In line with the FIFA 2.0 vision and its objective to create an innovative model that streamlines the operational delivery of the FIFA World Cup, the creation of a joint venture that will be responsible for key aspects of the 2022 edition was announced in Doha today (Tuesday 5 February). FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC is a limited liability company incorporated by FIFA, which holds 51% of the shares, and the Qatar 2022 Local Organising Committee, which holds 49%, at the Qatar Financial Centre.

"Today we take a major step in the organisation of the biggest single-sport event in the world," said FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura, who is part of the nine-member management board that met for the first time today.

"Created in accordance with the FIFA President’s vision and together with our Qatari counterparts, the joint venture aims to reorganise the way we work at the operational front and avoid inefficiencies. I am convinced that this new approach to planning, delivery and legacy, always hand in hand with our colleagues based in Qatar, will help to ensure that the World Cup continues to be the most eagerly awaited event by billions of fans worldwide."

The management board is also composed of FIFA’s two Deputy Secretaries General, Zvonimir Boban and Alasdair Bell, FIFA’s Chief Tournaments & Events Officer, Colin Smith, and FIFA’s Chief Legal Officer, Emilio Garcia Silvero, as well as the LLC Chairman, H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi, LLC CEO, Nasser Al-Khater, the QFA Vice President Saoud Al-Mohannadi and the Chairman of the Operational Office and Vice Chairman of the Technical Operational Office of Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), Eng. Yasir Al Jamal.

H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi, said: “The formation of this new joint venture comes at a strategically important time on Qatar’s World Cup project, as we shift our focus from delivering stadiums, training pitches and the transportation required for 2022, to fan and player experience and event operations.

"I am confident that the combination of FIFA’s extensive tournament experience, and our own tactical experience and the nine years’ hard work already invested in the project, will ensure that the first FIFA World Cup in the Arab world is one of the best ever."

Besides Al Thawadi, who is also the Secretary General of the SC, FIFA’s Chief Tournaments & Events Officer Colin Smith has been named as Managing Director of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC. Nasser Al Khater, Chief of Tournament Readiness & Experience Group of the SC, will take up the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) position in the joint venture.

"The continuous growth and complexities of a FIFA World Cup and the need for integrated involvement of all key areas across a host country has made it clear that a more efficient and optimised operational structure is required – this is particularly the case in Qatar, given the unique and compact nature of the tournament in 2022 both in terms of the opportunities and challenges that come along with it," added Colin Smith.

Smith went on to say: "The Qatar-based joint venture that will plan and deliver the next FIFA World Cup will work together with FIFA in Zurich as one team and combine, at all levels, the event experience we have there with invaluable knowledge from our colleagues in Qatar. It is a very important step, which shows how FIFA and the hosts are working together to deliver a successful and memorable event."

Nasser Al Khater added: "Qatar’s World Cup project is entering its final phase and we’re all very pleased to launch this new organisation and collectively develop the best possible operational plans for 2022.

"In less than four years’ time, we will be welcoming the participating teams and over one million fans to Qatar for the world’s biggest single-sporting event. It is the work we do now which will ensure the experience we deliver is unlike anything previously witnessed at a tournament. I look forward to leading this innovative joint venture with FIFA and the work it will be undertaking in the years to come."