The sidewalks and parks in Doha are empty in June, as residents head to the air-conditioned malls for relief from temperatures that soar to 48 degrees Celsius. Professional footballers from the region flee to the cooler climes of Europe to train.

And anyone looking to cool off with a cold beer in Qatar’s capital has to make do with a handful of pubs hidden in five-star hotels, since drinking alcohol anywhere else is prohibited in the conservative Muslim country.

Still, Qatar has brushed aside questions about its climate and social constraints to launch an ambitious campaign to host the 2022 World Cup that is also being sought by the United States, Australia, South Korea and Japan.

In some ways, Qatar is the wild card in the competition to win over FIFA’s 24-man executive committee. It’s the smallest nation bidding and the only one that has not hosted either an Olympics or World Cup. At the same time, the Persian Gulf nation of just 1.3 million has the financial muscle to guarantee a successful tournament — it has the world’s second-highest per capita income thanks to its vast oil and gas reserves. [Read More]