FIFA 2022 World Cup matches – what to expect

Clean, air-conditioned stadiums, Arabic headdresses and a dent in your wallet are among the many things you can expect if you’re attending the FIFA 2022 World Cup matches to be hosted in Qatar from mid-November.

Having been privileged to attend three recent international matches here in Doha to decide the final spots for the world’s biggest sporting contest, outside of the Olympics, I thought it might be helpful to share what you can anticipate as a result of this experience.

So here goes, a South African sports fan perspective of the “practice” matches as an indicator of what awaits you should you be considering whether to attend a match or ten in the first month-long FIFA 2022 World Cup in the Middle East. 

(And, as we move closer to kick-off on 21 November, there will be posts on what to see, do, anticipate and enjoy in this tiny country in the Gulf).

Stadiums that sparkle

Eight stadiums will host the World Cup and they’re all brand, spanking new, bar one which has been refurbished. They’re also in or just outside Doha, which means you can attend matches at different stadiums on the same day.

The designs are mostly spectacular (I have seen most from the outside), but I can only share authentically of Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium where the World Cup qualifying matches were played.

The stadium with its undulating architecture to emulate the desert landscape can host 40 000 fans and is conveniently situated at the end of the “green line” on the Metro (underground light rail system) next to the Mall of Qatar.

Once you’re over the “wow” of the design, there’s the air-conditioning.

Cool vibes

It might be 39C degrees outside, yet in the stadium it’s a cool 20-something. The engineers have cleverly included air-conditioning for the comfort of spectators. The 21C even got a bit chilly!

Good and clean and fresh, tra la la …

I know, I know … I am like a stuck record or an annoying advertising jingle for cleaning materials because I cannot stop singing the praises of just how clean everything is in Qatar. Like most other spaces and places in this wealthy country, the stadium is impeccably clean. The wide-open corridors, access areas and toilets areas within the stadium all glisten and shine. Rubbish is quickly removed.

By car, bus or train

Doha is a big city that is criss-crossed by massive highways and byways. Things are generally well signposted, inclusive of all the stadiums. With 2.8 million people living in Qatar, however, traffic volumes can be heavy and if you are unaccustomed to driving on the right-hand side of the road or anticipating the moves of Middle East motorists, you might want to consider the public transport that will free during the tournament.

We used a navigation app to get us to said destination and had to park far from the ground.

The underground Metro is a pleasure to use. Like the city buses, it free with your Hayya card, during the tournament. And you can bet, it will be festive too.

Fan fashion statement

In South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, vuvuzelas and mirror socks flooded our eardrums and festooned our cars. In Doha, if the headdress of visiting fans for the qualifiers is anything to go by, we can expect a new fashion in headgear. Well, that’s my take, anyway.

Fans were embracing the Arabic headdress, the Keffiyeh, as part of their national fan attire.

As an aside,  the official poster for the tournament, designed by Boutanya Al Muftha, depicts the traditional headwear – the Gutra and Egal being thrown in the air in a celebratory manners which is something fans do in Qatar when a goal is scored.  

Dry and safe

Qatar is the safest country in the world according to the Numbeo Crime Index, and Doha is the second safety city in the world. In my limited experience, I can vouch for this, having used the Metro alone at night and ambled through the city centre and popular markets without fear. I still marvel how valuable items are left unattended.

You’ll be dry too. And I’m not just referring to the weather with little chance of it raining here, but to the availability of alcoholic beverages. While alcohol isn’t illegal in Qatar, there is zero tolerance for drinking in public. This may be a challenge for some, but I have to say there’s something to be said about enjoying a top-flight sporting contest devoid of drunken fans or having beer slopped all over you.

Word on the street, however, is that arms will be twisted to accommodate thirsty international football fans.

Smooth processes

Digital rules in Doha. Almost everything is online – from tickets to transport. That’s how we bought our tickets and reached the ground, and how things will run during the tournament with the Hayya card your passport to everything. As a first-world country, everything works, and as a monarchy with strict rules, everyone obeys.

That means wearing masks on public transport and sharing your Etheraz health vaccination app to enter access any public spaces.

Supporting the technology are humans – men and women of every hue guiding you through the Metro, frisking you as you enter the stadium, constantly cleaning the toilets and serving you at the food and beverage stalls.

Money, money, money …

A visit to Qatar is not cheap. It is, after all, a rich man’s world. (In South African Rands it’s ludicrously expensive, but for those who work and earn here, however, it will still bring tears to your eyes.

While the cost of the tickets for the qualifying matches (UAE v Austrialia; Australia v Peru and New Zealand v Costa Rica) were a reasonable QAR30 each (that’s about R132 each), you will have to dig deep for tickets to any of the eight group matches. Tickets are anything range from about R1000 for those who are residents for the initial matches, while a ticket to the final will not cot less that R9260!

To put this all perspective, you will be paying R43 for a 350ml bottle of water and about R65 for the equivalent sized bottle of fizzy cooldrink. I remember baulked at the prices in the stadium in South African in 2010.

While public transport will be free, you can bet to be spending a fair whack on accommodation, eating and drinking and seeing the sites.

I hope you have been saving.      

Helpful staff

The Qataris take their hospitality role seriously so those employed in the service industry generally go above and beyond to make sure guests / paying customers / visitors are kept happy.

More than once, we have had security staff or Metro staff approach us to see if they can help.

There are smiles all round on each of the match days from all staff involved – those directing, those protecting, those driving, and those serving.

Patriotic fans

It goes without saying, that you can anticipate passionate, patriotic fans, along with innumerable neutrals who are there to enjoy top-flight football in a safe, well organised environment. The Peruvian fans in their red and white did not stop dancing to the beat of drums throughout their entire game against Australian. Like the Costa Ricans they flew in on mass to enjoy the qualifying games. It was goose-bump stuff.