FIFA Club World Cup set to boost Qatari economy
Local economic outlet Lusail offered an overview of how hosting December's competition is set to boost the domestic economy.
Qatar is set to host the forthcoming FIFA Club World Cup which kicks-off on December 11th with the curtain coming down when the final match is staged in Doha on December 21st with the competition serving as preparatory event for the 2022 World Cup.
The first phase of pre-sale tickets recently concluded with FIFA confirming that 60% of the sales were purchased by local Qataris, 14% were sold to English customers with 4% going to Brazil.
Local economic outlet Lusail offered initial figures that suggest a minimum of $191,000 will be generated through ticket sales alone with a ceiling of $3 million dollars the optimum of revenue that could be generated through match tickets.
11,000 visitors
Early figures suggest that the tournament will attract 11,000 overseas visitors with Qatar Airways bolstering their resources at Doha's Hamad International to cope with increased traffic.
Local hoteliers are planning increased footfall with local tourist attractions such as: Katara's cultural districts, Souk Wakif (the old market), the Qatar National Museum and the Islamic Museum of Art all making contingency plans to deal with the higher number of expected visitors. Many fans are also expected to visit the Aspire Zone with the 250-hectare sporting complex located in Al Waab district of Doha the heart of Qatari sports.
Five of the seven participants are already known with Liverpool (UEFA), Monterrey (CONCACAF), Esperance (CAN), Al Saad (hosts) and Oceania's Hienghène Sport set to be joined by the winners of the 2019 Copa Libertadores (River Plate or Flamengo) and the victors of the AFC Champions League final as Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan face Saudi opponents Al-Hilal.