The World Cup kicks off in little under two months, but questions over the readiness of fan accommodation coupled with sky-high pricing has left thousands of prospective attendees feeling uneasy about making the trip.
The Gulf nation anticipates some one million football fans, equivalent to roughly 40% of its population, will descend on the capital Doha throughout the one-month tournament; for a nation roughly 4,400 square miles in size with a population of just 2.7million, this has always been an optimistic undertaking.
Nevertheless, Qatari officials insist that brand new infrastructure including stadiums, transport links and thousands of temporary accommodation sites will comfortably be able to house travelling fans, but concerns over the completion of these improvements refuse to budge.
It is thought that by March Qatar only had 30,000 hotel rooms, 80% of which had been secured by FIFA for officials, sponsors and teams. There are just over 20 places available on online accommodation site Booking.com for the first three nights of the tournament, with prices starting at £900 per night and quickly soaring to the other end of the spectrum at £47,000.
While it is normal for hotel prices to spike in the host nation during the World Cup, this is not a feasible for figure for the vast majority.
Shared rooms in empty apartments, villas, fan villages and ‘traditional’ tents in the desert are all being offered to fans, while two cruise ships are being advertised as floating hotels that will be moored at the city’s port. This is likely to only free up another 60-70,000 spaces; a fraction of the expected total.
The fan accommodation for the World Cup in Qatar is giving Fyre Festival vibes:
Left image: Qatar
Right image: Fyre Festival pic.twitter.com/gRVp0tfm4Y— The72 – We Love the #EFL (@_The72) September 21, 2022
One fan from the United States said, “two hundred dollars for those cabins at the fan village… is just too expensive. Airbnb rooms are ridiculously priced too. I am hoping to find some cheaper options once I get there.”
Meanwhile, one England fan who has accommodation for the start of the tournament said, “I’ve just booked a room for the first four nights and I am paying a lot for it. I haven’t found any reasonably priced options, so I am not sure where will I be staying after that.”
Many fans have been forced to look elsewhere for affordable hotels and housing, with Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman all offering cheaper alternatives even with the laborious task of having to fly to attend games.
The most pressing concern however remains the readiness of the temporary accommodation as pictured above, with makeshift tents in the desert and rows of unfinished, unfurnished and uninhabitable ‘luxury’ housing still resembling a building site with two months to go.
Accommodation is a real concern. Fan ‘cabins’ still very much under construction at the site I saw. A vast, soulless complex only half built, with row upon on row of these constructions. Unclear what food facilities. Private contractors building them pic.twitter.com/pyLVgLKsIO
— Ian Herbert (@ianherbs) September 20, 2022
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