Qatar declassified — How a country bought football Documentary • Documentary Watch now: ZDF Mediathek A World Cup in the desert. In winter. Despite all the criticism, how did Qatar manage to pull off the feat of bringing the World Cup 2022 here and keeping it despite all the criticism? Journalist and sports presenter Jochen Breyer will present the World Cup on ZDF. Together with journalist Julia Friedrichs, he has traveled to the country twice, inspected the stadiums and infrastructure, but above all talked to the people there. The team also spent months researching in Germany: What is the attitude of the football community here toward the World Cup in Qatar? What means were used to convince the European football leagues to play the first World Cup in winter – in the middle of the current season? The ZDF presenter meets key figures, including German national player Leon Goretzka, sports officials such as former DFB president Theo Zwanziger, and then-FIFA boss Sepp Blatter. With the help of scenic interludes, staged with Matthias Brandt and Sophie Killer, he takes a giant step closer to finding an answer to the question. Produced for ZDF Directed by Michael Schmitt DoP Mateusz Smolka Written by Jochen Breyer Julia Friedrichs Stills