Following the World Cup draw, Qatar Tourism said fans without World Cup tickets would not be allowed entry to the Gulf nation.

As per the press statement, Berthold Trenkel, Chief Operating Officer, Qatar Tourism said, “A decision has been taken that only fans with match tickets will be allowed visas. They will need official fan IDs to get into Qatar and those who do not have them will not be allowed to travel. The rules are strict and are there for a reason.”

Amid overcrowding concerns, approximately 1.2 million visitors are expected to visit the nation, home to fewer than three million people. Recent reports have highlighted several accommodation issues faced by international travelers. New tourism projects, including hotels and attractions, are under construction in advance of the football championship.

Given the aim to raise the tourism sector’s GDP contribution by 12% by 2030, Qatar has announced several investment projects devoted to developing assets and attractions in the run-up to the World Cup. “Qatar Tourism is also working with public and private sector partners on several large-scale projects that will see the destination attract visitors well beyond the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022,” Trenkel said in a statement.

However, the decision to permit visas based on the ownership of a World Cup ticket will allow the state to circumvent the disruption caused by ticketless fans at the Euro 2020 Final at the Wembley Stadium in 2021. 

Sports fans can look forward to another phase of ticket sales from 5 April until 28 April. The tickets available fall within four categories: individual, supporter, conditional supporter and four-stadium ticket series. Visitors whose tickets go through successfully will receive a notification of the outcome of their approval status by May 31. Meanwhile, three slots remain to be announced in June.

Also, Read Qatar World Cup to employ semi-automated offside system for accurate decision making here.

Qatar World Cup 2022 – the 22nd edition of the international soccer tournament – is the first time that the World Cup will be held in the Middle East, and will run between November 21 and December 18, 2022.

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