DOHA: Director of Marketing and Communications at the Local Committee for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup Hassan Rabia Al Kuwari said that the Local Committee for the tournament, which Qatar will host from Jan 12 to Feb 10, 2024, would soon announce a plan for selling tickets and their issuance mechanism in parallel with the official agreement with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Al Kuwari said that the date of issuing the tickets and the method of the sale mechanism would be announced in detail soon, adding that the plan for issuing tickets would be very similar to the plan adopted during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which includes the commitments to the AFC and all partners, and coordination with the 24 participating teams and national federations, as all these data will be taken into account.
Al Kuwari revealed that the Hayya card has special procedures and conditions and is the easiest access to the State of Qatar for residents or those in the GCC states. These details and the possibility of linking them with tournament tickets will be announced at a later time by the authorities.
On including Lusail Stadium to host the opening and final matches of the AFC Asian Cup, Al Kuwari said that Lusail Stadium, which has a capacity of 88,000 seats, has become a global icon after hosting the final match of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the impressive success it achieved. The stadium also witnessed the crowning of one of the most prominent football legends, Lionel Messi, along with his team, Argentina. Thus, the Lusail Stadium will be an added value to the Asian Cup.
The upcoming AFC Asian Cup competitions will be held in six other World Cup stadiums -- Al Bayt Stadium, Al Janoub Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium, Education City Stadium, and Khalifa International Stadium. Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium and Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium will also join these stadiums.
Al Kuwari - who is also the Executive Director of Marketing, Sales and Communication at Qatar Stars League (QSL) - pointed out that there are several positive factors that contributed to achieving an exceptional kickoff for Expo Stars League 2023-2024.
He noted that the partnership with International Horticultural Expo 2023 Doha left a wide impact, in addition to the public presence in the stands, indicating that the Expo Stars League will be more exciting, given these introductions.
Al Kuwari revealed that QSL would participate in the inauguration of Expo 2023, which the State of Qatar will hold from Oct 2023 until March 2024, through a special pavilion that will include the Qatari football family, where they will promote the league tournament in the presence of a host of the most prominent professional players in Qatari clubs, stressing the Expo is expected to draw wide attention.
During the past period, the league coordinated with Aspire Zone to provide logistical services for the stadiums to organize the best version of the league. He added that the next three rounds of the league will be held in five 2022 World Cup stadiums. The matches will then be held in the clubs' stadiums since the World Cup stadiums will be prepared to host the 2023 AFC Asian Cup and the 2024 AFC U-23 Finals.
