FINALLY, THE FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022 IS HERE! QH TRACKS THE GENESIS OF THE COUNTRY’S GLORIOUS HOUR
Sporting aspiration and desire know no boundaries. Qatar, a country that puts sports as a community developing pillar to help its youth prosper as a nation, has amplified this saying in an amazing manner in the last decade.
From the time Qatar set about becoming the sports hub of the region around two and half decades ago, hosting an event as big and royal as the FIFA World Cup was only a matter of time.
Just two years after hosting the biggest edition of the Asian Games in December 2006 — a two-week spectacle that attracted more than 10,000 athletes and officials to Doha — Qatar announced at a surprise press conference held at the Diplomatic Club in March 2009 that it was joining the bid race to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
It may have come as a shock to the world but for those witnessing the growth of sports events and the presence of global sporting icons in Doha since the early 90s, it was pretty evident Qatar would not stop chasing sporting dreams.
In 2022, more than half of the population of the region will be under 25 and the World Cup here will have a different impact here than anywhere in the world. You can help us realise this elusive dream. You can help the youth of the region accomplish a lot
Once Qatar, home to the world’s largest indoor sports academy, joined in the bid race that also included former World Cup or Olympics hosts Australia, the US, Japan and South Korea, the countdown to FIFA decision date December 1, 2010 gained significance with each passing day following the announcement. The buzz kept on getting bigger as global football icons like French World Cup hero Zinedine Zidane and retired stars like Gabriel Batistuta of Argentina and Cameroon’s Roger Milla created their own ripples in favour of Qatar. Pledging to connect the Middle East with the western world, World Cup hopefuls Qatar also underlined its aim to completely redevelop the country that had already looked the part as a sporting host for the 2006 Asian Games.
The FIFA Inspection Team — headed by Chile Football Federation president Harold Mayne-Nicholls — landed in Qatar in September 2010. Danny Jordaan, who was the chief executive of the organising committee for the FIFA World Cup held in South Africa, was also part of the FIFA Inspection Team that was promised Qatar would host the most compact edition of the World Cup with all match venues fitted in with a state-of-the-art cooling technology.
Come December 1, 2010, and Qatar showcased its bid file in emphatic fashion. In an impassioned appeal on behalf of football fans of the region,
Her Highness HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al Missned told FIFA’s Executive Committee that the wait for the World Cup to come to the Middle East must end now. “Members of the Executive Committee, I would like to ask a question: When? When do you think is the right time for the World Cup to come to the Middle East?” HH Sheikha Moza asked FIFA’s elite during Qatar’s 30-minute presentation in Zurich. “You will realise from our bid how important this World Cup is for our region. A World Cup in Qatar will send an important message to the world that after 92 years of waiting, we will finally become a recognised part of the global football family,” HH Sheikha Moza added.
“So, this takes me back to my original question,” HH Sheikha Moza said. “When do you think is the right time for the World Cup to come to the Middle East? That, ladies and gentlemen, time has come. The time is now,” HH Sheikha Moza, dressed in Qatar’s national colour maroon, added in front of an audience that included FIFA President, former US president Bill Clinton and Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman.
“Based on my feelings not just as a mother of my own children but as a mother for an entire generation of youth across the Middle East, for us football isn’t just a game. It is a sport for our time, anytime. In 2022, more than half of the population of the region will be under 25 and the World Cup here will have a different impact here than anywhere in the world. You can help us realise this elusive dream. You can help the youth of the region accomplish a lot,” she said.
The very next day — December 2, 2010 — Qatar upstaged rivals US, Korea, Japan and Australia and won the rights to host the region’s first FIFA World Cup. Led by its dynamic and charismatic young chairman HE Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar won 14 votes against 8 won by the United States for an absolute majority in the final round of the historic FIFA voting that took place in Zurich. Fighting back tears of joy, Sheikh Mohammed said in Zurich: “I take this opportunity to say thank you to the football body for believing in change, believing in us. I assure you that the Middle East will make you proud. Qatar will make FIFA proud in 2022. I can assure you we will host the best-ever World Cup.”
Without wasting time, Qatar got down to redeveloping the entire country by unveiling the new Hamad International Airport, linking every street and city with new roadworks, laying a brand new metro network and building from scratch seven new stadiums including the iconic Lusail Stadium — with a capacity of 80,000 seats — that will host the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Qatar’s National Day falling on December 18, 2022.
I take this opportunity to say thank you to the football body for believing in change, believing in us. I assure you that the Middle East will make you proud. Qatar will make FIFA proud in 2022. I can assure you we will host the best-ever World Cup.
HE Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Al Thani
Qatar’s oldest sporting venue built in 1976 — the Khalifa International Stadium also underwent massive renovation which was completed five years ahead of schedule in 2017. Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah was completed and commissioned two years later while the Education City Stadium and Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium were put to match use in 2020.
Soon afterwards Stadium 974, Al Thumama Stadium and Al Bayt Stadium — which will host the Opening Match with a capacity of 60,000 seats — were all used for matches of the FIFA Arab Cup — a trial event to the main showpiece that was held in December 2021.
Except for Lusail Stadium and the Khalifa International Stadium, all other venues will have their 40,000-capacity cut to half after the event with removable chairs shipped to developing countries.
More than 130,000 hotel rooms have been made available for the visiting fans from around the world. Organisers have guaranteed that an additional 70,000 room nights have been made available through the Qatar Accommodation Agency portal. Cruise ships have been commissioned for guests to lounge in luxury stays during the 30-day football festival while neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman are also running campaigns to host 2022 FIFA World Cup fans.
Qatar Airways — which currently flies to more than 150 destinations worldwide — connects with the world through its Doha hub, Hamad International Airport that has been welcoming fans and guests every hour since the last many months.
With demand soaring, Qatar Airways has ramped up all-inclusive travel packages for fans to secure their place in world football’s biggest event, the airlines announced three months ago. These packages include match tickets, return flights and accommodation, allowing passionate football fans across the world to follow their favourite team at qatarairways.com/FIFA2022.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, HE Akbar Al Baker, said: “Our latest commercial expresses our anticipation and excitement for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and captures our own enthusiasm about sports. We are fully geared up to fly in global fans to witness the greatest sporting show on Earth. Whether through travel, sport, music or innovation, we are dedicated to connecting fans and uniting the world in Qatar for what will be a truly unforgettable experience.”
Whether defending champions France can repeat their FIFA World Cup winning feat in Russia 2018 in Qatar remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Qatar has splurged more than $200 billion in putting things together for the greatest sports show on earth!
