SPECIAL REPORT: QATAR’S WORLD CUP BOOSTS TOURISM, INVESTMENT, AND INFLUENCE BUT ATTRACTS REPUTATIONAL RISKS

Wed, 14 December 2022

Hosting the FIFA World Cup tournament has been an expensive gamble for Qatar, both in terms of its record USD 220 billion cost and the critical spotlight in which the small Gulf state now finds itself. Fresh flows of tourism, investment, and infrastructure financing have boosted Qatar’s economic outlook well beyond the tournament, while the country has improved its regional influence and foreign relations. Nevertheless, emerging corruption scandals and reputational factors threaten to undermine some of these achievements.