All purpose ‘Going to Qatar’ thread

[Kimpero]

13 hours ago, JamboAl said:

Following on this, I’m surprised no one has said: “thank goodness they didn’t hold this in July/August”.  Those 1 or 4 pm kick offs with the long walks (I’m looking at you Al Thummama) might have killed people in 45-50 C heat.

Thankfully, now they only killed the Asian and African workers who built the stadiums in that heat. No privileged white heterosexual men were harmed.

Thank goodness. And the beer at the Sheraton was cold and plentiful!

[Tim Pinos]

Couldn't you just turn the whole Exhibition Place area into a Fan Fest (using all the indoor and outdoor spaces), or does it have to be separated from the Stadium.  Since we are not guaranteed dry weather every day like Doha, having available spaces indoor and outdoors would be good.  

[maplebanana]

14 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

For 2030 there is a Spain-Portugal bid, which they have tacked Ukraine onto. So that is a relatively small geography, ignoring the Ukraine part, which seems gratuitous.

Spain is a 24/7 fan fest already, you don't have to organise any sort of public viewing because with a bar for every few hundred inhabitants, you are set. I am half joking only: people are still sitting in outdoor patios, they will set up a tv in front of their bar and people have dinner or drink and watch. As I am near the centre of Barcelona and near a lively avenue, I have been living in a fan fest for half my life.

Spain-Portugal would be relatively compact in the sense that travel between cities would be reasonably easy. But you'd still need to dedicate days to travel. You can't just rent an apartment for 10 days and go to multiple games, sometimes within the same day, like we did in Doha. If I need to move every few days to follow my team, and everyone else does too, it removes that 32-nation camaraderie that was so evident in Qatar. 

Not sure any city can absorb 48 nations of fans (accommodations) and have multiple large soccer stadiums, except for maybe the greater London area? Tokyo? Sounds pretty unlikely we'll see something like Qatar WC again.

[SoCalTransport]

15 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

For 2030 there is a Spain-Portugal bid, which they have tacked Ukraine onto. So that is a relatively small geography, ignoring the Ukraine part, which seems gratuitous.

 

I like the idea of Uruguay hosting the 2030 World Cup. It would be the 100 year anniversary of the first World Cup, which was in the country.

It's also a beautiful country and it could be similar to Qatar where all the stadiums are in close proximity to each other, so it's easy to see a lot of matches.

[Unnamed Trialist]

9 hours ago, maplebanana said:

Spain-Portugal would be relatively compact in the sense that travel between cities would be reasonably easy. But you'd still need to dedicate days to travel. You can't just rent an apartment for 10 days and go to multiple games, sometimes within the same day, like we did in Doha. If I need to move every few days to follow my team, and everyone else does too, it removes that 32-nation camaraderie that was so evident in Qatar. 

Not sure any city can absorb 48 nations of fans (accommodations) and have multiple large soccer stadiums, except for maybe the greater London area? Tokyo? Sounds pretty unlikely we'll see something like Qatar WC again.

In a Spain Portugal bid, you would have relatively quick travel. You can take high-speed trains and go from Barcelona to Madrid in 2.5  hours (further than Toronto-Montreal, for example). All flights in the country are under 2 hours, excepting Canary Islands. It is hot enough that you would have to play matches late, so that makes it harder to go for a game in another city and go back to your hotel after in another city, though you could: do the same as with 2026, create clusters. All doable. 

You also have two or more large stadiums in 4 of the cities (Madrid with 2, Barcelona with 3, Sevilla with 3, Lisbon with two).

Since Spain has the highest rate of tourism in the world after France, which is centred on Paris, the capacity for absorption is high. When the Mobile World Congress comes to Barcelona, that is 110,000 visitors over 5 days; true, many visitors end up in cities 15-20 km out of town. So having a group in a city is possible, in terms of cities, amenities and logistics.

While I could be greedy about it, returning to Uruguay and including S American countries that have not hosted a World Cup is a great idea. 

