Qatar residents will be able to rent homes for the World Cup | News World Cup Qatar 2022

Organizers make the announcement as concerns over the lack of accommodation for traveling fans continue to grow less than 80 days before the tournament.

Residents of Qatar will be able to rent out their homes and rooms to make it easier for World Cup supporters to ease accommodation issues for the soccer tournament, which kicks off on November 20.

Until now, World Cup ticket holders could only book accommodation through the official Qatar Accommodation Agency (QAA), with options including but not limited to hotels, fan villages, official camps in the desert, two cruise ships, villas and apartments.

Speaking on Thursday at Lusail Stadium, the venue for the World Cup final on December 18, World Cup Special Committee chief executive Yasir al Jamal said ticket holders will be able to apply their fan ID or their Hayya card using a reservation that is from a third-party source and does not necessarily require a reservation with the QAA or providing details of friends and families who live in the country.

“We did this to allow more people to apply for Hayya cards,” Jamal said. “In addition to this, we are also committed to ensuring appropriate and affordable pricing for fans starting at $80 which may change depending on the demand we see from fans.”

Qatar hopes to attract more than one million visitors during the World Cup.

Given the expected influx of fans and tourists, there are fears that Qatar may not be able to provide enough accommodation for visitors, especially those without tickets who want to experience the Cup. of the world and the culture of the country in various areas away from the stadiums, including public places. zones and fan zones.

Residents have also complained about being evicted from their residences, with owners saying the move was to make room for visiting fans during the tournament.

An official from the Supreme Committee (SC), the host organizers, confirmed to Al Jazeera earlier this year that the organizers have block-booked 80% of the hotels and accommodation options across the country that will be available to cardholders. tickets.

According to Omar al-Jaber, executive director of accommodation at the SC, “the two cruise ships will have more than 4,000 rooms. There will be fan villages in four different locations. Accommodation options will also be available in holiday homes and visitors will have the opportunity to stay with friends and family”.

Last month, the SC announced that ‘Caravans Village’ would also be ready to offer additional accommodation options.

Earlier this year, Al Jazeera reported that visitors arriving in Qatar without match tickets might not be able to find accommodation.

In an email sent to Al Jazeera, the organizers had said that “with up to 130,000 rooms for the one million fans expected over the course of the tournament, there is no concern over a lack of accommodation”. .

On Thursday, Qatar 2022 CEO Nasser al-Khater said around 2.5 million tickets out of the three million allocated for the World Cup had already been sold.

Besides Qatar, the United States, Argentina, Mexico and Saudi Arabia were among the top countries where tickets for the tournament were purchased, he said.

Comments are closed.