2013 was a tough year for the Qatari World Cup committee, negative speculation surrounding the date of the tournament and whether Qatar would continue to be the host continued for months. An investigative piece by The Guardian shedding light on the mistreatment of workers tasked with building the football stadiums also reflected badly on the country. It is up to Al Thawadi to overcome these hurdles and show the world Qatar is capable of hosting the largest sporting event the Middle East has ever seen.