‘LOVE ISLAND’ BARS17 FOR FANS IN QATAR
Proof that 2022 World Cup is in different league
LUXURY World Cup fan zones have been unveiled and look just like the Love Island set. So hopefully a nice place to see a great match...
…or watch teams getting humped like England were against Hungary this week.
If Harry Kane’s side perform like they did on Tuesday, when they lost 4-0 at Wembley in their worst home defeat in 94 years, the fans will need those big blue and white sun shades to keep their cool.
But the manicured lawns will remind the Welsh support of the green, green grass of home as they watch Gareth Bale’s team, who play England in Group B on November 29.
Around 10,000
England fans are expected to travel to Qatar, while Wales is to receive 2,300 tickets for each of their group games. Some fan village apartments are still available through the Qatar Accommodation Agency, while organisers have also arranged luxury hotels, cruise ships, and glamping options. They promise prices to suit all budgets, from £33-a-night rooms, based on two sharing, to £3,433-a-night for suites in opulent resorts. The new Doha Port will be home to two cruise ships, floating hotels with “4,000 berths”. Fans will need a match ticket before they travel, with 1.5 million expected to descend on a country the size of Yorkshire. A FIFA spokesman said: “This is a peak time for fans planning their Qatar 2022 stay. The second round of Random Selection Draw tickets have been allocated. New fans completed their ticket payment yesterday and will book accommodation soon.”
The England squad is expected to stay at the five-star Souq Al Wakra beach resort. Built in 2015 especially for the World Cup, it is a dry hotel that serves only non-alcoholic drinks.
But their wives and girlfriends will take advantage of the party planned for the tournament, which will include a music festival. Organisers have been in talks with ABBA, Andrea Bocelli, Lady Gaga and Aerosmith to perform. The artists are all with Universal, a FIFA partner.
Qatar is dry to Muslims but nonMuslims can buy alcohol in bars and hotels. Football fans will be safest if they stay in designated fan zones.
More than 1.2 million tickets were requested worldwide in the first 24 hours of the initial sales period.
Ticket holders get a FIFA ID and a Hayya Card, giving a visa to enter Qatar and venues. A Qatar Tourism spokesman said: “Only fans with match tickets will be allowed visas. They will need official fan IDs to get into Qatar. Those who do not have them will not be allowed to travel.” jeremy.armstrong@mirror.co.uk
@jeremyatmirror