The biggest sport in the world is scheduled to have the World Cup in Qatar this year. FIFA World Cup has the highest viewership in any sports tournament and the final is the most-watched match in the history of television.
This year, the games would be even more in demand as the sport continues to grow at a rapid pace in Asia. In a positive indication regarding the game, organizers have announced the number of tickets sold for the upcoming tournament and numbers are astounding.
The Chief organiser of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar told the reporters that there have been a “record-breaking” demand for the tickets. While talking about the same at Qatar Economic Forum, Al- Thawadi, said, “I think about 1.2 million tickets have already been purchased. So people are actually buying and people are excited to come there. There’s no doubt about that.”
The organising committee has confirmed that two million tickets would be sold with another one million reserved for world body FIFA. Qatar has also managed to open 1,300,00 hotel rooms in different hotels, cruise ships, and desert camps, where the lowest cost would be as low as $85.
Al-Thawadi said the process of curbing accommodation prices was “tricky”. “(We want to) avoid price gouging,” he said. “Obviously market forces always mean that as long as there’s a lot of demand, prices skyrocket. We’re trying to create an environment where the business community benefits but at the same time, it is affordable and accessible for the fans as well.”
Homosexuality in Qatar is illegal and a major question looms over the safety of homosexual fans that would arrive for the World Cup. Assuring the reporters on the issue he said, “Everybody’s welcome. But in appreciating where you’re coming from, we have a very rich culture. We ask for people to respect our culture.”
The FIFA Football World Cup commences on 21st November with Senegal vs the Netherlands as the curtain-raiser of the tournament.
