery, specifically the Argentine vote. Argentine Football Association President Julio Grondona has denied these reports of Qatar sending $78.4 million to his association. While these reports are merely speculation, there is still a great deal of antipathy toward the selection of Qatar from those countries whose bids were denied.
Selecting England and the United States for the 2018 and 2022 Cups would have been the conservative choice. They are large, guaranteed markets with established infrastructures capable of successfully hosting an event as large as the World Cup. The selection of Russia and Qatar is certainly a risk, but a calculated one on the part of FIFA. Both countries possess the necessary financial resources and are emerging markets.
Although the World Cup is still 12 years away from coming to Qatar, the excitement in the Arab world is palpable. The Qatar World Cup may not be the financial boon it would have been in the United States or Australia, but it has unique promise and is a step in the right direction.
