Qatar became the second Asian nation after South Korea and Japan in 2002, and the first in the Arab region to host the showpiece. Qatar had earlier created unwelcome history as the first host to lose the opening game of the competition. South Africa in 2010 are the only other host team to have been ousted in the group stage. Unlike Qatar, the South Africans had left their group with a win and a draw from their three games. SportalAccording to estimation, the tiny Gulf nation spent around $220 billion on the first World Cup in the Middle East, making it the most expensive World Cup in history.

Source: Daily Nation November 25, 2022 21:33 UTC