• Fans cheer during a ceremony in Doha, Qatar, on August 13 to mark 100 days to go until the start of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. All photos by EPA
    Fans cheer during a ceremony in Doha, Qatar, on August 13 to mark 100 days to go until the start of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. All photos by EPA
  • Football fans are starting the countdown to the first World Cup in the Middle East.
    Football fans are starting the countdown to the first World Cup in the Middle East.
  • Excited fans take selfies in front of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup countdown clock.
    Excited fans take selfies in front of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup countdown clock.
  • Fans arrive at the ceremony to begin the 100-day countdown.
    Fans arrive at the ceremony to begin the 100-day countdown.
  • Qatari football fans jump for joy.
    Qatari football fans jump for joy.
  • Fans take pictures at the countdown clock.
    Fans take pictures at the countdown clock.

Qatar shuts its borders to non-World Cup ticket holders from November 1


Nick Webster
  • English
  • Arabic

Entry to Qatar will be restricted from November 1 to only citizens, residents and holders of the World Cup Hayya card, the tournament’s organising committee announced.

The suspension of visits by people not attending Fifa World Cup matches will continue until December 23, five days after the showpiece final in Doha.

Restrictions apply to all air, land and sea borders into Qatar.

Football fans in possession of a match ticket for the World Cup must also apply for a Hayya fan ID entry permit ― a pre-approved digital visa linked to a passport that offers free public transport around the country.

The Hayya card allows entry into Qatar until January 23, 2023.

Those exempt from the restrictions commencing from November include Qatari citizens, residents and GCC citizens holding a Qatari ID card, holders of work entry permits, personal visas and approved humanitarian cases.

According to Fifa, the governing body for world football, 2.45 million of the three million tickets have already been sold.

Of the 520,532 tickets sold in the July 5 to August 16 sales window, the biggest number of allocated tickets were for group-stage matches.

They included Cameroon versus Brazil, Brazil v Serbia, Portugal v Uruguay, Costa Rica v Germany and Australia v Denmark.

Top countries for ticket demand

Most ticket demand came from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the USA, Mexico, the UAE, England, Argentina, Brazil, Wales and Australia.

The final round of ticket applications for the remaining games will open at the end of September, although a date has not yet been announced.

The cheapest group stage tickets are priced from Dh249 ($67.80) to Dh804, with final tickets costing a minimum of Dh2,218, rising to Dh5,898 ($1,606).

A last-minute sales phase will run until the end of the tournament, with tickets allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and confirmed immediately after payment.

Over-the-counter sales will also start in Doha following the launch of the last-minute sales phase.

For more information, visit FIFA.com/tickets, to book accommodation and apply for a Hayya card, visit Qatar2022.qa.

Accommodation options during World Cup - in pictures

  • A rendering of the fan village in Al Khor, which is about 40km to the north of central Doha and costs about $420 per night. Photo: Qatar Accommodation Agency
    A rendering of the fan village in Al Khor, which is about 40km to the north of central Doha and costs about $420 per night. Photo: Qatar Accommodation Agency
  • A rendering of the fan camp in Zafaran, which is just outside Lusail, home to the largest of the eight stadia. Prices are cheaper at about $200 per night. Photo: Qatar Accommodation Agency
    A rendering of the fan camp in Zafaran, which is just outside Lusail, home to the largest of the eight stadia. Prices are cheaper at about $200 per night. Photo: Qatar Accommodation Agency
  • Royal Residence in Doha, Qatar, is among hotels advertised on Booking.com
    Royal Residence in Doha, Qatar, is among hotels advertised on Booking.com
  • A lounge inside the Royal Residence in Doha
    A lounge inside the Royal Residence in Doha
  • The City of Pearls Lablaj villa in Doha
    The City of Pearls Lablaj villa in Doha
  • A harbour view from the Royal Residence in Doha
    A harbour view from the Royal Residence in Doha
  • Upscale dining in the City of Pearls Lablaj villa
    Upscale dining in the City of Pearls Lablaj villa

Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital

BELGIUM%20SQUAD
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F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Libya's Gold

UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves. 

The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.

Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.

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.
The biog

Place of birth: Kalba

Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren

Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken

Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah

Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

THE SCORES

Ireland 125 all out

(20 overs; Stirling 72, Mustafa 4-18)

UAE 125 for 5

(17 overs, Mustafa 39, D’Silva 29, Usman 29)

UAE won by five wickets

Updated: September 28, 2022, 8:34 AM