The data behind Qatar’s historically expensive World Cup

The 2022 World Cup opens play today, with the first match between Ecuador and host Qatar, to the joy of football fans all over the world. We [Bloomberg]( Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( The 2022 World Cup opens play today, with the first match between Ecuador and host Qatar, to the joy of football fans all over the world. Well, you know, [except Americans](. (Though recruiting [Jon Hamm]( as Santa to [get us in the mood]( could make me a believer.) More than a million people are expected to converge on Qatar for the next month, watching their teams vie for the sport’s most coveted prize. Qatar, the tiny Middle Eastern nation with oodles of money but very little in the way of football tradition, was granted hosting duties by FIFA more than a decade ago, and it's been a [decision mired in controversy and allegations of corruption]( ever since. As Martin Ivens reminds us, the bureaucrats who run international sporting events like the World Cup “[don’t care about the politics as long as the games run to schedule](. It’s just business.” And what business it’s been, as Lara Williams can attest: All that money, it turns out, has bought [plenty of goodwill from its neighbors](, Bobby Ghosh writes. But as has been pointed out for a long time from anyone paying attention, Qatar isn’t an obvious choice for host. It will be the first Arab nation to host the tournament since its inception in 1930 — and its very appearance in the World Cup was assured simply because, well, it’s the host. God love Wikipedia editors. Wikipedia screenshot as of Friday. Anyway, Qatar hasn’t wasted its opportunity, [splashing out]( on seven new stadiums (and one renovated venue), plus all the infrastructure money can buy ... ... all while exposing the country to its human-rights failings. Around [6,500 migrant workers have perished]( in Qatar while building shiny new superhighways, hotels and venues for the event. The tournament has already given us plenty of losers. One of them? Budweiser, which found out two days ago that [Qatar’s organizers changed their minds and would not allow alcohol sales]( on stadium grounds. Peter Kraemer, AB InBev’s chief supply officer, [previously told Bloomberg]( that Budweiser “expected more beer to be consumed during the tournament than would typically happen during an entire year in the country.” That surely isn’t sitting well with the fans who came to Qatar to watch what is usually a rather beer-friendly sport. But with some of football’s biggest clubs and most devoted fans watching from the UK — and with the event being held later than usual to bypass Qatar’s suffocating summers — [it’s also bad news for pubs and retailers](, Andrea Felsted writes. So why did Qatar, of all places, want to host the World Cup to begin with (other than literally [half the planet’s adults]( tuning in)? “The [globalization of the beautiful game]( keeps gathering momentum,” Adrian Wooldridge says, and he suspects that “billions of people will quickly forget about their worries about human rights as they are caught up in World Cup fever.” If there’s no such thing as bad publicity, then Qatar has an entire month to bask in the glow. More on Football: - [Looking for the World Cup Winner? Don’t Follow the Money]( — Eduardo Porter - [How Liverpool FC Might Merit a $5 Billion Price Tag]( — Chris Hughes - [Liverpool Going on Sale Highlights Soccer’s Financial Fickleness]( — Alex Webb - Twitter Spaces: [The economic aspects of the World Cup]( with Bobby Ghosh, Andrea Felsted and Eduardo Porter More World Cup Data From Bloomberg Opinion Brazil has won the World Cup five times, more than any other team. But France is the defending champion. Can they fend off the favorites? Please, I paid twice as much for my [Taylor Swift tickets](. Notes: To contact the author of this newsletter (looking at you, Santa Hamm), email Brooke Sample at bsample1@bloomberg.net. This is the Theme of the Week edition of Bloomberg Opinion Today, a digest of our top commentary published every Sunday. New subscribers to the newsletter can [sign up here](. Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. [Learn more](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Opinion Today newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( | [Ad Choices]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022