Main content

A $220 billion World Cup?

FIFA football World Cup hosts Qatar have reportedly spent $220 billion on the tournament. More or Less does the maths.

As the FIFA World Cup in Qatar gets underway, and the newly built stadia, lavish hotels and transport networks come to life, More or Less investigates just how much the Gulf nation has spent in the lead-up to the tournament. Reports claim the figure could be as much as $220 billion - that鈥檚 more than Qatar's annual GDP, and more than ten times higher than the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. At an estimated $15 billion, this was previously the most expensive tournament to date. With no access to Qatar鈥檚 accounts, and with very few official figures in circulation, More or Less has recruited some of the world鈥檚 leading experts in sports finance to crunch the numbers and to ask鈥s this really a $220 billion World Cup?

Presenter: Paul Connolly
Producers: Paul Connolly and Jon Bithrey
Editor: Simon Watts
Production Coordinator: Jacqui Johnson
Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar

(Image: Al Wakrah Stadium, the second FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 (TM) venue: The 2022 Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy via Getty Images)

Available now

9 minutes

More episodes

See all episodes from More or Less: Behind the Stats

Podcast