In tiny Qatar, over a million fans are all competing for pieces of the same space. Here's what it looks like at this year's World Cup, where the demand for lodging far outweighs the lodging itself
What happens when a country the size of Connecticut suddenly needs to accommodate over a million visitors? Chaos.The pub at the downtown Red Lion here fills with World Cup revelers on Saturday afternoon. They’re downing beers and cocktails. Smoking cigs. Munching on nachos made from Doritos—not bad, for what it’s worth—and burgers and onion rings. Gazing at flat-screen televisions, where Australia is tangling with Tunisia.
Part of their hesitance stemmed from the logistical puzzle Qatar presented. Because none of the eight stadiums are farther than 34 miles apart, they wouldn’t need to constantly fly between different cities. In Brazil, for instance, Jesse slept on a hammock aboard a boat for four nights as it traversed the Amazon river. Then he flew to Rio and other places.
On the ground, roughly a week before the World Cup opener, none of the odd lodging spots had opened. Construction continued, at all hours, even through the night. It wasn’t possible to look inside, even, not at the tent village in Al Khor, not at the fan village stocked with shipping containers and not at the cruise ships. They were all heavily guarded.
Jesse belongs to several U.S. soccer fan groups, and he knows that fellow World Cup obsessives like Las Vegas–based Marcus Cranston and Lila Asnani—you might recognize them from broadcasts as, per their costumes—had lodged in all types of places, all over the world. The deeper he dove, the more fascinated he became. Digital renderings of fan villages—projection screens, bean bag chairs—called like a siren to his soccer fan soul. Normally, he would have avoided cruise ships, because he considered them a “Disneyland version” of the ideal traveler’s experience, pre-packaged and less than authentic. But the ones in Qatar didn’t appear that way at all.
This, they would find out, presented a considerable upgrade. Their room is in the “residences” portion of the property, which means 800 square feet, two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a washer-dryer unit and a dining room table with eight seats. No one had ever slept—or eaten or laundered—in this particular residence before.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Qatar says 400-500 migrant workers died due to World CupQatar says 400-500 migrant workers have died due to their work for the World Cup since the country won its hosting bid in 2010. That's significantly higher than any estimate previously offered by Qatar.
Read more »
World Cup Winners list: which teams have won each year?List of FIFA World Cup champions since the tournament began in 1930:
Read more »
Three keys to the USMNT defeating Iran and advancing to the 2022 World Cup knockout stageSo how does the USMNT get the three points it will take to reach the round of 16? Here are three keys via nrarmour Qatar2022 FIFAWorldCup
Read more »
World Cup live updates: USMNT faces win-or-go-home match vs. IranWorld Cup live scores, updates: USMNT faces win-or-go-home match vs. Iran; Ecuador vs Senegal and Netherlands vs Qatar kick off action; Wales meets England later today. Qatar2022 FIFAWorldCup
Read more »
World Cup: US squad prepares for gamesmanship from Iran in must-win matchIt's win or go home for the USMNT on Tuesday, while Iran can advance with just a tie. FOX13
Read more »