Foreign relations of Qatar intention was to help start bilateral negotiations and solve the territorial dispute which had turned violent. Qatar withdrew its 450 troops from the Djibouti-Eritrea border in June 2017 after the two countries severed ties with Qatar. In a controversial bidding process marred by bribery and corruption scandals, Qatar was selected to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Qatar will be the first Middle Eastern country to host the popular international sporting event. Qatar-funded Qatar Airways has gone on an aggressive expansion campaign by competing with nearby Emirates Airline to reach more destinations and serve more passengers. The sixty-sixth session of
Emirates (airline) Formula One official airline sponsor since 2013 season. Emirates is a main sponsor at the Japanese Grand Prix from 2016. Since the 2012 season, Emirates has sponsored the US Open Series, a six-week summer tennis season leading up to the US Open. Its sponsorship runs until 2019. Emirates also sponsors Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League, and FC Dallas in Major League Soccer. Since the 2016 season, Emirates is the official airline of the Los Angeles Dodgers of MLB. Since 2017 Emirates is the sponsor of the UAE Team Emirates -former Team Lampre-Mérida- which is a UCI World