Fans who are lucky enough to get their hands on the FIFA World Cup tickets might have another expensive obstacle at hand.
Since the first ticket sales of the World Cup kicked off, airlines have exponentially spiked their flight prices to Qatar during the tournament dates.
The sharp increase in prices echoes worries from fans who may now have to pay ten times more the usual price of a ticket, atop of their match tickets, in order to see their favourite teams play.
Ticket applications for the grand tournament launched on January 19, 2022, revealing affordable prices within the several categories for all football fans to enjoy.
Within 24 hours, more than 1.2 million tickets were registered, with over 80,000 tickets requested for the opening match, which will take place on 21 November..
140,000 tickets have been requested for the final match, which falls on 18 December at Lusail Stadium, which will see the crowning of the World Cup Qatar 2022 champions.
The organising committee is expecting over 1.2 million visitors from across the world during the tournament, which is set to take place between 21 November and 18 December.
The countries which have requested the most tickets applications to date, include the host nation Qatar as well as Argentina, Mexico, USA, UAE, England, India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and France.
Which countries have applied for most World Cup tickets so far?
Fare expectations
Flight fares at a regional level have dramatically risen, for example, a one-way ticket from Dubai to Doha on 20 November has reached 4000-6,000 QAR, compared to its usual average of 600-500 QAR on a normal day. Return tickets on the same dates fare at 8,500 QAR.
One-way flights from Muscat on the same date have spiked up to more than 3,000 QAR. Fares to Riyadh have also reached an approximate 3,000 QAR for the tournament, and the prices are steadily increasing.
Price expectations of a round-ticket from the other GCC states to Qatar are presently set between 7,000 – 10,000 QAR for economy class, depending on both country and date.
International fans on the other hand might need to start saving up from now.
Fares from Argentina to Doha on 20 November have exceeded 17,000 QAR for a one-way ticket on Qatar Airways, whilst tickets from England have spiked to 5,000 QAR.
For Brazil, eager fans may also have to pay over 12,596 QAR for a one-way ticket and almost double for an economy round-trip.
Qatar’s anticipated 2022 FIFA World Cup will kick off on 21 November 2022 in Al Khor.
Thus far, 15 out of the 32 countries have qualified for the grand tournament; qualification matches will continue this year until the intercontinental playoffs.
The second ticket sale is expected to kick off later this year, prior to the final draw in April.
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