For scores of foreign football fans, the road World Cup in Doha Every morning starts at a barren camp in the middle of the desert.
Visitors who book hotels far beyond their budget in central Doha are herded into a remote, dusty tent village in Al Khor, where tents have no locks and no beer on draft.
Others just wanted an adventure. On Wednesday, a DJ blasted electronic dance music around a fire pit as fans sipped beanbags, sipped sodas and giggled at big screens about an hour from Doha.
“I’m here because I couldn’t find it anywhere else,” said Haider Haji, a 27-year-old architectural engineer from Kuwait. Trekking from the tent village to Doha every morning was a pain, she said, but she had no other option. “The hotels were very expensive. It was insane.”
Yet Al Khor Fan Village isn’t cheap. Haji said he is paying $450 a night for his rarefied temporary shelter, which officials advertise as “an ideal destination for a truly pleasant and lavish stay.” The tents are equipped with plumbing and basic furniture. The site has a swimming pool and upscale Arabic restaurant.
From the moment Qatar was nominated to host the World Cup, fears mounted over how the tiny country would find room for the massive influx of 1.2 million fans – the equivalent of almost one-third of the population.
Qatar’s frenetic construction program provided thousands of rooms through new hotels, apartments for rent and even three huge cruise ships. But rising prices have forced many thrifty-wingers to move to remote desert camps and sprawling fan villages on Doha’s outskirts, including a dingy box room near the airport.
In Al Khor Village, many fans complained about isolation and lack of alcohol.
“Honestly, you can find more alcohol in Tehran,” said Parisa, a 42-year-old Iranian oil worker, who declined to give her last name, citing the political situation in Iran. She sat gazing into space in the campsite common area, and said she had little idea how to fill her time. Doha’s luxurious hotel bars were miles away. “We thought they would be more open to foreigners having fun.”
People are pictured at the fan housing in Cabines da Vila dos Faas Free Zone, ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in Doha. Photo Credit: Reuters
Paola Bernal from Tabasco in southern Mexico wasn’t sure what to expect from the first World Cup in the Middle East. But he said he was surprised by how long it took to cross the world’s smallest host country. Buses to and from the campsite are a “mess”, she said, and stop running at 10 p.m., forcing fans to shell out large sums for Uber rides.
“It’s such a long distance, I don’t know how,” she said. Although some stadiums are connected to Doha’s luxurious new metro network, they often require a 2.5 km (1.5 mi) walk from the stations. Other grounds can only be reached by bus, a trek from the stadium gates with some drop-off points – and even further – to desired bars and restaurants.
The arid plains of Al Khor are not a paradise for selfie-takers. But Nathan Thomas, a site designer, said he was delighted with the “authentically Arabian” result. He said the only major concern is security. Not every tent is within sight of a guard post. There are no locks in the tents. Their flaps open easily.
“We keep telling people it’s a safe country, don’t worry,” he said.
From the Free Zone Fan Village, in the desert south of Doha, fans were loading up on massive suitcases of artificial turf under the glare of stadium lights. Manufactured cabins are some of the cheapest accommodations available, starting at around $200 per night. Every few minutes, low-flying aircraft circle the village to the old airport, which has been reopened to handle daily shuttle flights for the tournament. Banners on the trailers urge fans to “cheer up”. Just days before the tournament, social media was flooded with images of toilets that had yet to be installed and wires to connect water and electricity still draped over the dirt.
Cruises are seen ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in Doha, Qatar Photo Credit: Getty Images
Many complained of extremely long wait times to check in. Crowds of guests waiting in line Wednesday night said they couldn’t find their rooms because the reception desk didn’t know who had already checked out. Mouman Alani from Morocco said, “We wanted to be with good vibes, good energy, other people.” “It’s very disorganized.”
One tourist lambasted the site on Twitter as “Fair Festival 2.0”, referring to an infamous music festival billed as a luxury getaway that left fans scrambling for temporary shelters on a darkened beach. left.
“When we went to our room, everything was in disarray,” said Aman Mohammed, 23, of Kolkata, India, in the common area on Wednesday. He said that the day before, he waited for two hours under the scorching sun for a sweeper to come. “It smelled awful, like a bad bathroom. It was pathetic.
But, he insisted, there was no false advertising. The website shows colorful metal boxes side by side in a huge dusty pile. And despite his disappointment, he said, the World Cup was ultimately about football.
“(Cristiano) Ronaldo is playing his last World Cup, I am here just to watch him,” Mohammed said, referring to the superstar who will compete for Portugal in the tournament. “It’s been a dream of mine to be involved since I was a kid.”