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The expensively assembled Qatari football team has performed less well than desired on the pitch, losing their three Fifa World Cup games and finishing bottom of their group. But for the Qatari authorities, the sport itself was always a secondary consideration. Hosting the tournament has given the country a convening power, drawing in heads of state and senior government figures from around the world (and not just from the countries competing at the tournament).

The United States has approved a request from Doha to buy a $1bn anti-drone system. The approval, announced on 29 November by the US State Department, covers ten anti-drone systems from defence companies Raytheon and Northrop Grumman, including 200 Coyote Block 2 interceptors, launch systems, radars, and other related equipment.

QatarEnergy signed a 27-year deal with China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) to supply of 4m t/yr of liquified natural gas (LNG) to China. The agreement is the first long-term deal from Qatar’s North Field East (NFE) expansion project, which is expected to come online in 2026.

Qatari foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani hosted United States secretary of state Antony Blinken for the fifth round of the US-Qatar Strategic Dialogue on 22 November, just as the football Fifa World Cup was getting under way. On the agenda were the Iran nuclear deal, instability in Iraq, Lebanon, Libya and Palestine, and food and fuel security issues.

Father Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani of Qatar inaugurated the Aisha Bint Hamad Al-Attiyah Hospital in Tinbak, north of Doha.

According to the original winning bid for the 2022 World Cup, the Doha metropolitan area was expected to host ten of the planned 12 stadiums that would be used in the tournament. Doha is now a much larger, more cosmopolitan entity than it was 12 years ago – which was one of Qatar’s main aims in launching its controversial bid – but the number of stadia was subsequently scaled down to eight.

Doha has struggled to deal with criticism from global media and former Fifa insiders as it prepares for the start of the 2022 World Cup. Its insistence that “everyone is welcome” will be tested in the coming weeks, but GSN’s research shows that one group has already done very well from the event, with Qatar’s big business families – including the ruling Al-Thanis – having secured major construction contracts.

GSN Risk Grade: B↑1 Population boom: The population has increased by 25% in little over a year, reaching a record high of 2,985,029 in September, according to the latest figures from the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA). In July 2021, at the lowest point in that year’s summer lull, there were just 2.38m people in the country.

Qatar Foundation chair Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser  Al-Misnad held meetings with visiting dignitaries on the sidelines of the 4-6 October World Innovation Summit for Health (Wish), held in Doha.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Jeddah on 24 September, where he was received at the airport by Mecca region governor Prince Khaled Al-Faisal and finance minister Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan. He held talks with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman at Al-Salam Palace before flying out later that day to the UAE, where the most important elements of his weekend tour were finalised.

A case in the High Court in London between Qatari Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al-Thani and renowned dealer John Eskenazi was set to resume in early October, in a dispute over alleged fake art works. Sheikh Hamad is demanding a refund for seven works of art, for which he had paid a total of £4.5m ($5m).

Senior Gulf figures travelled to Tokyo for the state funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on 27 September. Abe was murdered on 8 July, while campaigning in the country’s general election.

Sheikh Abdelaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani has been named chairman of the Al-Quds Fund and Endowment’s board of trustees, replacing Saudi Prince Turki Al-Faisal, who has been named honorary chairman of the fund.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani attended a reception ceremony for the Al-Zubarah corvette and the Musherib offshore patrol vessel at Umm Al-Houl naval base on 12 September. Both vessels are due to enter service with the Emiri Naval Forces before the start of the Fifa World Cup in November.

Cristian Tudor has taken up the post of head of the newly-opened European Union delegation to Qatar, as of 1 September. Tudor was previously head of the EU delegation to Kuwait and has also served as Romania’s ambassador to Qatar.