World Cup projects pick up pace in Doha

For those waiting for the World Cup building boom to begin, there is some good news as work finally starts to filter through. But concerns over payments problems, inflation and labour persist. When Qatar won the right in December 2010 to host the 2022 World Cup, international construction and contracting companies, especially those from depressed western economies, were delighted. Media reports on the coming infrastructure boom salivated over the details – under the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (Fifa) mandate, Qatar must have 60,000 hotel rooms available, costing the government an estimated $12.4bn, and Doha said it would spend $4bn on new stadiums, $35bn on a rail network and $20bn on upgrading or building new roads.