FIFA World Cup Scandal Doc for discovery+

Discovery has commissioned for discovery+ The Men Who Sold the World Cup, a two-part documentary about a bidding scandal involving football’s biggest competition.

From Daniel DiMauro and Morgan Pehme (Get Me Roger Stone, The Swamp) and made in partnership with Story Films and Calliope Pictures, The Men Who Sold the World Cup will premiere exclusively on discovery+ in the U.S. on October 17, and in the U.K. on October 21.

The documentary features exclusive interviews from those right at the heart of the story of the 2022 World Cup being awarded to Qatar. It reveals the truth behind how the world’s biggest sporting event was sold by some of international football’s most senior officials and how they were eventually evicted from their seats of power and luxury lifestyles.

Viewers are taken inside FIFA during the era of Sepp Blatter, the infamous ex-president who presided over world football for decades, when normal rules didn’t apply and bribery and embezzlement were part of the business. U.S. soccer’s Chuck Blazer and Qatari dealmaker Mohamed Bin Hammam are featured, and contributors include a whistleblower from the Qatari bid team, Blatter’s former press chief, Jurgen Klinsmann, Landon Donovan and Blatter himself.

Simon Downing, head of factual and sports for the U.K. at Discovery, said: “The Men Who Sold the World Cup is a highly gripping series that provides a yet untold insight into one of the biggest sports scandals in history. We’re extremely proud to be able to tell this story exclusively on our streaming service, discovery+. The series is a great addition to our discovery+ original sports content, including highly successful titles like Reaching The Sky and What Killed Maradona?”