Qatar Faces Embargo before the World Cup

A feasibility study is usually done by FIFA when it considers the bids that different countries place for hosting the World Cup. In this study for Qatar, the hosting nation for World Cup 2022, it was found that, of the five countries that surround Qatar, three of them would not play co-hosts. These are Bahrain, UAE, and Saudi Arabia. These countries need to be ruled out as co-hosts. This leaves only Kuwait and Oman with whom Qatar can share the matches. However, these countries might not want to participate in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are antagonized by their actions. After all, they are bigger brothers to these nations and they are all part of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The final decision would be taken by the FIFA Congress in June when they meet for the Paris convention. The three countries who have turned foes for Qatar have engaged themselves in legal and diplomatic battles that are acrimonious. Qatar has been spending a lot of resources and time to gain global opinions. Countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia are also impacted by this but they have larger economies of scale to their advantage. Qatar is a speck on the global map. The embargo was put on June 2017, mainly because it has been sponsoring terrorist individuals and groups. For such reasons, the country is being isolated in this region. Qatar is, however, trying to show its bravery and ensuring that the World Cup event would not be harmed. They are working on infrastructure and other preparations. The country is not sparing money and effort for building hotels, roads, stadiums and subway systems.

Initially, the event was being showcased as an Arab event but today the brotherhood has evaporated and hence, it would make it difficult for the sports teams of these nations to take part.