Qatar Got the World Cup It Wanted

In the end, after a tournament shadowed by controversy since the host rights were awarded, Qatar had the turn in the global spotlight it sought.

Lionel Messi received the Golden Ball as the World Cup’s best player from Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.Credit...Franck Fife/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesDOHA, Qatar — In the end, Qatar got what it wanted.

The tiny desert state, a thumb-shaped peninsula, craved nothing more than to be better known, to be a player on the world stage, when in 2009 it launched what seemed like an improbable bid to stage the men’s soccer World Cup, the most popular sporting event on earth. Hosting the tournament has cost more than anyone could have…