A 52-per-cent growth ($14 billion) would be seen by 2022, with a further 46-per-cent increase ($10 billion) 20 years later.
“The passion for football in the Middle East and the enthusiastic support for Qatar’s Bid to host the FIFA World Cup in the region for the first time is evident wherever one travels in the Middle East,” said Grant Thornton director Grant Salter.
“Grant Thornton’s report helps to quantify the significant commercial and football development opportunities for FIFA and football if the Middle East has the historic opportunity to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022,” added Qatar 2022 CEO Hassan Al Thawadi.
Attendances across the region would be expected to increase by 13.4 per cent in 2022 (excluding World Cup games), an additional 4.2 million spectators.
Qatar’s central location would allow 82 per cent of the world’s time zones to watch World Cup games at prime time, with a potential match day peak audience of 3.2 billion viewers.
