The Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 is now well under way in Doha and has already offered a number of thrilling moments (Saudi Arabia v Argentina springs immediately to mind).
While all 32 teams, from favourites to minnows, are the stars of the show, it is the fans who are responsible for the carnival-like atmosphere. Authorities expect 1.5 million people to travel to Qatar to attend the competition, and they have put various transport and logistics measures in place to ensure a comfortable stay.
After spending a weekend in Doha to attend various World Cup matches, I offer the following 10 tips to make the best of your fan experience.
1. You need to plan ahead
With the 64 matches taking place in eight stadiums, it is important to plan how you will get around.
The sporting action and entertainment events are spread across the city, from the official fan zone in West Bay on the east coast to the Al Janoub Stadium, one of the official venues and nearly a 45-minute drive from the city centre.
So it's best to plan ahead.
Ensure the digital or physical copy of your Hayya Card (the official entry permit to Qatar) is available at all times as it ensures your entry — with your match ticket — to the stadium and free transport on the Doha Metro, tram and bus links.
Book ahead if you plan to see any attractions such as the Museum of Islamic Art (which offers hour-long time slots for visitors) or have a meal at any of the city's major restaurants, including those in Souq Waqif.
The amount of traffic, footfall and events in Doha right now is unprecedented, according to staff The National spoke to at the weekend. So I cannot stress this point enough: plan ahead.
2. Get the free sim card
Even if you are doing the average World Cup stay of three days, it is worth getting a local sim card when travelling with a group.
Sim cards are available at both Doha International Airport and Hamad International Airport, at the terminal. Some offers are generous, such as the one from provider Ooredo, which includes 2,022 local minutes and more than 2 gigabytes of local data for three days.
3. Know your transport options
This is pertinent for visitors staying in the hotels and fan villages on the outskirts of Doha.
Train transportation is free with your Hayya card, so download the Qatar Rail app and see where your nearest metro station lies within the network's three main lines.
With the service projected to accommodate 30 to 50 per cent of stadium traffic throughout the tournament, authorities have boosted the duration of the service from 6am to 3am on Sunday to Thursday and 9am to 3am on Fridays. Trains arrive in each station at an average of every three minutes.
Local blue-coloured taxis are in high demand, so it is recommended to book a car through ride-sharing apps such as Careem and Uber, in addition to local service Karwa. Be wary of unauthorised drivers who often charge exorbitant prices.
4. Dress comfortably
It’s not only the footballers who require the right shoes during the World Cup. Visitors will have no problem clocking up 10,000 steps a day in Doha.
When visiting the Australia versus Tunisia game on Saturday, we walked nearly a kilometre from the metro station to our seats inside the Al Janoub Stadium.
Adding my post-match walk out of the venue and an evening stroll in Souq Waqif that evening, I registered 18,000 steps spanning 11km.
With the daytime weather averaging in the late 20 degrees, it is also recommended to wear light and loose-fitting clothes. While it’s great to support your country, remember that many football jerseys are made from heat-trapping polyester and nylon fabric that can make you extra sweaty.
Carry a cotton T-shirt with you to wear post-match.
5. Arrive early for the big match
The action begins before kick-off. Get to the stadium two hours before the game and enjoy the on-site festivities such as DJ performances, food and beverage stations, and engage with the various passionate fans on site.
The official pre-match show begins 30 minutes prior and generally includes DJ sets, singer performances and pyrotechnic displays.
6. Carry cash or a Visa card on match day
The World Cup is as much a commercial event as it is a sporting enterprise and services offered on-site often reflect sponsorship agreements. While credit cards are widely accepted around Qatar, the official stadiums only accept Visa cards.
If you don’t use the service, it’s best to withdraw money from an ATM before arrival, as all on-site cash machines are also limited to Visa card holders.
Food and beverage options include hot dogs (25 Qatari riyals, which is about $6.8), veggie rolls (25 riyals) and various cheese, spinach and meat pastries for 15 riyals. Soft drinks are 15 riyals and bottles of water are 10 riyals each.
7. Know where the big games are being screened
The Fifa Fan Festival at Al Bidda Park, with a daily capacity of 40,000 people, is the only large venue where you can watch the matches free with your Hayya Card.
That said, Doha is full of options to watch football in a communal setting, such as the Hayya Fan Zone at the Lusail South Promenade for 50 riyals and Fanzone by Inca, a rooftop terrace at The Westin Doha Hotel & Spa, for 100 riyals.
