How ready is Qatar for the World Cup?

It is now just 60 days to go before the World Cup begins in Qatar with the hosts playing Ecuador in the opening match. But how ready is the Middle Eastern country, a controversial choice in the first place, to stage such a global event?

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There appears to be good news and bad. All seven new stadiums are ready and have been match-tested, whilst the supporting infrastructure – five-lane highways and an efficient metro system – ensure that the longest journey time that fans on the ground will have is an hour to reach the grounds. The metro is cheap – it costs just £1.50 for a day pass – and there are lots of taxis and Ubers available, and these are comparatively inexpensive.

Meanwhile, all the stadiums are air-conditioned, which should keep all the spectators and players cool, although this may not be needed with temperatures at that time of year rarely exceeding 30 degrees Celsius. The revolutionary technology will also help to optimize the air quality, providing ventilation to combat the possible spread of viruses such as Covid, and also helping to filter out pollution and the ever-present threat of dust from the desert.

Solar farms, located outside the capital Doha, will generate far more electricity than required to power the AC units.

However, there are precious few amenities near the stadiums themselves, with a distinct absence of shops, restaurants and hotels, just miles of empty desert and half abandoned construction sites.

Organizers have promised that, by the time the tournament gets underway, there will be fan zones, food and concession stalls, and fun areas, but there is still a lot of work to do in this respect.

Accommodation remains a huge issue. It is estimated that up to 1.3 million fans will visit Qatar during the tournament, which is a figure equal to half of the population of the entire country, and there are just not enough hotel beds to go round.

Limited options range from sleeping pods which cost around £75 a night, to luxury beach villa which can cost upwards of £2,500 a night, beyond the price range of all but the wealthiest. There are also tented campsites, similar to those seen at major festivals like Glastonbury, but much of the accommodation will be in bare, austere metal cabins.

Given the lack of hotel options in Qatar itself, many fans will choose to base themselves in the surrounding countries, just flying in for the matches themselves. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are proving particularly popular, according to the number of bookings taken, and to facilitate that, for the duration of the tournament, there will be up to 160 shuttle flights a day between the UAE and Qatar. Normally the 40 minute route is served by just six flights daily.

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In terms of safety, Qatar is taking no chances, and, due to the standing size of their security forces, they have drafted in expertise and personnel from neighbouring countries, whilst the UK and US Air Forces will provide air cover and logistical and intelligence support during the tournament.

There will also be CCTV at all the stadiums, whilst AI systems will trigger alarms if crowd congestion looks like becoming an issue.

For better or worse, the World Cup in Qatar will now go ahead, so fans need to make their peace with it. Whether everything will be ready in time is another question, and it remains to be seen what the fan experience on the ground will be like.