“
We are not yet complete
” and will not be before “the
end of September
”, assured Tuesday Omar Al-Jaber, responsible for accommodation within the Supreme Organizing Committee of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
With some fans worried they won't find budget-friendly accommodation in the tiny Gulf emirate during the tournament, which runs from November 21 to December 18, Al-Jaber said the number of bookings stands at "
over of 25,000
”.
"
I'm talking about reservations, not rooms or overnight stays
," he said.
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There are "
more than 100,000 rooms currently available
" but this number should eventually reach "
130,000 or 140,000
", he added, during the visit to a typical apartment in downtown Doha.
"
If you go to our official platform, you will find a lot of options
," the official continued.
“
And if you can't find today, check tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or later because from time to time we add other offers.
»
On Tuesday, reservations came mainly from the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Argentina and India, with France in 11th position.
Usually fans find their own accommodation.
But, given the small size of Qatar and its limited hotel capacity, most accommodation is offered on an official platform, reserved for ticket holders and managed by the organizers.
It presents more than a million supporters expected accommodation (apartments, villas, prefabs, campsites, cruise ships) at prices ranging from 300 Qatari rials (80 euros) per night to several thousand euros.
"
Of course, prices move according to supply and demand and hotel rates
," Al-Jaber said.
While the country had to build many permanent and temporary accommodation for the Mondial-2022, the official said that 85% of the sites were finished and that the last would be "at the
end of August
".
A large proportion of the hotel rooms have been pre-booked by the organizers for the teams, officials and media, but those that will not be used will be released.
More than 160 daily return flights from neighboring countries (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Oman) are also planned to allow them to welcome supporters.
Qatar will be closed to visitors without match tickets, others can stay as long as they want, according to Al-Jaber.
After the first two sales phases, the number of tickets sold amounts to 1.2 million.
The third phase should start soon.
