Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Despite all the criticisms for its human rights and the treatment of migrant workers, Qatar is all set to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup later on Sunday. The month-long quadrennial football extravaganze will open when the hosts take on Ecuador at Al Bayt Stadium.
Qatar is the tiniest country ever to host the World Cup. It is also the first World Cup in the Arab world having a population of close to half a billion. Also, it is the first World Cup to be played in the winter season.
The FIFA World Cup is the most-watched sporting event in the world as the matches will be watched or streamed by billions of viewers in more than 200 countries.
All 211 member countries of FIFA were eligible to play qualification matches. These countries played qualification matches organized by six FIFA confederations representing different regions. Of the 32 countries which qualified for the final round, six came from Asia, five from Africa, four from North America, four each from North and South America, and 13 from Europe. None qualified from the Oceania region.
A $229 billion World Cup!
It is the most expensive World Cup ever stage. Conservative sources put Qatar’s total spending to host the World Cup at over $229 billion. It built seven stadiums and a metro line linking all the stations as well as an airport, hospitals, hotels and the list goes on.
The previous hosts, Russia, spent $11.6 billion to host the World Cup in 2018.
Despite such mammoth spending, Qatar is expected to mobilize around $17 billion in revenue, according to Forbes business magazine. FIFA is expected to generate around $7 billion, about $1 billion more compared to the 2018 World CUp.
