The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), the organisation responsible for delivering the infrastructure required to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup™, yesterday participated in the Qatar-U.S. Economic Forum, which took place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Miami, U.S.A.

Led by the Minister of Economy & Commerce, H.E. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Jassim Bin Mohammed Al-Thani, the Forum sought to inform U.S. business leaders of the myriad commercial opportunities on offer in Qatar's growing, resilient economy. With Qatari-U.S. bilateral trade amounting to over $6bn (QAR 21bn) in 2017, the Forum aimed to build on an already strong economic relationship between the two countries.

The SC's Commercial Assurance Manager, Mohammed Qassem Al-Emadi, spoke on a panel alongside H.E. Abdulrahman Al-Khayareen, CEO of WIDAM Food Company, Mr. Fahad Al-Kuwari, of the Ministry of Energy & Industry, and Mr. Mohammed Al-Malki, Chief Planning & Development Officer at Manateq, to discuss the international business opportunities presented by the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™.

Over the past year alone, the SC has entered commercial agreements worth over $500m (QAR 1.82bn) with U.S. businesses, while the 2022 FIFA World Cup™ in its entirety is expected to create over $10bn (QAR 30.64bn) in investment opportunities for U.S. companies.

H.E. the Minister said: "The U.S.A. is one of Qatar's largest trading partners and, over the last ten years, trade between our two countries has doubled. This Forum between Qatar and the U.S.A. aims to both highlight our economic and cultural partnership and to support further investment and deeper commercial relations.

"Attracting international trade and investment plays a vital part in the development of Qatar's economic policy and we look forward to building on our close relationship with the U.S.A."

Speaking on the panel, Al-Emadi said: "The Qatar World Cup not only represents an enormous economic opportunity for Qatar, but also for Qatar's international trading partners. We are working with businesses from all over the world to prepare for the tournament.

"For example, many of the contracts to build our stadiums sit with international companies, which form Joint Venture partnerships with local companies to build local capacity and create a sustainable economic legacy. Many of our leading commercial partners are from the U.S. and there are a wealth of opportunities remaining for U.S. businesses to seize."

The Qatar-U.S. Economic Forum is the first part of a month-long U.S. roadshow being led by Qatar's Ministry of Economy & Commerce. It aims to highlight Qatar's investment in the U.S. and the strong and deep-rooted relationship between the two countries. The roadshow will visit four cities across the U.S., starting in Miami, Florida, then Washington, D.C., Charleston, South Carolina and Raleigh, North Carolina.