Gulf state Qatar is eyeing hosting a British & Irish Lions match and having a tournament in the HSBC World Sevens Series after successfully hosting the FIFA World Cup, according to a UK report.The Daily Mail reported that Qatar Rugby Federation officials had begun talks with rugby bodies about hosting major international rugby events, which include the World Cup Sevens, which was held in Cape Town in September.READ | Argentina World Cup winners ditch bus for chopper ride over Buenos Aires"Qatar is already due to stage the 2030 Asian Games and there's talk of an Olympic bid in 2036 so we're focusing on growing the Olympic sports," a source told Daily Mail."Rugby Sevens fits with that model and we have the infrastructure to stage global events."A full rugby World Cup would be beyond us, but we could definitely stage a one-off Lions Test and a Sevens tournament.
Sevens only needs one stadium and is completed in three days."Qatar became the first Middle Eastern country to host the FIFA World Cup - won by Lionel Messi's Argentina - and hosted a successful tournament despite the heavy political innuendo around matters such as immigrant worker rights and LGBTQ+ rights.
There was also major controversy regarding FIFA's decision to award Qatar the rights to host the 2022 tournament.South Africa hosted and won the last British & Irish Lions tour last year, while the next event will be held in Australia in 2025.