[Free kick]

21 hours ago, Tim Pinos said:

Couldn't you just turn the whole Exhibition Place area into a Fan Fest (using all the indoor and outdoor spaces), or does it have to be separated from the Stadium.  Since we are not guaranteed dry weather every day like Doha, having available spaces indoor and outdoors would be good.  

I am pretty sure that you can have multiple fan fests.  As was the case in Doha.  In the bid documents from 2018, they show a picture of Nathan Phillips square.  So that must be what they have in mind.  But your point is still valid, the ex has tones of out outdoor space as well as indoor space for exhibits.    

 

 

[El Hombre]

11 hours ago, maplebanana said:

Sounds pretty unlikely we'll see something like Qatar WC again.

Yes, which is why I was happy I went.  It was a completely unique experience.  Nothing like spending the day on the subway and seeing thousands of fans of two teams commuting to the game at noon.  And then seeing that three more times every three hours that day.

And then the fans of eight more teams the next day.

Edited December 7, 2022 by El Hombre

[maplebanana]

6 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

In a Spain Portugal bid, you would have relatively quick travel. You can take high-speed trains and go from Barcelona to Madrid in 2.5  hours (further than Toronto-Montreal, for example). All flights in the country are under 2 hours, excepting Canary Islands. It is hot enough that you would have to play matches late, so that makes it harder to go for a game in another city and go back to your hotel after in another city, though you could: do the same as with 2026, create clusters. All doable. 

You also have two or more large stadiums in 4 of the cities (Madrid with 2, Barcelona with 3, Sevilla with 3, Lisbon with two).

Since Spain has the highest rate of tourism in the world after France, which is centred on Paris, the capacity for absorption is high. When the Mobile World Congress comes to Barcelona, that is 110,000 visitors over 5 days; true, many visitors end up in cities 15-20 km out of town. So having a group in a city is possible, in terms of cities, amenities and logistics.

While I could be greedy about it, returning to Uruguay and including S American countries that have not hosted a World Cup is a great idea. 

I'm not disparaging the Spain-Portugal bid (I should have known better than to comment on Spain). I think they'd make a fine host with clusters as you say. But once you have the games separated by multi-hour journeys, it means a nomadic world cup to follow your team around. In Doha we all just plunked down for 10+ days and went to multiple games, rode on the free metro or took $10 ubers to the other end of the city. Saw fans from all 32 countries within the first few days (CRC most rare for me, btw). Even if you held the WC in "only" Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla and Lisbon, you'd be cutting that critical mass down by 4x. There are definite advantages to doing so (like more accommodation availability). But it's not going to be the same feeling as Qatar2022.

[JamboAl]

So I’m finally on my way home after almost a month away (two weeks in Qatar).  I am so glad I went because of the football, the different people and cultures I experienced and the hospitality and warmth of the local migrant workers (and the few Qataris).    Would I do it again?  Yes!  But it won’t likely happen again with so many different people in one small area.  
And in case anyone is wondering, I paid for this trip out of my own pocket so I’m saying this out of my own free will.  

[ensco]

Yes, adding that I went and feel the same way. I mean, I saw 12 games in eight days. I will, I am certain, never do something that pure and intense, with respect to football, ever again.
 

Got to meet and spend time with several CMNT player family members. For those who went, we really were all in it together.
 

Plus, like others are saying, the scene off the field was an epic and surreal football festival. Disneyland for football fanatics.
 

I could not be happier with the decision to have gone.
 

Thank you to a number of people here, none of whom I know, who contributed in the planning of this trip. Every Voyageur I met was an interesting person!

Edited December 8, 2022 by ensco

[El Hombre]

9 minutes ago, ensco said:

Every Voyageur I met was an interesting person!

What a ringing endorsement!  🤣

[ensco]

1 hour ago, El Hombre said:

What a ringing endorsement!  🤣

Hah.

They were very nice, too!

[red card]

So, the unit behind Concacafe, Canada Soccer House & Rogers Hometown Hockey are all the same. It was set up by Toronto-based (but have been in Qatar for 10+ years) sports marketing agency SDI Sports.

