Eight Beautiful Stadiums Showcased in Qatar Over 28 Days… but Then What?

Qatar has built seven new stadiums and renovated an eighth for a total cost of more than USD 6.5 billion to host this year’s FIFA World Cup. This commentary looks at historical examples of purpose-built stadiums in host cities for various international competitions to examine Qatar’s prospects for stadium utilisation following the tournament.

Key highlights include:
-- A review of the costs associated with Qatar’s preparations to host the World Cup.
-- An overview of the current usage of Spyros Louis Stadium in Athens, Olympic Stadium in Montréal, Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi, and Beijing National Stadium, venues built specifically for international tournaments.
-- Based on the above, an analysis of Qatar’s ability to achieve a meaningful return on its stadium investment post-World Cup.

“We believe that, based on the significant amount of capital to build the stadiums in Qatar, the lack of major professional sporting clubs in the country, the close proximity of the stadiums to each other, the country's small population, and the as-of-yet number of international visitors, Qatar will be challenged to adequately utilise its World Cup stadiums and achieve a meaningful return on investment after the tournament is over”, said Michael Goldberg, Senior Vice President of Sports Finance at DBRS Morningstar.