Hosting of major and mega sporting events can bring a number of benefits to a host country, from economic, infrastructural, social and cultural benefits, to sporting participation and the further enhancement of global profile for cities and countries which act as hosts. Whilst some of these benefits are the subject of debate, for example, there are different views on the expected and actual benefits economically and in terms of sporting participation, a number of benefits can accrue to hosts. This case study discusses the types of benefits which can be gained from hosting, the way in which these have been studied by research and the ways in which these can apply to Qatar and the MENA region.