They said it would be an opportunity for the region to come together in sport.

Little can it have imagined that eight years later it might be asked to share the hosting of the event, potentially with its enemies.

The fact is that the controversial awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar has only sown division across the Middle East as the country’s enemies sought to have the prestigious event removed from their rival.

It’s a sad fact that while the Arab people might have welcomed the World Cup coming to their corner of the globe, the response of other governments in the region has been one of petty jealousy.

For them any loosening of Qatar’s grip on the World Cup trophy is something to celebrate.

It is for this reason that Qatar is likely to resist any moves by Fifa to strongarm it into agreeing something it does not want. The bid was for a 32-team tournament and you can’t just tag on another 16 teams – and four stadiums – when you’re two-thirds of the way down the road.

At the moment this is merely a request by the South American soccer confederation, Conmebol, so they can increase their representation at the tournament by one.

But Fifa boss Gianni Infantino is going along with the plan because it will bring an extra billion dollars into the organisation’s coffers, and help his re-election next year when he needs the votes of the federations.

If Qatar does manage to head off the plan, the new super-size World Cup will be a reality in 2026 because a 48-team tournament is part of the bid. 

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