France were the defending champions, having defeated Croatia 4–2 in the 2018 final. At an estimated cost of over $220 billion, it is currently the most expensive World Cup ever held; this figure is disputed by Qatari officials, including organising CEO Nasser Al Khater, who said the true cost is $8 billion, and other figures relate to overall infrastructure development since the World Cup was awarded to Qatar in 2010.