I’m sure you’re not familiar with Qatar unless you’ve been staring at your globe with a microscope in your spare time. It’s a little peninsula of land extended into the Persian Gulf that FIFA believed would be best suited to host the World Cup.

Last year, 3.18 million people attended the World Cup in South Africa. Qatar’s population is approximately 1.6 million. How could such a small country beat out the United States as a “better” country to host the World Cup?

Oh yeah, I forgot, Qatar reportedly has 14 percent of the world’s natural gas and the second highest GDP per capita. It has too much money and not enough people: every economist’s dream. Prior to the discovery of oil, Qatar’s economy relied on fishing and pearl hunting.

Overall, it’s not a bad turn around. The average high temperature in July is 115 degrees Fahrenheit. I hope coach doesn’t forget the Gatorade at customs.

While most of this is bad news because the United States won’t host the World Cup for at least 10 years, I think this Qatar place could end up being the new spot. Think about it: All the Arab nations are loaded from selling oil, but they know they cannot rely on this natural resource forever. The obvious thing for any country to do with billions of extra dollars is to turn itself into the craziest, most insane party location in the world.

Neighboring Arab country, Dubai, is doing the same thing. It’s building islands in the ocean. It’s dumping sand into the sea to create money from the sale of that sand. I’m pretty sure that was my idea in like fourth grade. It’s accomplishing feats of architecture the world never knew possible, and all in the spirit of making its country a desirable place to visit.

Qatar has 10 years to make its little country look like Las Vegas, or what Las Vegas would look like if it were sitting on 14 percent of the world’s natural gas.

All I’m saying is start saving up now, because you don’t want to be the one left out of all the crazy stories and cool inside jokes when your best friends get back from S.W.A.T’s “Spring Break Qatar 2022.” That’s a regret no man wants to live with.

I think the Arab nations finally get it. They might not have the same “party” image as, say, Amsterdam, but they finally understand the best thing to do with money is have a good time. It’s the Arab nations’ way of saying, “Hey, I know it’s hot as hell over here, but we’re ready to party.”

-Matt Powers is a marketing junior.

-This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec.