Saudi Blockade Leaves Qatar's $200 Billion in World Cup Projects in Limbo
- Cuts in ties with Qatar slow construction, energy supplies
- Isolation by sea, land, air may boost volumes at Oman port
Turkey Sides With Qatar as Gulf Crisis Deepens
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Qatar is spending $500 million a week to bring the world’s biggest sporting event to the Arab world for the first time. Its neighbors, the intended spectators, are blocking supplies from cement to door handles that the country needs to pull off the feat.
The road to soccer’s 2022 World Cup has been mired in controversy since Qatar won its bid seven years ago. But the world’s richest nation per capita has soldiered on, committing $200 billion to develop at least eight new stadiums, a $35 billion metro and rail system, and a new city for 200,000 people. It also plans to double the size of its airport to handle as many as 53 million passengers a year.