They're the official agency of record for fan engagement and experiential marketing for Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy. Their key to success is wasta - an Arabic word that refers to having good connections, or clout. Sometimes the term is equated with corruption, but it also has a more innocuous application. “It’s a word that’s used a lot over here, basically referring to knowing who to speak to, in order to get things done.”

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/soccer/article-toronto-based-sports-marketing-agency-finds-opportunity-in-the-fraught/

[EJsens1]

I got home a few days ago after being away for a month (19 days in Doha). God was I tired. I ended up going to 27 games. 
 

Truly a unique experience compared to other World Cups. I’ve never felt so engaged in an event and I’ve been to many sporting events around the world. The organization across the board was unbelievable. Easy to say when you can just dump money on everything and have no accountability, but it worked didn’t it?

Aside from the games being the best part, here are some pros and cons from my experiences..

Pros

-the metro system was unreal. So efficient, modern, fast and organized

-the shuttle buses were great. Used them much more than anticipated and for someone going to multiple games a day at times, big lifesaver 

-the volunteers. What a job they did in guiding and helping everyone. The fan experience would have flopped if not for them 

-the security process was seamless. Couple times there were line ups for me, but they moved relatively quick. I found as the tournament went along, security got less up tight and you went through much faster

-the malls were a lifeline at times before games. Hitting up a food court was amazing because of how awful the food was at the stadiums 

-as others have mentioned, how cordial everyone was amongst fan bases. It truly was a galvanizing part of the trip. I think a lot of people appreciated being able to do this trip after the last few years with Covid 

Cons

-like I said above, the food at the stadiums was so bad. Just terrible

-I know this is really knit picking, but I wanted to punch those guys in the head after every game with their signs “collecting used tickets”. You know full well they’re full of shit and ripping people off online 

-I wish they had more screens outside the stadiums for viewing the games that were on before heading to your seat for the game you were attending. Each stadium seemed to have only one with a Dj interrupting every 5 minutes who didn’t really know what was happening in the game 

[ensco]

^27 games. Man, that is an entire lifetime of elite football for most hardcores.

[Cadeau]

I was in Qatar too for ten days, saw all of Canada's games. It was truly amazing. The atmosphere was great. I dont know if it translated on tv but the Canada fans really brought the noise. After the game vs Belgium, everyone wanted to talk to me, saw us as a legit team to keep an eye on, but that died down after the Croatia game. The only downside was with the fifa app, I tried to see other games but I didnt want to spend the whole day on the app in hopes Id get lucky. And the biggest realisation was the disconnect with the media, you really cant believe everything the media pushes...which is unfortunate because one should expect the media to, at least, try to be truthful and have integrity, and not worry about catering to the prevailing group-think sentiment.

[An Observer]

On 12/25/2022 at 7:22 AM, Cadeau said:

I was in Qatar too for ten days, saw all of Canada's games. It was truly amazing. The atmosphere was great. I dont know if it translated on tv but the Canada fans really brought the noise. After the game vs Belgium, everyone wanted to talk to me, saw us as a legit team to keep an eye on, but that died down after the Croatia game. The only downside was with the fifa app, I tried to see other games but I didnt want to spend the whole day on the app in hopes Id get lucky. And the biggest realisation was the disconnect with the media, you really cant believe everything the media pushes...which is unfortunate because one should expect the media to, at least, try to be truthful and have integrity, and not worry about catering to the prevailing group-think sentiment.

What was the disconnect with the media?

[Free kick]

On 12/11/2022 at 8:59 AM, EJsens1 said:

Cons

-like I said above, the food at the stadiums was so bad. Just terrible

I commented as well at how terrible the food was and how limited the selection was.  I dont think that anyone could argue otherwise.  
 

