Qatar 2022 Organizers Dismiss World Cup Cost Reports

(ATR) Qatar 2022 organizers tell Around the Rings reports suggesting the cost of staging the FIFA World Cup will be in excess of $200 billion are misleading and inaccurate.

German financial analyst Nicola Ritter told an investment summit last week in Munich that $169 billion would be invested in stadiums and facilities throughout Qatar. She claimed another $49 billion would go to transport infrastructure and $44 billion to creating the new city of Lusail, site for the final match.

Nasser Al Khater, director of communications for Qatar 2022, tells ATR a different story. The host country plans to keep within its $4 billion budget to develop the 12 stadia needed to stage FIFA’s showcase tournament, he says, confirming there are no changes to Qatar's bid book plans.

Nine of the 12 are being built from scratch and three existing venues renovated and expanded. All will be air-conditioned to combat the effects of the desert nation's fierce summer heat on players and fans alike.

"A lot of people are confused with the country's development plan [costs]," Al Khater says, adding that additional infrastructure costs – the new city, metro lines and airport – were already part of Qatar's growth strategy.

"These are not projects for the World Cup. They have been in the pipeline and would have gone ahead regardless of whether we won [2022 hosting rights] or not.

"Qatar is in such an early phase of itsdevelopment ... we are able to shape our World Cup plans and stadia development according to infrastructure plans already going ahead."

In the months since Qatar shocked the world to secure 2022 hosting rights in December, its tournament preparations have been taking shape.

For more on these World Cup works as well as the organizing committee's latest appointments, follow ATR sister site World Football INSIDER.

Written by Mark Bisson.