Facts : 1 2022 FIFA World Cup On 2 December 2010, Qatar won their bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup Facts : 2 Beating rival bids from Australia, the USA, South Korea, and Japan, FIFA stated that the Qatari bid ran on a platform of bringing the World Cup to the only part of the world previously excluded from hosting it, donating parts of stadia to under-developed countries in Africa and Asia after the competition finishes, and giving fans the opportunity to watch multiple matches in one day and reduce travel expenses by being the most compact tournament to date Facts : 3 The local organising committee, the Supreme Committee for Development and Legacy, is planning to build nine new stadiums and expand three existing stadiums for this event Facts : 4 The first stadium to be completed will be the Khalifa International Stadium, due in 2016 Facts : 5 Qatar s winning bid for the 2022 World Cup was greeted enthusiastically in the Arab world as it was the first time a country in the Middle East or North Africa had been selected to host the tournament Facts : 6 Official Qatari sources have estimated that the country will spend $ 120 138 billion USD, which will include new motorways, a new deep water port, a metro system as well as nine stadia and an extensive fan zone Facts : 7 A flier in Doha promoting the 2022 World Cup As of summer 2015, major contracts have been awarded to a number of international companies, including Foster and Partners, WS Atkins, Arup Associates, and Pascall+Watson Facts : 8 In addition to the awarding of contracts to international companies, the Supreme Committee announced its intention to support entrepreneurs and SMEs in the region through the Challenge 22 competition Facts : 9 Held for the first time in June 2015, the competition requires anyone inhabiting a GCC country to submit a business plan Facts : 10 Finalists are invited to Doha for two days of intense coaching, before pitching to judges and winning cash and incubation prizes Facts : 11 To deliver these projects on time the economy and population are expected to double between 2014 and 2022, with the total number of inhabitants due to exceed four million Facts : 12 The need for new housing has given a boost to the construction and real estate sectors, with growth expected to be 9.5 percent according to the Qatar Statistics Authority Facts : 13 Controversies Shortly after the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar, the bid was embroiled in controversy, including allegations of bribery Facts

• published: 13 Dec 2015
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