But i heard /read a comment last week from someone in the media (I think it was Derek Van Diest) that made me further ponder this issue.  He mentioned that even in Europe and in South American, there is no beer or alcohol served in stadiums at soccer matches.  I wasnt aware of that and made me further ponder the notion of food at sporting events.   Outside of Canada and the US, is stadium food and quality really a necessity and even an issue? Perhaps its us who need to change or adjust our attitudes.  Perhaps its us, through agressive advertising and marketing, who have been psychologically conditioned to think that stuffing our faces has to be part of the game day or event experience.   Myself included. 
 

If you watch any sporting event (Including and especially any MLS game in Canada) in the US or Canada, when the cameras pan to the crowd, you will always see people with a beer in their hand, and/ or a hot dog or natchos etc.   At sporting events/ soccer matches in the rest of the world or even at WC games, when the cameras pan the crowd, I never see anyone eating or drinking anything.  In a nutshell,  food and concessions are additional revenues for the owners, the clubs, event organizers etc.  and hence outside Canada and the US there is perhaps that sanctity towards the event that maybe owner and Fans are sensitive too (ie.:  the reason I or you are here is your loyalty to the colours not to eat). 
 

But yes,  the food really was awful at the stadiums in Qatar🙂

 

[Greatest Cockney Rip Off]

8 hours ago, Free kick said:

I commented as well at how terrible the food was and how limited the selection was.  I dont think that anyone could argue otherwise.  
 

But i heard /read a comment last week from someone in the media (I think it was Derek Van Diest) that made me further ponder this issue.  He mentioned that even in Europe and in South American, there is no beer or alcohol served in stadiums at soccer matches.  I wasnt aware of that and made me further ponder the notion of food at sporting events.   Outside of Canada and the US, is stadium food and quality really a necessity and even an issue? Perhaps its us who need to change or adjust our attitudes.  Perhaps its us, through agressive advertising and marketing, who have been psychologically conditioned to think that stuffing our faces has to be part of the game day or event experience.   Myself included. 
 

If you watch any sporting event (Including and especially any MLS game in Canada) in the US or Canada, when the cameras pan to the crowd, you will always see people with a beer in their hand, and/ or a hot dog or natchos etc.   At sporting events/ soccer matches in the rest of the world or even at WC games, when the cameras pan the crowd, I never see anyone eating or drinking anything.  In a nutshell,  food and concessions are additional revenues for the owners, the clubs, event organizers etc.  and hence outside Canada and the US there is perhaps that sanctity towards the event that maybe owner and Fans are sensitive too (ie.:  the reason I or you are here is your loyalty to the colours not to eat). 
 

But yes,  the food really was awful at the stadiums in Qatar🙂

 

I’ve can’t speak to all of Europe, but they sell beer at football matches in England, Austria and Germany. In England, beer cannot be consumed in any place that the pitch is visible. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

11 hours ago, Free kick said:

I commented as well at how terrible the food was and how limited the selection was.  I dont think that anyone could argue otherwise.  
 

But i heard /read a comment last week from someone in the media (I think it was Derek Van Diest) that made me further ponder this issue.  He mentioned that even in Europe and in South American, there is no beer or alcohol served in stadiums at soccer matches.  I wasnt aware of that and made me further ponder the notion of food at sporting events.   Outside of Canada and the US, is stadium food and quality really a necessity and even an issue? Perhaps its us who need to change or adjust our attitudes.  Perhaps its us, through agressive advertising and marketing, who have been psychologically conditioned to think that stuffing our faces has to be part of the game day or event experience.   Myself included. 
 

If you watch any sporting event (Including and especially any MLS game in Canada) in the US or Canada, when the cameras pan to the crowd, you will always see people with a beer in their hand, and/ or a hot dog or natchos etc.   At sporting events/ soccer matches in the rest of the world or even at WC games, when the cameras pan the crowd, I never see anyone eating or drinking anything.  In a nutshell,  food and concessions are additional revenues for the owners, the clubs, event organizers etc.  and hence outside Canada and the US there is perhaps that sanctity towards the event that maybe owner and Fans are sensitive too (ie.:  the reason I or you are here is your loyalty to the colours not to eat). 
 

