FIFA World Cup revenue increases by more than €1 billion after hosting tournament in Qatar | World Cup 2022

Fifa has boosted its World Cup revenue by more than $1bn (£840m) after hosting the tournament in Qatar, the governing body has revealed.

Gianni Infantino, the subject of much criticism on Saturday after a provocative opening speech, shared information about record earnings with his national associations on Sunday.

Revenue generated from the four-year cycle of the World Cup in Qatar (2018-2022, including five additional months due to the winter schedule) will reach $7.5 billion, compared to $6.4 billion dollars for the previous cycle in Russia.

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With TV rights deals made a decade ago, the Guardian understands that much of the increase has been created by a recent increase in sponsorship and that there has also been a reduction in costs due to the compact nature of the tournament.

Sponsorship has been boosted by a series of lucrative deals with Qatari companies, including the announcement in March of state oil and gas company QatarEnergy as a tournament partner. Qatar Energy joined state-owned Qatar Airways as a top sponsor, and telecommunications company Ooredoo – 68% state-owned – was named the same month as an “official global connectivity service provider”. Qatari National Bank Group – jointly owned by the state and the Qatari public – is the tournament’s ‘Official Middle East and Africa Supporter’ and ‘Official Bank of Qatar’.

Fifa has made substantial savings by scheduling a tournament essentially in one city. All eight World Cup stadiums are within a 50km radius of Doha, allowing organizers to use a unique set of tournament facilities – including media facilities and hotels – and significantly reduce the travel costs for which Fifa is responsible.

Fifa officials estimate the windfall will generate an additional $700,000 in investment for the game, with $300,000 counted in Covid emergency funding. The next four years will also see an increase in funding for Fifa’s Forward program with $200 million to be spent annually on international talent development, a project overseen by Arsene Wenger. Fifa says more funding will also come with increased scrutiny of spending.

Infantino, the object of mockery after he compared himself to a migrant worker in his World Cup opening speech, has received some support from the Welsh premier, who is in Qatar for the tournament despite home complaints .

Mark Drakeford said while the Fifa president’s speech reminded him of former Chancellor Denis Healy’s First Law of Holes – ‘when you’re in one, stop digging’ – he believed Infantino had made arguments valid arguments about the need for Western countries to face their own history before criticizing the contemporary failures of others.

“Wales is an outward-looking and inclusive nation where people’s rights really matter to us,” Drakeford said. “But it wasn’t always like that. In our own history, we have had times when things we have done, including things we have done in other parts of the world, have not lived up to the beliefs and standards we hold ourselves to. today. So taking a moment to reflect on our own stories is not wasted time.