FIFA Names Qatar Airways Official Airline Through '22

FIFA named Qatar Airways an official partner and its official airline as part of a sponsorship package lasting until '22. Upcoming events sponsored by Qatar Airways will include this summer's Confederations Cup, the 2018 World Cup, the Club World Cup, the 2019 Women’s World Cup and the 2022 World Cup. Qatar Airways will have extensive marketing and branding rights at the next two World Cups, with an expected audience reach of more than 2 billion people per tournament. The partnership represents one of the biggest sporting sponsorships in the world and the largest in the history of Qatar Airways (FIFA). REUTERS' Cornwell & Homewood reported the state-owned carrier "did not disclose the value of the deal." Rival Middle East carrier Emirates was a FIFA sponsor until '14, when it said that "it would not renew its contract following months of calls for sponsors to respond robustly" to allegations of bribery to secure the 2022 World Cup for Qatar (REUTERS, 5/7).