Some of England’s most loyal fans have been forced to abandon plans to attend the World Cup, describing the accommodation booking system in Qatar as a “complete shambles”.
Members of the England Supporters’ Travel Club, who pay £75 to join for access to special benefits, are able to secure World Cup tickets via an allocation from the English Football Association. It is seen as a way to reward the team’s most loyal supporters who most frequently travel to games.
The deadline for ESTC members to apply for World Cup tickets was on Thursday, but fans have been disgruntled to discover that they could only book World Cup accommodation via Fifa’s fan portal when in possession of a ticket.
Accommodation on the portal, which is supposed to be more affordable than the exorbitant figures being quoted by external booking agencies, was made available in March to those supporters who had purchased general sale tickets.
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With the cost of living increasing at the highest rate in decades – due to Russia’s war in Ukraine, the pandemic and Brexit – some fans do not want to apply for or purchase World Cup tickets until they know affordable accommodation is available and have been left in limbo. ESTC members have said they have decided not to go to the tournament due to the issue that one has described as a “complete shambles”.
Qatar organisers have essentially had to build a World Cup from scratch in the past 12 years, constructing new hotels, roads, an airport and a metro system. Accommodation will be available to World Cup attendees in hotels – which can cost several hundred pounds per night – and in apartments in central Doha, while temporary tournament accommodation is available on board cruise ships and in the Fan Village tents for those comfortable camping in the desert.
Supporters keen to book accommodation before applying for tickets have attempted to find alternative accommodation on the internet but have been quoted thousands of pounds for basic accommodation to cover the group- stage period. One supporter claims to have been quoted almost £20,000 for eight nights on a cruise ship.
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A spokesperson from Qatar’s Supreme Committee, organiser of the World Cup, told i: “The Supreme Committee Accommodation Agency Programme (which includes hotels, holiday homes, serviced apartments and villas, cruise ship hotels and fan villages) will deliver up to 130,000 rooms, or a total of 3.64 million room nights, which is a comfortable inventory for fans, teams and sponsors travelling to the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022.
“Room rates (based on two-person occupancy) start at the low rate of around £65.
“At this stage, we are inviting ticket holders to book their accommodation, including PMA ticket holders. We appreciate that some allocations have not yet been confirmed, but the Host Country Accommodation Portal will offer various options throughout the year, is being continuously updated, and stock will be held back for fans who have not yet obtained their tickets.
“Fans are encouraged to check the website regularly if the accommodation type they are looking for is not currently available. Fans can also book accommodation through traditional means, such as hotel and holiday accommodation websites.
“We anticipate a number of visiting fans will stay with friends or family during the tournament. We are also anticipating day-trippers who will make the most of Qatar’s strategic location and fly or drive in and out on the same day from neighbouring countries.”
England manager Gareth Southgate has been hugely supportive of the ESTC fans. “Travel club members are an important part of the journey of this England team and we value that loyalty at all times,” he said. “From the World Cup in Russia in 2018 to the Uefa Nations League in Portugal in 2019, we’ve seen first-hand how that unwavering support has gone hand in hand with the progress of this young group of players and we look forward to sharing more memories in the coming years.”
Fans, meanwhile, have already been able to apply for tickets to watch England play in the World Cup final. Tickets can be bought in three price categories, the cheapest is £535, next available is £887 and the most expensive costs £1,422.
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