Most football fans will not be able to make it to Qatar to watch a match in a lavish stadium that is specially built for the occasion but how would it cost you if to watch a World Cup match in Qatar?
The Qatar World Cup, mind you, will be the most expensive ever for soccer fans. A trip will cost as much as $20,000 per person and there is no short-cut to this whopping amount as flight tickets alone could take up more than 40% of this amount.
Now, if you calculate hotel charges, transport and food, it appears the $20,000 could be an average and it could go higher and higher as the days to the opening of the World Cup tournament in Qatar approaches. That is if you are not an early bird.
In comparison, some experts say a trip to Russia during the 2018 World Cup came up to $4,000 for two weeks, per person. That is if you were to go solo to Qatar to watch the matches.
But this depends if you booked flights and hotel rooms earlier and bought the tickets to the stadiums in advance, for early birds do get a better deal.
But the $4000 may just be an average since you have to spend more on food and other temptations that will increase your spending.
Yet, there are millions of people who are rushing to Qatar this month to watch a few matches and only a limited number of people will be able to stay for the entire competition, that is until December 18, when the final is played.
Imagine how much it would cost a person to stay in Qatar for entire duration of the World Cup!
A Polish financial services firm, Conotoxia says not only are tickets for games in Qatar the priciest in World Cup history, but travel and accommodation prices are also sky-high.
With COVID-19 restrictions still on the cards and not completely removed, the costs are also rising.
Ticket costs for the World Cup
Tickets are discounted for locals but for group-stage matches, the tickets are between $70 and $220. For the knockout matches, they are between $600 and $1,600!
Reports are that the tickets for the final on Dec 18 at the Lusail Stadium are already 46% higher than the final match in Russia.
Care to know that if you are a lazy bird and want to fly out now to reach the World Cup matches, the tix for the group stages are SOLD OUT.
You will have to buy them on the black market, surely and at exorbitant prices.
FIFA is operating an official resale platform for those who can no longer attend until the end of the tournament, though.
Not counting the tickets in, Conotoxia estimates that the cheapest two-person, 10-day trip to Doha during the tournament would cost $5,400, including flights from New York, lodging, car rental, and money for food and drink.
That’s not the end of the dark tunnel for fans. Other studies show that without a budget of $9,600 each, you won’t make it to Qatar.
Flights and accommodation are rapidly selling out and this will add to the higher prices this week itself for bookings for group stage matches.
Booking.com says a seven-day stay in Doha with flights from New York for the third week of the tournament costs anywhere between $4,600 and $18,500 per person, without ticket money. Whopping!
In 2022, it is probably better to save the money and watch some of the matches in the comfort of your home with your wide-screen TVs and fast internet.
However, it is not prohibited to dream and to plan such a trip. Watching a World Cup with the biggest stars in sports on earth live in front of you? Well…it’s a dream yet to come true.
More stories related to the FIFA 2022 World Cup here.