Qatar expects $17bn in FIFA World Cup revenue

FIFA World Cup Qatar

21 Dec 2022; MEMO: Qatar has estimated that it will make $17 billion in revenue after hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Qatar News Agency (QNA) has reported. With 1.2 million visitors and the sale of three million tickets for matches, the immediate revenue will be linked directly to visitor spending.

No host country has ever taken such a huge income from hosting the tournament. Added to the direct financial revenue from organising the World Cup, estimated at about 8 billion riyals ($2.2bn), is the long-term economic boost from now until 2025 estimated at another 9.9 billion riyals ($2.7bn) along with an increase in tourism revenue.

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The aviation and hospitality sectors are among the biggest beneficiaries from Qatar hosting the prominent sporting event. It is believed that Qatar's economy will grow by 3.4 per cent in 2022 and 2023, thanks to the momentum of the World Cup.

FIFA estimated that about five billion people around the world watched the World Cup matches in total, and it is possible that about 40 million people will seek to visit the country in the future.