Preparations Of Qatar For The FIFA 2022: What You Need To Know

A country well-renowned for its fine hospitality, Qatar is one of the largest transit gateways for overseas travelers in the world today. It boasts of its rich historical landmarks, unique sites, and a number of activities for travelers on their holidays.

But here's a thing, while the country remains a popular pick amongst travelers today, the 2022 FIFA World Cup is set to be hosted by Qatar. Having won the bid to host the FIFA World Cup in Doha, the country is now preparing for, what promises to be, one of the biggest footballing carnivals on earth.

But is that it? Well, there are multiple question marks on how well the country is prepared or preparing to host the World Cup in 2022. From stadiums and accommodation to flights and alcohol, questions are plenty but answers few.

So, if you're a football fan gearing up to cheer your nation in 2022, we've brought you a detailed take on certain facts and figures around the preparations of Qatar for the FIFA World Cup in Doha.

Facts On How Qatar Is Preparing For 2022 FIFA World Cup

Have a look at the ways in which Qatar is preparing for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Travel to Qatar

This is one of the biggest questions surrounding the World Cup in 2022. Considering the location of Qatar which is central in the world, the number of visitors expected to visit the country for the 2022 FIFA World Cup is over a million, as per the experts. In fact, many believe that the number of visitors may even go higher during the world cup.

Now while that is the case, the biggest question that arises is,

How will the visitors travel to Qatar? Will there be any rushes for the tickets?  

So, in order to tackle the shortage of flights to the country, the Hamad International Airport and Qatar Airways will join hands to bring a staggering 1300 flights each day into the country for the whole one month. The decision has been taken in order to help visitors book a flight to Qatar without much hassle.

In fact, aviation and travel experts around the world believe that the number of flights may even be higher if the number of visitors coming to the country increases.

Suggested Read: Top Places To Visit In Qatar On Your Next Trip

The Question of Commutability

Now here's a thing, commutability is one of the most important factors in determining the number of visitors that arrive for any major event, and in terms of the world cup, well, the question of commutability isn't a big one. Being a small country, the host cities in Qatar are located in close proximity to each other.

In fact, Qatar is an estimated 1478 times smaller than the size of Russia who hosted the last world cup. Hence, commuting from one city to the other shouldn't be a big hassle. The Qatar metro network is expected to ferry around one million visitors during the World Cup in 2022.

The network stretches for a distance of 300 kilometers and has a hundred stations along the way. Every venue of the world cup is connected by a station. Hence, the question of commutability has been solved by Qatar.

Besides, as the experts believe, if the number of visitors expected to commute by metro touches a million, then this will mean that Qatar will have the highest number of visitors for any FIFA World Cup ever, almost thrice the number of visitors as there were in Brazil during the 2014 World Cup.

Here's a take on certain facts that clearly portray how commutable the 2022 FIFA World Cup is set to be.

• The Education City Stadium, which is one of the venues for the World Cup is located a mere 50 minutes from Bahrain through the high-speed rail network.
• The two most remotely located stadiums in Qatar, Al Byat and Al Wakrah are only 90 miles apart.

The Surging Temperatures

Qatar is one of the hottest countries in the world and the temperatures during the summers can surge to distressing heights. In fact, the time of June and July, which is usually the slot for the world cup, sees the temperatures in Qatar go up to over 40 degrees celsius.

Hence, the biggest question that stood in front of Qatar and FIFA for the 2022 FIFA World Cup was the summer of Qatar. But here's a thing, in order to tackle the problem of summers and make the world cup sound feasible in Qatar, FIFA shifted the slot from June and July to November and December, making the 2022 FIFA World Cup the first-ever winter world cup to be held in the Northern Hemisphere.

In other cases, though, the world cup usually takes place in the Southern Hemisphere during June and July as this is the time when the region experiences winter conditions. As for Qatar, the November-December slot isn't a bad option after all and for obvious reasons. The country records temperatures ranging between 20-25 degrees celsius during November and December. Hence, the weather is pleasant enough for visitors.

Besides, speaking of the stadiums that the host nation is building for the FIFA 2022 games, the stadiums will be equipped with air-conditioning facilities giving respite to the visitors from the day temperatures of Qatar. This will be the first time ever when a stadium will be fully air-conditioned. Hence, as far as the question of temperature goes, Qatar more or less has it covered.

