Fans put off Qatar World Cup by timing, prices and human rights issues

Fans over the world are opting not to attend the Qatar World Cup. There are many factors involved, which individually might have been minor deterrents but, piled together, have made supporters who routinely follow their teams at huge expense decide to give this one a miss.

The shift from its usual summer holiday slot in June/July to the northern hemisphere winter, ending only a week before Christmas, because of high temperatures in the desert state has had a significant impact.

Strict entry requirements, sky-high high accommodation prices and concerns over Qatar’s human rights and LGBTQ+ record have also dampened enthusiasm for the November 20 to December 18 tournament.

“I have a wife and two kids and I’m a teacher so travelling in November was not an option, besides other political reasons and the fact that I just couldn’t afford it this year,” said Matthew Moulden, secretary of the Fort Worth, Texas, chapter of US soccer supporters group American Outlaws told Reuters.

Alcohol restrictions and the high cost of drinks, the fact that many of Doha’s hotels won’t be screening games due to licensing costs, and a lack of alternative entertainment in a city that has never really geared up for tourists have also convinced fans they will have more fun watching at home.

Qatar, where foreigners make up the majority of the 2.9 million population, has come under severe scrutiny over its treatment of migrant workers.

“There were certainly some concerns around human rights issues, the restrictions on women’s rights and the restrictions on alcohol in the stadiums and in the country in general,” said Moulden’s colleague Brazos Pinto, president of the Fort Worth, Texas, chapter of American Outlaws. Neither Pinto nor Moulden will be attending the World Cup.

For all the concerns, Qatar is still expecting an unprecedented 1.2 million visitors during the tournament, representing more than a third of the Gulf Arab state’s population of about 3 million.

But with limited accommodation options and entertainment choices, many foreign fans have opted to stay in nearby Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and fly in and out of Doha on match day, or stay in fan cabins in the desert.

Other fans are concerned about the entertainment options.

“There isn’t a great deal to do in Doha,” Ashley Brown of the England’s Football Supporters’ Association told Reuters.

“It’s not like visiting a huge city like a Moscow or London. There isn’t a variety of theatres, restaurants, bars, cafes.”

“Overall, I think it will probably be not as good experience as fans are used to.”