In 2022, Qatar will become the first Middle Eastern nation to host the FIFA World Cup. Smallest country ever to host. Qatar is smaller than Connecticut. The nation has never qualified for a World Cup. 2022 will be Qatar's first World Cup, as an automatic qualifier.
"Oil and natural gas won today. This was not about merit, this was about money."
- Former U.S. Men's National Team star, Eric Wynalda
Qatar will budget $50 billion for infrastructure upgrades and an additional $4 billion on nine new stadiums and renovations to three existing facilities. More intriguing is the advantage of a small nation and locality of its stadiums - all twelve stadiums will be located within thirty minutes of one another.In a video produced by the Wall Street Journal, FIFA President Sepp Blatter, initially mentioning the success the World Cup in the United States and Major League Soccer, emphasizes the problems with American soccer. He includes the lack of all soccer specific stadiums, failure to adopt the international calendar, and inability to attract top talent. Simply put, the MLS "not credible," as American born players leave to play with clubs abroad. Additionally, Blatter has not hidden his distaste for the Major League Soccer's closed league system.
