Qatar's Tourism Authority announced plans to utilize some 6,000 cruise ship cabins to host football fans during the 2022 World Cup in Doha, making our biggest nightmare a reality. Who else wants to avoid at all costs being trapped on a ship in small quarters with thousands of other football fans? Yeah, that's what we thought.
"QTA will be contracting a minimum of 6,000 rooms on cruise ships for 2022 tournament," the official statement to the Qatar News Agency read. The announcement was made by QTA in Miami, Florida, during an international cruise ship expo.
Qatar's bid to host the international event hasn't exactly been smooth sailing since it was first announced in December of 2010. Last month, FIFA officially rescheduled the 2022 World Cup to winter, citing the exceptionally high summer temperatures in Doha. The move left football clubs around the world frustrated with the effects that the shift will have on their tournament schedules.
Qatar has also been plagued by accusations of bribery following the announcement that it was selected to host the event. In the end, investigations found no evidence of bribes, although many critics have yet to be pacified.
It remains unclear where the cruise ships will dock during the winter World Cup, but the government has previously suggested making the port near the Museum of Islamic Art into a cruise ship terminal. Using cruise ships to house fans was first floated in 2013 but seemed to be abandoned until the recent announcement.
According to FIFA's guidelines, Qatar must have at least 60,000 rooms available by the start of the event. Cruise ship rooms under the new announcement would thus comprise 10 percent of the required total. Qatar's original bid for hosting pledged an ambitious 100,000 rooms, however.
This year, Qatar hopes to add an additional 4,000 rooms in some 20 new hotels. This target seems unlikely as several of the hotel projects underway have recently announced delays.