Ikoli Victor
Doha
The counter sales of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 physical tickets kicked off on Tuesday, with hundreds of fans rushing to purchase match tickets for their favourite teams at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre’s Main Ticketing Centre (DECC). The other ticketing centre is at Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena - ABHA Arena in Al Sadd.
As of noon, only six matches were available for fans to purchase tickets for: Switzerland vs Cameroon, Tunisia vs Australia, Japan vs Costa Rica, Cameroon vs Serbia, Korea Republic vs Ghana, and Australia vs Denmark. There were two ticket categories available for purchase, 1 and 2, which coss QR600 and QR800, respectively.
Fans began arriving at 7 am at DECC and the Main Ticket Centre opened at 10 am. Within an hour, the majority of the QR600 tickets had been sold out, leaving fans with the option of purchasing a Category 1 ticket for QR800. But the never-say-die fans, who saw the opportunity to watch a World Cup live in a stadium, remained in line to purchase theirs.
Niraj Kumar and his co-workers who had been waiting in line to buy tickets said he rushed to the venue to get a ticket.
Kumar stated that he had expected it to be a Brazil, Argentina, or France ticket, but that he would make do with what was available.
"I’ll be off work to watch Match 29 between Cameroon and Serbia. Having lived in Qatar, watching a live FIFA World Cup match will be a lifetime memory for me,” the Nepalese fan said.
Another football fan stated, "I will buy any available tickets to watch maybe Ghana vs Korea. I can’t imagine not being at any of the stadiums to see a live game.”
"I’ve tried to buy these tickets since day one, but unfortunately, QR800 is now too much for me, so I’ll return tomorrow and other days until I find a category 3 ticket priced at QR250,” said Aneesh, an Indian fan supporting Argentina.
When asked why he backs Argentina’s Lionel Messi, he said, "I think it’s a tradition for us Indians to back either of the South American powerhouses (Brazil-Argentina), but I honestly pray for Messi to win this trophy.”
With about a month to go, the atmosphere of a World Cup host city is amazing.
FIFA officials were available in the large room to educate fans who had
purchased tickets on how to download the ticketing app and thus access their mobile tickets.
Many questions were answered by the officials, including how a Main Applicant on the FIFA ticketing website can transfer his or her ticket to a guest.