Suggested Read: Best Time To Visit Qatar For A Pleasant Vacation

Accommodation in Qatar

Now here's a fact for you, Qatar has an estimated 40,000 options for accommodation, and plans to revamp it to 70,000. However, the demand during the FIFA World Cup may be much higher, even over a million as per the experts.

Hence, accommodation stands as a big hurdle in front of Qatar for the World Cup. The country is working on its infrastructural projects and new hotels are set to come up before the world cup. Besides this, the government in Qatar has signed a deal with cruise liners that can accommodate up to 40,000 visitors during the world cup. However, here's a catch, many Qatari officials believe that cruise ships may be hard to handle.

Likewise, there are multiple reports that suggest the country has contacted the organizers of the popular British music festival, Glastonbury. The idea is to set up tents in the desert that can accommodate the visitors during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Hence, what comes further remains a big question as far as accommodation is concerned.

Suggested Read: Luxury Hotels In Qatar That Offers The Most Exclusive Holiday Experience

Top 8 Stadiums for the World Cup

We spoke about how the stadiums for the FIFA World Cup will be fully air-conditioned. Now let's talk about the seating capacity and the number of games each stadium is set.to host. Qatar is set to host the World Cup in the fewest number of stadiums with only eight venues lined for the whole competition.

This will, in fact, be the first time ever when a major event like the 2022 FIFA World Cup would be held in only eight stadiums. Interestingly though, out of all the eight stadiums lined up, seven will be newly built-in.

As for the seating capacity and matches of each stadium, here's what you need to know about it.

Suggested Read: A Take On The Stadiums Set for The FIFA 2022 World Cup

1. Lusail Stadium:

The Lusail Stadium is probably the biggest stadium for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar with a maximum seating capacity of 86,250. The stadium will host 5 group stage matches, 1 round of 16 tie, 1 quarterfinal game, 1 semifinal, and the final of the competition on 18th December 2022.

Suggested Read: Lusail Stadium Qatar: A Quick Info Before The Final match

2. Al Byat Stadium:

The Al Byat stadium is located in the city of Al-Khor and has a maximum seating capacity of 60,000 set for the world cup. The stadium will host 5 group stage matches including the opener on 21st November 2022, 1 round of 16 match, 1 quarter-final, and 1 semi-final tie.

3. Al Janoub Stadium:

The Al Janoub Stadium also called the Al Wakrah Stadium has a maximum seating capacity of 40,000 and will host the FIFA World Cup 2022 matches including the 5 group matches, and 1 round of 16 match.

4. Al Rayyan Stadium:

One of those stadiums that is still under construction and is set to open in 2021, the Al Rayyan Stadium has a maximum seating capacity of 40,000 and is set to host 5 group stage matches and one round of 16 tie during the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

5. Khalifa International Stadium:

A stadium with probably the second-highest seating capability in terms of the world cup, the Khalifa International Stadium has a maximum seating capacity of 68,030 which has been revamped from its earlier capacity of 50,000. The stadium will be the venue for the third-place tie including 5 group stage matches and 1 round of 16 tie.

6. Education City Stadium:

The education city stadium is located in Doha and has a maximum seating capacity of 40,000 set for the world cup. The stadium will be the venue for 5 group stage matches, 1 round of 16 match, and 1 quarter-final tie during the FIFA World Cup.

7. Ras Abu Aboud Stadium:

Another of those eight venues for the FIFA World Cup 2022, the Ras Abu Aboud Stadium is still under construction and will have a maximum seating capacity of 40,000 for the world cup. The stadium will host 5 group stage matches and 1 round of 16 tie.

8. Al Thumama Stadium:

Last of the venues for the FIFA World Cup, the Al Thumama Stadium will have a maximum seating capacity of 40,000 and will host 5 group stage matches, 1 round of 16 tie, and 1 quarterfinal game during FIFA 2022.

As world football's greatest competition comes to the middle east, Qatar is gearing up with the pace to welcome over a million fans and 32 teams from around the world for a month-long footballing carnival. With infrastructural projects continuing with full toll and stadiums set to be ready by next year, the country is set to meet the deadlines for preparation ahead of the world cup.

As for the matches, FIFA has recently released the FIFA World Cup 2022 schedule for matches and has confirmed that the hospitality tickets would go on sale by the end of 2020 on the official website only while the other tickets would go on sale by early 2021. So, if you haven't planned your trip to Qatar yet, well, what's keeping to waiting?

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