Qatar is eyeing of becoming one of the powerhouse leagues in Asia (or maybe a league that is on-par with European leagues in the future). This is what I foresee why they tried so hard to get the right to host. I'm quite amazed how they were able to manage this World Cup so well without controversies or perhaps they paid to silent the media?
But overall, I'm shocked how the stadiums built in 2010 and 2014 have been a mess because of monthly maintenance cost. USA & Canada have to learn from this.
No the end game is not about football but rebuilding their country by doing the necessary infrastructure. The Arab countries don't have a future with oil and the only other offering is tourism which is why Dubai is developing. Qatar is not a holiday destination and will not be able to compete with Dubai or other Arabic States unless they relax their laws on dress codes and alcohol. They sent a clear message when they changed their initial World Cup laws 3 days before kick off.