It’s starting to get real, folks. In less than 72 months, more than a million fans are expected to gather in Qatar to attend the 2022 World Cup.

Last night marked six years until the tournament kicks off with an opening ceremony at Lusail Stadium.

It’s also almost been six years since Qatar was awarded the tournament in the first place on Dec. 2, 2010.

6 things to look forward to in 2022 #Halfwayto2022 pic.twitter.com/M3ZLRE4GK6

— Road to 2022 (@roadto2022) November 21, 2016

In honor of the moment, World Cup organizers released new stats yesterday outlining the compact nature of the upcoming games.

Short travel times

The total square mileage of the stadiums and training pitches required during the 2022 World Cup will be contained within 235 square meters.

This means fans will “be able to watch multiple live game per day and endure minimal travel times between venues,” Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SCDL) said in a statement.

It added that the longest distance between any two stadiums, Al Bayt – Al Khor in northern Qatar and Al Wakrah in the south, is only 35 miles.

And the shortest distance, between Khalifa International in Al Waab and Qatar Foundation in Al Rayyan, is 3.5 miles.

For fans using the upcoming Doha Metro, that equates to anywhere from 60 to only five minutes of commuting time, the committee said.

Nasser Al Khater, Assistant Secretary General for Tournament Affairs, said:

“The compact nature means short travel times from the airport and accommodation to fan parks, tourist attractions and most importantly, match venues, enabling fans to watch more than one live game a day. Qatar is also only an eight hour flight for two thirds of the world’s population. This is completely unique compared to any other FIFA World Cup.”

He added that players will also benefit from minimal travel time between matches.

“If you compare this to the USA’s group stage travel during Brazil 2014, which saw them notch up nearly 9,000 air miles just for their first three games, you can see how this will clearly benefit the players.”

Thoughts?