Fan festivals at the World Cup were traditionally free to enter
Fifa is selling hospitality packages to attend its “fan festival” in Qatar – and stay out of the blazing sunshine – for as much as £960 per day, while ordinary supporters in the festival will have to endure the tiny Gulf nation’s soaring temperatures.
The new initiative has been launched for the first time for this World Cup, and offers those willing to pay the price the use of a private dining and drinking area away from the sweltering heat – as well as a view of those who are enduring it. For most of the 40,000 fans Fifa expect to attend the repurposed car park in Doha every day, there is precious little respite from the sun.
The most expensive “fan festival” hospitality package currently on offer by Fifa is the £960 “legacy lounge plus” deal which includes gourmet food, alcoholic drinks and “panoramic views” of the festival itself. Ordinary supporters are expected to flock to the Fifa fan festivals as one of the few places they will be able to buy alcohol in Qatar.
That premium package which is only valid for one day, also includes a ticket to watch a match in person at a stadium. There are cheaper deals, starting at £378 per person, that are simply hospitality packages to watch games in the fan festivals. These offer the use of private sports bars built at the festival and not accessible to non-paying fans.