December 2, 2010, Zurich. What has been whispered about for the past few months is becoming a reality. Then-Fifa President Sepp Blatter takes the podium and, after announcing that Russia will host the 2018 FIFA World Cup, opens the second envelope with Qatar’s name written on it. The Middle East emirate, which is in a fighting position, remains behind in the PC vote. 2022, the United States, Australia, South Korea and Japan, becoming the smallest country in the world to undertake such a complex undertaking.

The assignment of the World Cup to Qatar, and indeed 12 years before the cross, in itself raises many questions. The investigation by the Swiss authorities was not long in coming, embarrassing both Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, who, from their UEFA presidency, inexplicably spoke in favor of hosting the World Cup in the emirate. However… the oil has already entered the groove. “FIFA will not regret it,” the emir said that night in Zurich. However, no one has a finger on the pulse of the 32 teams and hundreds of thousands of fans who will travel to the Persian Gulf in about three months.

Since then, Qatar has been constantly in the spotlight. More than 6,500 workers have died on projects since 2010, according to a Guardian investigation, and Amnesty International recently reported that many of them have been working for years without a day off. But the time has almost come. On November 21st at 12 noon, Senegal and the Netherlands will line up at the Al-Tuma Stadium in Doha and all the answers will begin to line up. You can spend P.K. in winter? Does Qatar have the infrastructure to host sports fans from all over the world? Will religious restrictions affect the event? Recently, FIFA issued a code of conduct for fans, which mainly deals with clothing and drinking, and Qatar, for its part, asked that the use of the veil be respected.

Restrictions on religious grounds, decision on infrastructure and climatic conditions.

The Arabs had many problems to deal with. The first concerned climatic conditions, since it would be impossible to race at such high temperatures in the summer. The first World Cup in the winter and the problem was solved. Affordable housing for fans was another issue, as hotel rooms in the emirate of 2.6 million are not only limited but also very expensive. According to the organizer, the vast desert will be the solution here. About 1,000 prefabricated wards are expected to be installed to cover a shortfall of 100,000 beds. Hotels and fan villages may not meet all the needs of the estimated 1 million fans as organizers look for other solutions, such as chartering cruise ships and encouraging locals to rent out their homes to foreign guests. As for the cost? This would never be a problem. Qatar spent $138 billion on infrastructure projects last year, according to The New York Times.

Advantages

There is, of course, the other side of the coin, since compared to other countries that hosted the World Cup, Qatar has an important advantage: there are no long distances. For example, in the United States in 1994, in Brazil in 2014 and in Russia in 2018, players spent more time on planes than in stadiums. In Qatar, with an area of ​​11,627 sq. km, sports facilities are located no more than an hour apart, which gives fans the opportunity to watch more games. It is characteristic that four of the eight stadiums are located in Doha, and the remaining four are located at a distance of several kilometers from the capital. In addition, the players in November and December are in better shape and not … burned by sunny days after another grueling season.

It’s been 12 years and the moment of truth for Qatar is drawing near. It seems that this World Cup is destined to be different – in almost everything – from the previous 21.