Qatar’s US$300bil World Cup headed for an epic comedown

After a month when over 700,000 fans descended on Doha, Qatar will go back to being relatively empty. The fans have already started to return home, and so too will vast numbers of migrant workers. — Reuters

LONDON: When Qatar was drawn out of the envelope as a future host of the World Cup back in 2010, it was doubtful the majority of football fans would have been able to find it on a map.

A dozen years, US$300bil (RM1.3 trillion) and a raft of controversy later, one of the most expensive marketing campaigns in history will culminate with the tiny Gulf state hosting a final on Sunday between Argentina and France that’s expected to be watched by half the planet.