Qatar’s $200bn bet on the World Cup

Take 730 delegates from 44 countries, plus another 2,000 or so hangers-on. House them in a remote, dilapidated hotel with holes in the roof and broken furniture. Deliver a train wagon filled with alcohol. Throw in some Russian spies, German prisoners of war, a troupe of bombshell ...  Afficher plus

What is money? And what can a small island in Micronesia teach us about how it works? On Yap, a remote island in the western Pacific, giant calcite “Rai” stones once functioned as currency, where ownership and collective trust — rather than physical possession — defined wealth an ...  Afficher plus

The World Cup, the biggest single sporting event on the planet, began earlier this month. By the time the tournament finishes, half the global population is expected to have watched. 

The 2022 World Cup has also been the focus of over a decade of controversy because of i ...

Allegations that Qatar won its bid to host the 2022 World Cup through bribery have led to calls for the Gulf emirate to be stripped of its right to host the competition - especially after the corruption scandal at football's governing body Fifa erupted last month. Fiona Symon dis ...  Afficher plus

Qatar’s decision to host the World Cup was mired in controversy from the start but ultimately seems to have paid off, bringing the tiny Gulf emirate new friends and winning over old enemies. Gideon talks to Simeon Kerr, the FT’s Gulf correspondent, about what motivates the emi ...

For weeks, much of the globe has been riveted by the highs and lows of the World Cup in Qatar. On Sunday, the soccer tournament culminated in a win for Argentina and its star, Lionel Messi, against France.

Here’s how the thrill of the game eclipsed the tournament’s taint ...