The swankiest spot in town is the Fan Arena at the Four Seasons Hotel Doha, where you can see one match within a lavish outdoor garden setting and enjoy a buffet meal for (an admittedly eye-watering) 750 riyals.
For those on a budget, a select number of smaller restaurants are broadcasting the matches. The gourmet Go Home Cafe in the central district of Musheireb and the American-styled diner Public House at The Pearl are showing most games for free with the purchase of any menu item.
8. Enjoy the post-match atmosphere at Souq Waqif
Your day shouldn’t end with the blowing of the final whistle inside the stadium. The popular outdoor leisure district Souq Waqif has become an unofficial fan zone throughout the tournament.
With a major metro station nearby, thousands of colourful fans — waving flags, blowing horns and sometimes carrying portable speakers blaring songs — descend on the landmark to continue victorious chants, dance and for post-match debrief sessions over dinner.
Popular Levant restaurant Le Gourmet and seafood venue Al Bandar are ideal places to sample the vibes in an al fresco setting.
9. The police are there to help
This is a tip I received from a couple of visitors and taxi drivers.
Qatar police clad in black (stadium security) and light blue (Public Transport Security and Traffic Patrol) are prevalent throughout the city, and have been extremely helpful in assisting international tourists, including providing directions and Arabic translation with Uber and taxi drivers.
10. Smile, you are at the World Cup!
The World Cup is both a sporting event and a global cultural festival.
It is also a rare moment to see many international fans in one city for a limited amount of time. So be open. Step outside your comfort zone and exchange your experiences with others, even if some things are lost in translation.
On my first day in Doha, I saw connections form between rival fans inside and outside the stadium, in addition to nationals flocking from all over the world to celebrate their heritage through song, food and dance.
It is these moments that will stay with you long after the final ball is kicked.
MATCH INFO
Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)
Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Stormy seas
Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.
We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
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The Al Barzakh Festival takes place on Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm in the Red Theatre, NYUAD, Saadiyat Island. Tickets cost Dh105 for adults from platinumlist.net
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
MATCH DETAILS
Manchester United 3
Greenwood (21), Martial (33), Rashford (49)
Partizan Belgrade 0
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Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'
Rating: 1 out of 4
Running time: 81 minutes
Director: David Blue Garcia
Starring: Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
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Racecard
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was 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 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 inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres 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 stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs: Volvo XC40
Price: base / as tested: Dh185,000
Engine: 2.0-litre, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 250hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.4L / 100km
The flights: South African Airways flies from Dubai International Airport with a stop in Johannesburg, with prices starting from around Dh4,000 return. Emirates can get you there with a stop in Lusaka from around Dh4,600 return.
The details: Visas are available for 247 Zambian kwacha or US$20 (Dh73) per person on arrival at Livingstone Airport. Single entry into Victoria Falls for international visitors costs 371 kwacha or $30 (Dh110). Microlight flights are available through Batoka Sky, with 15-minute flights costing 2,265 kwacha (Dh680).
Accommodation: The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Hotel by Anantara is an ideal place to stay, within walking distance of the falls and right on the Zambezi River. Rooms here start from 6,635 kwacha (Dh2,398) per night, including breakfast, taxes and Wi-Fi. Water arrivals cost from 587 kwacha (Dh212) per person.
PRIMERA LIGA FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Atletico Madrid v Sevilla (3pm)
Alaves v Real Madrid (6.15pm)
Malaga v Athletic Bilbao (8.30pm)
Girona v Barcelona (10.45pm)
Sunday
Espanyol v Deportivo la Coruna (2pm)
Getafe v Villarreal (6.15pm)
Eibar v Celta Vigo (8.30pm)
Las Palmas v Leganes (8.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Valencia (10.45pm)
Monday
Real Betis v Levante (11.pm)
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The bio:
Favourite film:
Declan: It was The Commitments but now it’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Heidi: The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Favourite holiday destination:
Declan: Las Vegas but I also love getting home to Ireland and seeing everyone back home.
Heidi: Australia but my dream destination would be to go to Cuba.
Favourite pastime:
Declan: I love brunching and socializing. Just basically having the craic.
Heidi: Paddleboarding and swimming.
Personal motto:
Declan: Take chances.
Heidi: Live, love, laugh and have no regrets.
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
