Why hosting the World Cup can be a bad idea for some countries

Hosting the World Cup draws massive exposure to a host country in terms of tourism, foreign trade, jobs and the potential for new development. But that can come at a huge cost. For the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which runs from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18, the government is shelling out roughly $229 billion, making it the most expensive ever. That total is almost five times the combined amount of $48.63 billion spent on the events that decide national soccer supremacy from 1990 to 2018. World Cups are played once every four years. But there can be significant downsides for the host country. Overspending on infrastructure and ...