Hefty World Cup Prices Turning Soccer Fans Away

The Football Supporters’ Association has called the 2022 World Cup in Qatar “the most expensive World Cup ever.”

English and Welsh fans would reportedly have to pay at least $5,630 including tickets, flights, and accommodations if the teams make it to the final — and those include the cheapest accommodations with the cheapest tickets.

Nearly 2.9 million tickets have already been sold, but some fans told The Times that despite securing tickets, they are reluctant to attend due to travel expenses and the lack of things to do when matches aren’t taking place.

Qatar’s cruise ships are similarly expensive. The country added a third ship to beef up accommodations two weeks ago — the country only reported 31,123 hotel rooms available earlier this year despite expecting 1.2 million visitors.

• Prices for the ship start at $470 per person per night during the group stage and fall to $220 during the final week.
• Ship-goers will have to stay at least two nights.

Some fans will have to pay to stay in adjacent countries. Qatar Airways and flydubai will reportedly operate around 54 flights per day between Qatar and Dubai, which has 115,000 hotel rooms.

FIFA has also developed an area for approximately 1,000 tents on the outskirts of Doha in the Qatari desert, with some advertised at a little more than $200 per night. 

Country’s Coins

Qatar’s new stadiums have been reported to cost in the range of $6.5 billion–$10 billion, while a metro system that serves five of eight venues cost another $36 billion.

Altogether, the event is expected to cost $220 billion, with Qatar only anticipating $17 billion in economic impact from the tournament.