There was no clarification on how a possible Emirati participation would work given the country currently has no diplomatic ties with Doha
The United Arab Emirates expressed willingness to step in and help host matches during the 2022 FIFA World Cup to be held in neighboring Qatar, according to a senior UAE sporting official.
According to a news report by Doha-based Aljazeera, Aref al-Awani, tournament director for the upcoming Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) Asian Cup in the UAE, stressed that while there had been no formal approach from either FIFA or the Qatar Football Association, the country "would be willing to provide any help needed".
"If FIFA were to propose it, we would certainly look at the economic impact and media opportunities," Awani said.
"It's good to have football in the region... sports for us is to bring everybody together," he added.
FIFA is studying a proposal to expand the 2022 tournament in Qatar from 32 to 48 teams - an increase which would put extreme pressure on the Gulf state.
Qatar announced earlier this year that 90 percent of the tournament's infrastructure would be in place by 2019, but four more stadiums would be required if the 48-team format is adopted.
There was no clarification on how a possible Emirati participation would work given the country currently has no diplomatic ties with Doha.
The UAE alongside Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt imposed a blockade on the Gulf state, severing diplomatic and trade ties on June 5, 2017.
The quartet accuses Qatar of "supporting terrorism" and being too close to regional rival, Iran, charges that Qatar has repeatedly rejected as baseless.