But yes,  the food really was awful at the stadiums in Qatar🙂

No alcohol in any professional sporting venue in Spain. 

At stadiums, it is just a mediocre selection of dogs and nachos, or popcorn, like the worst in North America. I rarely eat at a stadium, I only do it at much lower tier matches where they may have a bar with better sandwiches, also because they'll play at noon on a Sunday. 

In Spain the vast majority will go with their own food, usually a baguette with ham or cheese, in tin foil. Always allowed. Only drinks are not allowed closed, as they are considered projectiles, so you order alcholol free beer or soft drinks and they go in a cup.

I think a factor in Europe, often, is that the area around a stadium has a certain urban density and there are many food and drink options. Not always the highest quality, but the options are there. So you go early, or go after the game, and at the match your hands are free to cheer. 

Sounds to me, given the solid organisation in Qatar, that they gave the food concessions without properly vetting, or there was a bit of corruption in the designation, since it seems odd food would be so terrible when most everything else was done right.

Edited December 26, 2022 by Unnamed Trialist

[Bison44]

I dont know, is it possible to get it right?  Are you sure we wont get the same complaints about whatever they serve (or dont serve) at BMO/vendors in 2026??   Not easy to keep a worldwide fan base happy, every football culture has their own traditions and flavors, could be just your cultural bias showing eh?  Hard enough just to find stadium food that Cdns will agree on.     

[Markoaleks]

I did not miss beer during the games - wanted to enjoy the games without hitting the washrooms during run of play and missing plays 

As for food at WC- went to 6 games total and had pop/water and last game had a hot dog and shawarma- both ok - not memorable plus or minus compared to stadium food I have had 

( BMO pizza is amazing and I don’t like pizza/pizza as a rule)

My TFC experience has always involved a few beers during the match, some food (beer hunger ?) so am going to see how 2023 plays out for me based on Qatar- that said my seat neighbours and I have been generous with each other for rounds - so will see how that plays out too😀👍

 

 

 

[An Observer]

7 hours ago, Bison44 said:

I dont know, is it possible to get it right?  Are you sure we wont get the same complaints about whatever they serve (or dont serve) at BMO/vendors in 2026??   Not easy to keep a worldwide fan base happy, every football culture has their own traditions and flavors, could be just your cultural bias showing eh?  Hard enough just to find stadium food that Cdns will agree on.     

I don’t think there was any cultural bias in the food. If anything, I would have preferred Qatari or Middle Eastern food but that generally wasn't on offer. They did western style food probably to try to please the masses and they did it badly. And not because they had adjusted it for local taste considerations but due to its poor quality. It would have been bad anywhere.

[Unnamed Trialist]

12 hours ago, An Observer said:

I don’t think there was any cultural bias in the food. If anything, I would have preferred Qatari or Middle Eastern food but that generally wasn't on offer. They did western style food probably to try to please the masses and they did it badly. And not because they had adjusted it for local taste considerations but due to its poor quality. It would have been bad anywhere.

I think we have to appreciate that food set up for an occasional event, where the concessions are not working on a regular basic, will often be worse. This partially explains why stadium food is often poor in many countries, because they are only in there once every two weeks.

Okay, if you have CFL and MLS, you may have a bit more; concerts, trade shows, that much more. BC Place has fairly good quality food and drink, with options, probably for this reason, that they have many events and the concessions make the effort. But even if you did not like your BC Place options you literally walk out onto Robson Street and there are 30 options within a 5 block walk.

For the World Cup 2026, I'd like to see a greater diversity, with vegetarian options, for example, which would also be, by definition, halal, or apt for lacto-vegetarian Hindus. And if they can't guarantee that inside a stadium, they should allow fans to go in with their own food, as I see it.

[red card]

If you want souvenir hard copies of your tickets, the FIFA portal is ready to take your order now till Feb 7th. 10 QAR/ticket. Delivery expected in March to April timeframe. 

https://fcfs-intl.fwc22.tickets.fifa.com/account

 

Edited January 18, 2023 by red card