Qatar’s FIFA World Cup visitor expectations fall short

Qatar welcomed just over 765,000 visitors during the first two weeks of the FIFA World Cup, a stark contrast to the 1.2 million tourists expected by organisers. According to Reuters, which has seen an organisers’ report, Qatari officials predicted the peak period for international visitors to be between November 24-28 during the group stage. …

Hayya Card holders allowed to watch Qatar match for free

Hayya Card holders were allowed to enter Al Bayt Stadium without tickets for yesterday’s match between FIFA World Cup hosts Qatar and the Netherlands.  Hayya Cards are Fan IDs needed for travelling to Qatar in order to enter the country, stadiums and access free transport.  According to Tariq Panja, a reporter for the New York …

England vs Wales World Cup clash fails to sell out

Today’s (Tuesday’s) match between England and Wales at the World Cup in Qatar has failed to sell out. According to an article from MailOnline, tickets were still available through official channels yesterday. Resale sites have also seen a rise in the number of tickets to see Qatar’s final group match against the Netherlands, after the …

World Cup attendances stand at 94% after first round of group matches

FIFA World Cup attendances for the first round of group stage matches amounted to 94% compared to stadium capacities for the event.  The World Cup in Qatar has also sold over three million tickets, with the highest attendance from the opening round going to the match between Brazil and Serbia at Lusail Stadium (pictured) on …

Qatar removes COVID-19 entry test requirement ahead of World Cup

Qatar has scrapped its negative test entry requirement for visitors ahead of next month’s FIFA World Cup.  The nation’s health ministry said that tourists will no longer have to present a negative COVID-19 test before heading over for the football tournament.  Prior to the announcement Qatar had said that fans attending the World Cup had …

Last minute tickets for Qatar World Cup go on sale

Last minute tickets for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar are now on sale, with less than two months to go until the tournament.  Tickets can be purchased on a first-come, first-served basis with this final sales phase running until the end of the tournament. Initial inventory is expected to sell out quickly, but FIFA …

India’s fans snap up tickets for sporting tournaments

Around 23,500 tickets for this year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar were purchased by fans from India, despite the country not qualifying for the tournament. During the first sales phases, which accounted for 1.8 million tickets, some 23,500 tickets were purchased by fans in India, meaning the country was ranked seventh for ticket sales.  According …

Free concerts at FIFA Fan Festival during Qatar World Cup

World football’s governing body FIFA has revealed that there will be a number of free concerts featuring international stars for its fan festival during this year’s World Cup. The World Cup is taking place in Qatar in November and December and the Al Bidda Park in central Doha is set to host a number of …