The upcoming World Cup will set a record in football history - Qatar will become the smallest host in the history of the World Cup.
One of the most direct consequences of the "mini" size of the country is that the crowd of people can no longer live here.
Due to the shortage of rooms and soaring prices, accommodation has become a huge expense for fans. Even if resources such as private homestays, board houses, cruise ships, and tents are included, the "cost performance" is still not high.
In desperation, many fans can only live in neighboring countries and wait for the day of the game to fly to watch the game.
Cruise hotel.
There was a huge influx of people and there was not enough room
It is predicted that about 1.2 million fans will flock to Qatar during this year's World Cup, and the total population of Qatar is only about 3 million.
According to statistics, there are only about 31,000 hotel rooms in Qatar, which is already very stretched, and 80% of these hotel rooms have been booked by teams, officials, sponsors and other tournament personnel of various countries.
In order to increase the supply of accommodation, Qatar has used all available resources, such as homestays, apartments, etc. In addition, some "unconventional" accommodation resources are also included in the supply.
Interior view of a cruise ship hotel room.
According to foreign media reports, the port in Doha will moor three cruise ships as "cruise hotels", which can provide about 5,000 rooms. Meanwhile, on the artificial island north of Doha, there are 1,000 modern tents available for fans to stay.
Not far from Doha Airport, 6,000 container-like panel houses have been built for fans. In addition to two beds, the room also has bedside tables, a small table, air conditioning, and a bathroom with shower.
Known as the "Fan Village", it is equipped with subway stations, bus stops, public viewing plazas, temporary restaurants, convenience stores and other facilities to ensure the transportation and life of fans.
Container fan village for the Qatar World Cup.
The accommodation was average but it cost a lot of money
Under various methods, Qatar's temporary reception capacity has been greatly improved, but for a large number of fans, it is still not easy to book a comfortable accommodation.
In the face of huge demand, the price of accommodation in Qatar has also increased quite a bit.
A British fan named Paul Kleger told the BBC that he had difficulty finding "reasonably priced" accommodation.
He said that the reality is that even if you choose to live in a relatively cheap containerized panel house, you have to shell out a lot of banknotes, and the price is about $200-300 a night, which is already "affordable" compared to other places where accommodation is often three or four hundred or even five or six hundred dollars a night.
Fan Village.
However, due to the proximity of the panel room area to the airport, residents have to endure the roar of round-the-clock aircraft. There are also some cheaper panel houses that cost about $120 a night, but the location is more remote.
Annas Ferrari, a fan from the United States, said: "The board room in the fan village costs $200 a night, and the price of booking a homestay on the Internet is also scary. ”
Australian fan Leo Caglirio said he had found accommodation in a local home for $265 a night, which was much more expensive than when he went to see the 2014 World Cup in Brazil: "This time it was really stressful, we started looking for accommodation in April, but the price has never come down." ”
For fans looking to save money, cruise hotels can also be considered — there are rooms for $180 per night, but there are also limited numbers. There is really no way, and sleeping in a room with others is also an option.
Interior view of the container room.
Many fans have no choice but to live in neighboring countries
With high prices and difficulty finding comfortable accommodation, many fans had to take a back seat.
So this World Cup in Qatar has a somewhat magical scene - a large number of fans do not live in Qatar, but in neighboring countries.
In fact, in order to ease the pressure on domestic tourists, Qatar does not object to fans living in other neighboring countries, and has also taken the initiative to provide convenience for them, opening many "ferry flights" that are convenient for fans to go to and from the game.
It is estimated that during the World Cup, there will be more than 500 "ferry flights" per day at Doha International Airport in Qatar, transporting fans living in neighboring countries to and from the match on the same day, which is also convenient enough due to the short distance.
Tent fan village in Qatar.
For example, the UAE city of Dubai has welcomed many fans, and there are about 50 "ferry flights" from the city to Doha alone, with a one-way flight time of less than an hour.
One of the fans who lives in Dubai is British fan Simon Whitney, who plans to travel to Qatar only on match days. He said his room in Dubai was less than $100 a night, but the accommodation was much better than in Qatar.
If you add the cost of round-trip flights, it is more cost-effective than living in Qatar.
But there are still many fans who want to live in Qatar, "I want to immerse myself in the atmosphere of the World Cup, if I live in other countries, I don't feel that experience." Fan Paul Kleger said.