Qatar expects $9bn in profits from World Cup

The CEO of the Qatar World Cup, Nasser Al-Khater, said he expects to reap profits of up to $9 billion from organising the 2022 World Cup.

During an interview with the Baad Ams (After Yesterday) podcast on Al Jazeera on Tuesday, Al-Khater said that the cost of the World Cup projects and expenses amount to about $8 billion, adding that this is less than previous tournaments held in Brazil and Russia.

He pointed out that the expected financial return on the Qatari economy from the World Cup amounts to $17 billion.

Al-Khater added that there will be revenues during the World Cup and revenues after, including the increase in the number of tourists, which is one of the most important criteria that were set to study the financial return.

He explained that between three and four billion people will watch the tournament from around the world, which enhances Qatar’s chance of becoming a destination for tourists after the tournament, noting that all countries that hosted the previous World Cups benefited from the increase in tourism.

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Al-Khater stressed that the demand for tickets to the World Cup is great, pointing out that 80 million have applied to buy 3.1 million tickets that were released, and only 35 per cent of them remain, some of which will be available for major matches and the final of the tournament.

Fans can obtain tickets during the tournament through the digital tickets application, according to Al-Khater, who expected about one million visitors to visit the country during the tournament, noting that ticket prices are cheaper than the World Cups in Brazil and Russia.

Al-Khater said that various types of housing will be available on the state-supported residence platform starting from $80 per night, in addition to the private sector, which provides housing units at the prices it sets.

Al-Khater also expected the attendance of 12,000 media professionals, technicians and photographers during the tournament, which is being held for the first time in the Middle East, as well as unaccredited media professionals who will cover the events surrounding the World Cup.

He pointed out that Doha has had a security committee preparing for the global event since 2011, drawing on international expertise from countries that participated in previous tournaments, adding: “The people’s safety is a priority for us. We use the expertise of riot police from countries who qualified for the World Cup, because they have experience in dealing with the fans.”

Qatar will host the FIFA World Cup, where 32 teams compete between 20 November and 18 December. It will be the first Arab and Middle Eastern country to host the event.

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