ATLANTA, GEORGIA—According to FIFA and the organizers, about 2.9 million tickets have been sold for the World Cup in Qatar, leaving roughly 7% of seats unclaimed. The top three countries outside of Qatar for purchasing tickets were the United States, Saudi Arabia, and England, while Mexico was the biggest market for corporate hospitality sales.
Before the competition begins on Nov. 20, more tickets will become available, FIFA’s tournament director Colin Smith announced during a news conference in Doha alongside Qatari organizers. Because stakeholders like sponsors and FIFA member federations return tickets from their quotas, tickets frequently become available late.
For the 29-day tournament, Qatar expects almost 1.2 million foreign guests, and more lodging is currently being built to prevent bed scarcity in the tiny emirate. According to Qatari officials, fans have already purchased 2 million distinct room nights in hotels, residences, cruise ships, and even camping grounds, and another 30,000 rooms have been added to the capacity.
According to Yasir Al Jamal, director general of the Qatari organizing committee, the additional rooms increased the total capacity by nearly 1 million room nights. A third cruise ship with 1,075 cabins was hired last week to dock in Doha port as a floating hotel, increasing capacity. When all 32 teams still compete, prices for the first two weeks began at $470 per night.
According to the organizers, only 20,000 of the 420,000 applicants who sought to work as tournament volunteers in Qatar have been selected.
Around 2,200 people, or 11% of the total, will arrive from outside Qatar, with 89% being Qataris. A central center for consular services with 45 countries represented by embassy officials will be located in an exhibition hall in the downtown West Bay area, according to the organizers, and will be a first for this World Cup.
