Qatar has opened up doors for football fans from other Gulf states to attend the World Cup 2022. The head of the organising committee has confirmed that there will be no blockade on fans from UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt for the special event. Qatar has been involved in a fight with these countries since 2017 and even trade services have been disrupted. However, the World Cup 2022 will be the first time such a grand event is being held in the Middle East and preparations have been in full swing for a while. Qatar will be constructing brand-new stadiums that are air-conditioned in order to prevent the desert heat from hitting players and spectators.
A number of fans are likely to descend upon Qatar. Crucially, fans of Egypt and Saudi Arabia are also likely to be amongst them. Among the four teams that are involved in a battle with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are likely to qualify for the tournament. Spectators will also need not worry about the availability of alcohol, which is a difficult topic since Qatar is a conservative Muslim country with strict laws about alcohol. A majority of the 1 million visitors expected to visit the country will demand alcohol and the organising committee has confirmed that they are discussing the potential of lowering this product’s price.
“We have no issues welcoming fans from blockading countries, they are welcome to come now and they will be welcome to come in 2022.I hope by then that situation would have been resolved.Qatar is a conservative country, it’s a modest country, alcohol is not part of our culture however, hospitality is.For the World Cup, we want to make sure (alcohol) is accessible for fans who want to have a drink while they are here, so we want to find designated locations for fans to have alcohol other than the traditional places,” said Nasser al-Khater, who is the chief executive of the committee.