FIFA President Says Option Exists for Hosting Some World Cup Games Outside Qatar

DOHA (Sputnik) - Gianni Infantino, the head of the world football’s governing body FIFA, said Thursday that some 2022 World Cup games could be placed outside bid winner Qatar.

"Is it feasible to do it only in Qatar? Difficult, probably. Is it feasible to have a few games being played in neighbouring countries? Well, maybe this is an option," he told reporters.

Infantino said he was "not naive" not to know what was going on, referring to the 2017 decision by Saudi Arabia and its allies to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar.

But he assured reporters he would not be bound by any political considerations, adding "we are in football, we are not in politics."

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He also said he did not see any impact of Qatar’s blockade by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates on its preparations for the games.

Qatar won the bid to host the World Cup in 2010 when there were only 32 football teams vying to participate. FIFA is now considering increasing that number to 48 teams.