Host city for 2022 World Cup final doesn't even exist yet

If you haven’t heard of Lusail, the host city for the Qatar 2022 World Cup final, don’t worry, you’re not the only one.

As CNN reports, it doesn’t even exist yet.

“If you're trying to create the perfect 21st-century city, it helps to start with a blank slate. Even if that slate is a sweltering strip of sand,” the CNN story states.

At the moment, the 28 square miles of waterfront desert along the Persian Gulf is only a mass of construction sites.

It will cost an estimated $45 billion to construct the city and developers hope it will be ready by 2019, three years before the World Cup.

“It will feature an 86,000-seat soccer stadium, surrounded by a moat, that's expected to host the final game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup,” CNN reports.

The city of Lusail is also expected to contain a lagoon, four islands, two marinas, an upscale shopping mall, a hospital, a zoo and two golf courses.

But whether or not Qatar manages to hold onto the tournament is another story.

FIFA is under pressure to move the World Cup from Qatar due to the sweltering summer heat, allegations of bribery and suspicions that slaves from Nepal are being used to construct stadiums.

Then there’s the fact that at least 44 workers have died during the construction process.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter released the following statement in May to hose down criticism:

“We look forward to seeing the implementation of these concrete actions over the next months. We will continue our close cooperation with Qatari authorities as well as dialogue with all key stakeholders.”