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Cheap transport, scarce accommodation and potential boycotts: What travelling fans can expect at the World Cup in Qatar

A year from today the world’s gaze will be on the World Cup final at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar.

Two teams will be left standing as a tournament like no other – mired in controversy and funded by the vast wealth of its hosts – crowns its winner.

For Qatar it will be the moment they have spent a decade building towards. A first World Cup held in the Arab world will provide, according to tournament organisers, a “profound legacy” for the tiny Gulf state and see over 1 million people visit to watch its 64 games.

The critics – and there are plenty of them – maintain Qatar do not deserve the honour of hosting a World Cup. There was, they argue, corruption in the selection process that first saw Qatar awarded the tournament in 2010 and no amount of scrutiny has sufficiently improved a dismal human rights record.

Opposition views are entrenched but the countdown to the 2022 World Cup goes on.

The 2021 Arab Cup has served as a dress rehearsal and will reach its finale when Tunisia face Algeria on Saturday. Qatar, beaten in the semi-finals by Algeria in extra time, also have a third-place play-off against Egypt on their National Day.

World Cup organisers believe the last few weeks have proved Qatar is almost ready for its moment in the spotlight, but what experience can supporters expect if they want to be part of it?The moral maze

The first question facing any supporter planning to head to Qatar is a moral one: Are the persistent human rights criticisms of the host nation enough to prevent you from travelling?

Qatar might be trying to project a new image to the world but, inside its final year of preparations, the shadows remain.

The human cost of staging this World Cup finals has been stark, with the lives of migrant workers lost in extreme heat.

Amnesty International, who have called this a “World Cup of Shame”, also allege there have been cases of forced labour and exploitation.

Qatar point towards the “significant progress” made while under the scrutiny of a watching world but an alarming human rights record was brought back into focus this week with the controversial jailing of Abdullah Ibhais.

The former Qatar World Cup media manager, who was critical of the hosts’ treatment of a migrant workers’ strike, was sentenced to three years in jail after losing an appeal against fraud charges. “This case goes to the heart of the serious issues with Qatar’s World Cup,” said Nicholas McGeehan, co-director of FairSquare, a human rights campaign group.

And then there is the unavoidable fact this will be a World Cup played in a country where homosexuality is illegal. Nasser Al Khater, the chief executive of Qatar 2022, recently insisted that “everybody is welcome” and “everybody will feel safe” but Josh Cavallo, the only current openly gay player in men’s top-flight football has said he would be “scared” to play in Qatar.

There will be plenty willing to accept Qatar’s cultural differences – and abundant human rights mistakes – in order to back their side at a major tournament, but others see it is an unpalatable option.

“There is a lot of discussions going on with our supporters groups and the question is whether this should be treated as a normal tournament, or if this tournament in Qatar should not be normalised” says Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe, an organisation with members across over 50 UEFA nations.

“For most groups it will be down to a personal decision based on two things. One, everyone’s own ethical boundaries and two, the financial possibility to travel to Qatar. We’re entering the stress phase of any tournament and what the organisers can deliver in the coming months will help to make up peoples’ minds.”

Denmark’s leading fan group – Danske Fodbold Fans – has already drawn a clear line in the sand and urged its members to boycott Qatar.

“It’s not easy to turn your back on the sport’s biggest event,” said a statement last month. “But football has been taken hostage by power-hungry authoritarian rulers, greedy rich men, power-hungry and incompetent leaders.

“The only way we can win football back is by saying stop. And a total boycott of the sport’s biggest event would be the best and most effective place to start.”

Norway’s Erling Haaland wears a T-shirt highlighting human rights concerns before a World Cup qualifier (Photo: Getty Images)Tickets and Fan IDs

For all the controversies and misgivings being aired, there are still expected to be over 1 million football fans visiting Qatar across the tournament’s 28 days.

The scramble for tickets will begin imminently with tournament organisers confirming to The Athletic that sales will begin in “early 2022”.

FIFA are yet to make their prices known for the World Cup finals or, if like in Russia, there will be a discounted category available for locals. Tickets for the last World Cup saw a 16 per cent rise on Brazil in 2014.

Hospitality packages, however, are already on sale through FIFA channels. And, as you might have expected, they don’t come cheap.

A “Match Club” ticket (the lowest price package) will set back each fan £716 ($950). Where the games will be held is still unclear but England fans are able to secure seats for all three group games at the princely sum of £2,150 ($2,850).

But the closing stages of the World Cup are when the sums get really eye-watering. A ticket for one semi-final and the final start at £5,050 ($6,700), while access to the Pearl Lounge, complete with a “six-course gastronomic showcase” and an “exceptional commemorative gift” is going to cost you £25,900 ($34,300) for one semi-final and the final.

There is also the option to buy a match suite for all games held at one venue. The Lusail Stadium, where 10 games will be played, including the final, currently has suites available for £1.32 million ($1.76 million).

All fans attending games will be required to obtain a Fan ID along with their tickets to gain entry to grounds. The same system was successfully used in Russia and Qatar have confirmed to The Athletic that Fan IDs will again be in operation. They say benefits will include “easy entry into the country and free transport on match days.”

A Hay’ya (meaning Let’s Go) Card or Fan ID was launched for the Arab Cup, with all international fans not residing in Qatar asked to carry one in order to gain entry to games. Organisers say 200,000 were issued.

That protocol was unexpectedly dropped by The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy after the group phases. “The data and feedback we have gathered will enable us to fully review the entire Fan ID process as we continue preparations for next year’s FIFA World Cup,” said a statement.

