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How Qatar has built infrastructure to support visitors

Let’s take a look at where Qatar have worked to make for an unforgettable World Cup experience.

We are now just weeks away from the 2022 World Cup and thousands of fans have booked their tickets to Qatar. Plenty more will have already placed their best when looking at World Cup Odds.

A lot of those going to Qatar will be looking to maximise their experience whilst over there and luckily the country has gone through some gigantic infrastructural changes to meet this end. 

It is just the second time the World Cup has been held in Asia, the first being when South Korea hosted the games in 2002. For this reason, Qatar realise they need to dress to impress.

Billions have been spent to best accommodate visitors in 2022. As well as entire football stadiums constructed for the games, there have been tonnes of projects for life outside of the beautiful game. Let’s take a look at where Qatar have worked to make for an unforgettable World Cup experience.

Stadiums
Since winning the bid to host the tournament in 2010, seven new stadiums have been built in and around Doha for the 2022 games. The venues are:

  • Lusail Iconic Stadium 
  • Al Bayt Stadium 
  • Al Janoub Stadium 
  • Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium
  • Khalifa International Stadium 
  • Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan 
  • Stadium 974 
  • Al Thumama Stadium

(Qatar FIFA 2022 Stadium Tour)

Incredibly, only the Khalifa International Stadium was standing when the bid was won with all other venues being constructed since. The Lusail Iconic Stadium will host 10 matches including the final and is fittingly their highest capacity stadium, seating over 80,000 attendees. The Al Bayt stadium will host the opening ceremony as well as the tournament opener between Qatar and Ecuador on November 20th. With over £4.7 billion spent on the stadiums, rest assured that visitors will be in for an incredible viewing experience in a modern footballing environment.

Hotels
With 1.5 million fans expected to visit Qatar, a country with a population of under 3 million, it was clear that they would need the infrastructure to accommodate them all. For this reason, new hotels and resorts have been built around Doha. Some of the most luxury experiences are the newly built MSC World Europa and MSC Poesia Cruise Ship Hotels. 

The 5-star floating hotels features 3928 cabins and nine swimming pools between them along with a spa and wellness centre, shopping and retail outlets, eateries and fine dining restaurants, bars and event spaces and more. Luxury chains Raffles and Fairmont are also going to open residences in Doha, housed in the iconic Katara Towers. There are plenty more ready to open upon commencement of the tournament and visitors are certain to be spoilt for choice.

Roads
With so many people flocking to the country, it was obvious that the number of cars on the road would dramatically increase. For this reason, construction began on a new Doha orbital highway. This project is called The New Orbital Highway contract 2 and was one of the largest projects being delivered through the Qatar’s public work authority Ashghal. 

A 47km long five-lane dual carriageway was built for light vehicles and two truck lanes in each direction. There are also six viaducts, 17 bridges and underpasses and a 320m cut-and-cover tunnel. The $1.6 billion contract began work in 2014 and will allow for a much easier flow of traffic to allow fans to get to and from stadiums and hotels during their stay in Qatar.

Airports
Qatar have also expanded Hamad International Airport, increasing HIA’s annual passenger handling capacity to 58 million. Akbar al-Baker, CEO of the Qatar Airways group, announced that the project would be inaugurated before the World Cup. Speaking at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) World Financial Symposium, al-Baker said: “This expansion will be a vital part of the future success of Qatar Airways group and the country’s preparation to hold the FIFA World Cup and beyond.”

As well as helping the economy of the country, it will also aide travellers to the World Cup and make for a much smoother experience when entering and leaving the country. Hopefully those fans leaving though will not have to head for an early exit from the tournament!

Waste disposal
Qatar have thought in great detail about the effect that the World Cup will have on not just their economy and tourism, but also the environment. This is why they expanded their recycling with a new waste management centre. This centre will help to recycle over 20,000 tonnes of waste which will be treated to generate electricity. Located in Doha, this will help keep the city clean for visitors and local during the World Cup as well as nurturing the country for future generations.

Qatar have gone to great lengths to make football fans’ visit to the country unforgettable. They have left no stone unturned in their work to generate an incredible atmosphere not just in the stadiums but around Doha. It will be the trip of a lifetime whether your nation make it all the way or face an agonising early exit. This tournament is sure to be an exciting one whether you are sitting watching at home or making the trip to Qatar.

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