Qatar will be ready to host World Cup 2022 two years ahead of tournament, says Infantino

Budapest, Hungary: FIFA President Gianni Infantino has praised the intensive preparations of Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup to be held for the first time in the Middle East.

Infantino was attending the ceremony of the International Federation of Sports Journalism Awards in Budapest, Hungary, which is being held in partnership with the Qatar Sports Media Committee for the second year in a row.

During an open session moderated by Italian Gianni Merlo, President of International Sports Press Association, Infantino also talked about many important issues related to global football, and the most prominent challenges facing FIFA in the coming years, in order to continue to develop the game and increase investments in it.

When asked about Qatar's preparations to host the World Cup Infantino said that Qatar would be ready two years before hosting the tournament, which is a record time that none of the countries that hosted the World Cup had achieved.

"I am confident that it will be an amazing event, as it will constitute a change in the rules of the game, and the people who will visit Qatar will notice well that we are not biased in granting them the right to host, and everyone's perception of the region and the Arab countries will change.

"We Europeans, for example, sometimes judge some matters before we see them", he added.

The FIFA President said in terms of stadiums, facilities, and infrastructure things are going on as best they are and we expect them to be a very impressive tournament for the Gulf region and all Arab countries without exception.

He also congratulated the Sports Media Committee, and Qatar for its important partnership with the International Sports Press Association, and for sponsoring the annual awards ceremony for the second year in a row.

QNA