The Hay’ya Card process did not go entirely smoothly, though. Long queues were reported when registering and the logistics will require fine-tuning when implemented again for the World Cup.

A Hay’ya Card also entitled people to use the Doha Metro for free during the tournament and buying a match ticket for the Arab Cup was working out cheaper than regular travel for locals on the subway. That loophole was subsequently closed when Fan IDs were dropped.Accommodation headaches

If the beauty of Qatar is that all venues are clustered together, with less than 50 miles between the two furthest away, that is also likely to be a curse when it comes to finding an affordable hotel room.

There is not the permanent infrastructure to house up to 1.5 million football fans in a nation the size of Yorkshire and accommodation is expected to be the biggest headache for those heading to Qatar.

For all the sparkling new hotels that have been built in the last decade, it is expected there will be only 130,000 rooms available to visitors by the time the World Cup kicks off in November. There are not nearly enough hotels to accommodate all fans attending, with Qatar officials having to rely upon private rentals in existing properties.

“The accommodation situation is an issue and a concern,” says Evain. “It is at most tournaments. It’s not unusual for an organiser to make promises when bidding for a tournament and then forgets about it. Then they wake up when it’s too close to the tournament. We’ve seen that many times in the past.

“The situation in Qatar is specific because there are two challenges. The number of beds available and the cost of accommodation. We’re concerned there will be a focus on high-end accommodation. That makes it very expensive if you’re following your team for three or four weeks. Fans may not have the financial means to do this.”

Qatar will be heavily dependent on private accommodation being made available for the tournament. Accor, one of the biggest hotel chains in the world, has agreed to take on the rental of 60,000 units and there will also be a “Host Country Accommodation Portal” launching in the coming weeks to help visiting supporters.

“Qatar is committed to using every available accommodation option in the country in order to deliver a sustainable World Cup and to ensure it can offer fans a range of unique, affordable and innovative options during the tournament,” a statement to The Athletic read.

Two enormous cruise ships, docked in Doha harbour and hired from the company MSC cruises, will also be an option. Together, the floating hotels will offer 4,000 cabins and shuttle fans to and from the mainland. Prices are yet to be made public but all-inclusive deals will not be for the faint of heart. Qatar have ruled out the prospect of having purpose-built compounds outside of urban areas but say “fan villages” remain a possibility.

Cost – as well as availability – has long been a concern on the countdown to the World Cup. Laws were passed in Qatar to curb what hotel operators and private owners could charge, with the caps applying to 80 per cent of rooms in each establishment.

Standard rooms in a five-star resort cannot exceed 2,801 Riyal (£561) per night with a sliding scale down to below three-star rooms costing no more than 296 Riyal (£60). The latter might sound an attractive option for travellers on a budget but finding a two-star room in Qatar, a state where opulence tends to be a badge, is easier said than done.

The other option would be to stay outside of Qatar and commute for games. Dubai, a popular tourist destination, is just over an hour’s flight away from Doha, as is Abu Dhabi. Neither option, though, is famed for its cheap accommodation and additional money would need to be spent on travel in and out of Qatar.

“Dubai has similar prices to Qatar and there’s Saudi Arabia, which certainly has its own challenging human rights environment to travel to,” added Evain. “There seems to be very few options. The situation is still quite confused and the Qatari authorities will have a lot to do to convince people they can travel and find accommodation during the World Cup.”

Cheap hotel rooms will be hard to find in Doha next December (Photo: Getty Images)Transport, alcohol and dress

Like so many things in Qatar, the new subway system was built with the World Cup in mind. Constructed at an estimated cost of £27 billion ($36 billion) and opened in 2019, it is a cheap means of travelling around Doha and the surrounding suburbs. A single journey on Doha Metro is priced at 41p but will be free to ticket-holding fans on matchdays.

Five of the eight stadiums to be used at the World Cup are directly serviced by the Doha Metro but for others, including Al Bayt and Al Thurmama, there will be a reliance on shuttle buses or taxis from central Doha. A taxi to Al Khor, where the Al Bayt Stadium is located, currently costs in the region of £25.

The Arab Cup has exposed some concerns on that front. Qatar’s resounding quarter-final win over the United Arab Emirates last weekend kicked off with empty seats all around the Al Bayt Stadium and only reached its capacity crowd midway through the first half. Travel issues were thought to be part of the issue. “Transport was the problem,” one person in attendance told The Athletic.

The organisers will challenge that view and state travel has never been made easier for a World Cup. Internal flights are not necessary and some venues are as close as four miles apart, enabling fans to watch more than one live game in a day.

Qatar, typically a dry state, is relaxing its rules on alcohol consumption for next year’s finals. The 2019 FIFA Club World Cup trialled fan zones where beer could be enjoyed outside of hotels and they will again be in operation for the World Cup. One pint of beer, at that time, cost in the region of £5. Organisers say the precise alcohol strategy is still being finalised.

Fans will be reminded of their behaviour in a state that frowns upon drunken visitors. Foreign police forces, including those from England, have already visited Qatar on fact-finding missions in the last month and are considered key in relaying messages through fan groups.

Replica football shirts will be welcomed next year but organisers will ask all visitors to be respectful to local cultures. A more conservative attire will be necessary if visiting government buildings and museums.

“It’s a tournament for everyone, a tournament of firsts, and a tournament where everyone will be welcome,” said Fatma Al Nuaimi, spokesperson for the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy.

https://theathletic.com/3022688/2021/12/18/cheap-transport-scarce-accommodation-and-potential-boycotts-what-travelling-fans-can-expect-at-the-world-cup-in-qatar/