We are just moments away from the big decision in Surik, Switzerland. The ruling body will announce who will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. What will it mean to the region if the world's greatest sporting event comes to the Middle East for the very first time? It happened in South Africa. You are really trying to curry favour with this group of important people that they may bestow their votes upon you so you create a bid. It is a challenge. It's always a challenge to host a World Cup, but I think that we're definitely up to that challenge.
Soccer is sometimes called “the second religion of the Arab World,” and Qatar is the region’s first country to host the World Cup. But FIFA’s pick of the desert nation comes with boundless controversy.
This episode was produced by Haleema Shah, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Efim Shapiro, and hosted by Noel King.
Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained
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