It is only 30 days to go until the greatest show on Earth kicks off in Qatar when the hosts line up against Ecuador at Al Bayt stadium for the opening match of the 2022 World Cup finals.
An estimated two million fans are expected to visit Doha for the month-long festival of football, and excitement is building before the largest sports event to be hosted by the region.
For many, it will be a first visit to the Middle East.
But for others already living nearby, it will be a short hop across the desert on board one of the thousands of shuttle flights scheduled for fans basing themselves in the UAE, and elsewhere.
'My first World Cup'
Mexico fan Laurie Navarro, who lives in Washington DC, will be staying in the UAE and travelling to Qatar for France against Tunisia for her first World Cup experience.
“It will be an experience I have not had before, so it is exciting,” she said.
“I will be supporting Mexico and I’m hoping we can win the World Cup, but more realistic is we lose our fifth game curse and get beyond that stage of the tournament for the first time.
I am looking forward to the whole World Cup experience, and meeting other Mexicanos on the other side of the world
Mexico fan Laurie Navarro,
who lives in Washington DC
She hopes the team can make it past the quarter finals.
“I am looking forward to the whole World Cup experience, and meeting other Mexicanos on the other side of the world to enjoy soccer in a way I have never seen before," Ms Navarro said.
“Visiting the region to reconnect with friends living in the UAE will be great, while we will be basing ourselves in Dubai for the World Cup.”
England expects
England fan Shane Michael is going to Qatar to watch his team play against the US on November 24, then France versus Tunisia a week later.
“I booked flights with Air Arabia from Sharjah a while ago and we have cruise ship accommodation on the Fifa fan website,” he said.
“I’m sharing a twin room with an old university friend of mine and for two nights we are spending £180 a night [$200, Dh734].
“As it is on the official website we know it is reliable and close to public transport links for the stadium.”
His return flights were Dh1,400, coming back two days after arriving in Doha.
For the second match, he will be taking a shuttle flight, leaving at 6am on the day of the game and returning at midnight ― kick-off for France v Tunisia is at 5pm.
“This will be my third World Cup, South Africa and Brazil were both fantastic experiences,” said Mr Michael.
“It was challenging getting tickets. I went through each of the ballots and was unsuccessful, a friend of mine sat through the night on standby on the online portal and kept refreshing the site until he had four tickets."
His plan is not to spend a huge amount of time in Qatar, Mr Michael said.
"I want to enjoy the fan zones in Dubai as there will be so much going on.
“If England get to the late stages, I would like to go but for the kind of money they are asking for tickets I’m not sure it will be worth it.”
Family outing
Behad Zare, 38, an Iranian businessman and Dubai resident of 17 years will be visiting Qatar with his wife and twins, Arsham and Arfan, 10, to watch Iran play.
“As soon as I confirm the match ticket, I will book a stay in Qatar to watch the three matches," he said.
“We can’t wait to watch Iran playing in the World Cup.
“My boys love football and I’m developing their skills to be footballers in the future.
“It is nice to have a World Cup next door and I will make sure to take them with me to be a lifelong memory.”
Iran will play against England on November 21, Wales on November 25 and the US on November 29.
“This year we have a chance despite our group being a tough one,” said Mr Zare.
“The teams in our group are better than Iran on Fifa’s rankings but I have a strong belief in our team.
“Iran was the best team from Asia in recent years, and we have strong strikers playing in European leagues and many players also playing in Europe.”
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
The%20new%20Turing%20Test
%3Cp%3EThe%20Coffee%20Test%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3EA%20machine%20is%20required%20to%20enter%20an%20average%20American%20home%20and%20figure%20out%20how%20to%20make%20coffee%3A%20find%20the%20coffee%20machine%2C%20find%20the%20coffee%2C%20add%20water%2C%20find%20a%20mug%20and%20brew%20the%20coffee%20by%20pushing%20the%20proper%20buttons.%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EProposed%20by%20Steve%20Wozniak%2C%20Apple%20co-founder%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
The biog
Full name: Aisha Abdulqader Saeed
Age: 34
Emirate: Dubai
Favourite quote: "No one has ever become poor by giving"
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Eriksen 80')
Inter Milan 0
Defending champions
World Series: South Africa
Women’s World Series: Australia
Gulf Men’s League: Dubai Exiles
Gulf Men’s Social: Mediclinic Barrelhouse Warriors
Gulf Vets: Jebel Ali Dragons Veterans
Gulf Women: Dubai Sports City Eagles
Gulf Under 19: British School Al Khubairat
Gulf Under 19 Girls: Dubai Exiles
UAE National Schools: Al Safa School
International Invitational: Speranza 22
International Vets: Joining Jack
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Klipit%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Venkat%20Reddy%2C%20Mohammed%20Al%20Bulooki%2C%20Bilal%20Merchant%2C%20Asif%20Ahmed%2C%20Ovais%20Merchant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Digital%20receipts%2C%20finance%2C%20blockchain%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%244%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Privately%2Fself-funded%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Match info
What: Fifa Club World Cup play-off
Who: Al Ain v Team Wellington
Where: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
When: Wednesday, kick off 7.30pm
