Qatar races to ready itself for an unusual World Cup
The stadiums are set, the beds are not, and some locals wonder if this was worth $300bn
THERE is no congestion on the tree-lined, ten-lane motorway out of Doha, the capital. It feels big enough to fit every car in Qatar. As drivers glide north, they pass Lusail stadium, the 80,000-seat bowl that will host the World Cup final in December. It takes just another 20 minutes to reach al-Bayt stadium, where a semi-final will be played. Qatar’s promise to stage a uniquely compact World Cup has been kept: football fans should have no trouble watching more than one match a day.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Not quite over the goal line”
From the November 5th 2022 edition
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