The CEO of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Nasser Al-Khater, announced that the infrastructure is fully ready to host the tournament, less than 3 months before the start of the historic football festival.
This came in a press conference regarding the developments related to the arrangements for the World Cup in Qatar and the details related to the World Cup, such as accommodation, tickets and the “Haya” card for World Cup fans.
Al-Khater stressed that there is a “misconception” regarding the sale of alcoholic beverages, describing this as one of the “unfair” criticisms that Qatar faces. “We have always said that selling alcohol is available here in Qatar. We have also said that during the World Cup we will make it available in specific areas for fans.” “
“I think there is a misunderstanding regarding the sale of alcohol in stadiums, we work like any other World Cup where this is a normal thing, no different from any other World Cup.”
Although Qatar does not ban alcohol like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, drinking it in public is illegal, but for the World Cup, beer will also be sold in special areas around the eight tournament stadiums before and following matches, in the FIFA fan zone and some designated areas.
Many countries have restrictions on beer sales at sporting events. In Premier League matches, fans are not allowed to drink within sight of the stadium.
Al-Khater said that out of the 3 million tickets for the tournament, 2,450,000 tickets were sold, and the latest sales will start at the end of this month.
He explained that Qatar leads the most ticket purchase countries, and the United States occupies the second place.
In turn, the Director of the Security Systems Department at the Ministry of Interior, Jassem Al-Sayed, stressed the importance of the “Haya” card and its advantages, as it serves as an entry visa for visitors to Qatar.
For his part, Director General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, Yasser Al-Jammal, said that there will be a new feature in the “Haya” card regarding housing for fans from different countries of the world.
He added that the holder of the “Haya” card has the right to host 3 fans who do not hold tickets to enter the State of Qatar, explaining that housing prices during the World Cup start at $80 and will provide additional accommodation for fans starting this week.