January 19 – Tickets for the Qatar 2022 World Cup have gone on sale, with individual ticket prices ranging from $69 to $1,607 for the showpiece final.
FIFA and local organizers launched the first sales phase today (Wednesday) with the cheapest ticket for a group stage match a third cheaper than at the previous finals at $69. At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, a category three ticket for the group stage cost $105.
Local residents will benefit from the cheapest tickets with category 4 costing as little as $11, the cheapest World Cup ticket since the 1986 World Cup in Mexico which had seats on sale for $3. In Russia, locals could snap up a ticket for $20.
Qatar’s most expensive individual ticket outstrips Russia’s 2018 prices. A ticket for the final in category 1 at the Lusail Stadium on December 18 will cost $1,617, easily eclipsing the $1100 for the same ticket in Russia.
The current sales phase will run through to February 8 but will not serve fans on a first-come, first-serve basis. Instead, a random draw will decide the successful applicants. Fans also have the option to apply for team-specific and venue-specific matches.
With Qatar being the smallest host nation ever for a World Cup, organisers have promised that fans will be able to watch two matches a day.
The capital Doha is home to the majority of the eight venues that will be used during the 32-team tournament. So far, 13 countries, including the hosts and powerhouses Brazil and Germany, have qualified for the competition.
From March, fans can book accommodation via a dedicated website (https://book.qatar2022.qa), but concerns remain over how Qatar will house more than a million visitors during the global finals.
The AP reported that just 90,000 hotel rooms will be available. Organisers are trying to counter the problem by offering villas, apartments as well as cabins at cruise liners.
The tournament’s accommodation agency said that villas and apartments will cost $100 per night, with hotels priced slightly more expensively. Organisers are also negotiating for two major cruise ships that should provide a total of 4,000 beds during the World Cup. Fan villages have also been under consideration as a low-budget option, but it is unclear whether organisers will go ahead with them.
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