How to find hotels for World Cup in Qatar

So you’ve got your tickets to the World Cup in 2022. You may or may not have booked your flights, but that’s okay. But if you’ve looked for a hotel or an Airbnb, none of them are available right now for World Cup 2022. So, if you’re looking for hotel options and need to find accommodation during the World Cup, what do you do? In short, here’s how to find hotels for World Cup in Qatar and surrounding countries.

One option is booking a Fan Village Cabin through the official Qatar 2022 website. But be forewarned that the “cabin” looks like a cross between a modified shipping container and a tiny, portable classroom. Similarly, we’re hearing that the Fan Villages Cabins are not air conditioned. Furthermore, be aware that the cabins are in the desert. In conclusion, don’t expect a comfortable, hotel-like experience.

From our research, finding hotel accommodations through the Qatar 2022 portal is extremely difficult and frustrating. To reduce the stress, we’ve compiled this guide on finding hotels for the World Cup in Qatar.

Qatar Accommodation Info for Travelers

In an ideal world, fans traveling to Qatar for the World Cup would be as central to the matches as possible. One of the selling points this year is the close proximity of each stadium in the tournament. The two farthest stadiums from one another are just 46 miles away. Comparatively, the two closest stadiums for the 2018 World Cup in Russia outside of Moscow were well over 175 miles apart.

Therefore, let’s start by looking at potential accommodations in and around Qatar.

Hotels in Qatar

Perhaps you were curious about how to find actual hotels for the World Cup in Qatar. Have hotels sold out? Unfortunately, according to the Qatar World Cup website, those currently have no availability. Those were likely the first accommodations to be snatched up, with almost all hotels being in the central area of Doha.

There are other options, however, that do not require you to stay in Doha.

Staying in neighboring countries

There are plenty of hotels to choose from in cities such as Muscat (Oman), Dubai (UAE), Abu Dhabi (UAE) and Dammam (Saudi Arabia). Conveniently, you can stay in a neighboring country and fly in for the games in Qatar.

Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton hotel, in Muscat, Oman. Photo credit: Eye Ubiquitous via Getty Images

Hotels in any of the cities mentioned above provide relatively straightforward travel between countries.

There are many advantages to staying in hotels in neighboring countries.

1. You have more hotel choices available.
2. The quality of the hotels is better.
3. There is plenty of availability, so prices are more affordable.

World Cup Hotels Browse hotel rooms in and around Qatar

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Tips for United States travelers and Visas

Your first and most important step is to go straight through the 2022 Qatar World Cup to purchase match tickets. Next, register to access your Hayya Card. For instance, that provides access to Qatar, getting into stadiums and receiving free transportation in the country via bus or metro.

The Hayya Card acts as an entry visa for travelers in Qatar. This is a mandatory card for travelers coming for the World Cup. It is required to enter the country and each stadium during the World Cup.

Note that fans just trying to get to the country for the experience are more limited. Your best bet is to buy your match tickets first, and then you can book your hotel and flights later.

The best option is likely the apartments. It provides a mix of what the fan village and the hotel could be. It also serves a large group better, establishing some sort of home base during the World Cup. That being said, here are the options available for those looking to stay in Qatar during the World Cup.

Other World Cup Accommodation Options

Fan Villages

Currently, the fan villages have three locations available on the outskirts of Qatar. At $208 per night, this is the most affordable option for fans coming to Qatar for the World Cup. But remember, you get what you pay for. The three options are just south of Doha, north near Lusail Stadium and more west of Doha.

Fans can either have two twin beds or one full bed in their accommodation. Keep in mind, this is far from the luxury Qatar builds up in Doha or neighboring countries. It basically is a place to sleep and get ready for the day. Each fan village is more or less the same, just located in a different spot. There is free WiFi, two bottles of water each day, twice-weekly housekeeping service and relatively easy access to Doha via metro.

There is no indication of air conditioning in these pods, so tourists in these fan villages will rely on the cooler evenings.

Apartments and Villas

Taking a step up in both price and quality, the apartments in Qatar range from just under $1,000 a night.

Availability for these is all over the place. Some locations have ‘high availability,’ while others have no availability six months out from the World Cup. Also, due to the range of options, there are apartments and villas spanning from Al Janoub Stadium in the south to Al Khor in the northern part of the country.

Some options, such as in Al Wakrah, feature three-bedroom apartments for roughly $530 per night. Fans can configure the apartments to have six beds if they want to travel in a group.

Something to keep in mind, however, is that some apartments and villas will have air conditioning, while others will not. All will have the standard housekeeping several times per week, WiFi access, basic kitchen appliances and access to transportation.

Cruise Ships

For those interested in learning how to find hotels for the World Cup in Qatar, there is one interesting option. A pair of cruise ships from MSC Cruises will be docked at Doha’s Grand Terminal, which is just outside the center of the city. It provides easy access to activities and transportation to the stadiums.

As of now, the two cruise ships are either $180 per night on the MSC Poesia and $350 per night on the MSC World Europa. Reason being, the World Europa is still under construction as of May 2022, making the Qatar World Cup fans staying aboard among the first to reside on the ship. Staying on a cruise ship for the Qatar World Cup would be just like going on a cruise vacation. There are dinner and drink options aboard, and there are entertainment options on both.

The rooms are relatively small, as is the standard on cruise ships. However, there is availability six months from the World Cup.

Staying outside of Qatar

There are reasons to stay outside of Qatar, then commute into the country to watch a game or be a part of the atmosphere.

A number of airlines that call the Persian Gulf home will offer transportation via plane shuttles during the World Cup. For example, Qatar Airways, flydubai, Oman Air, Kuwait Airways and Saudi Airlines will fly daily shuttle routes. There will be roughly 160 shuttle flights per day.

According to Qatar Airways, flights are $298 USD for economy.

These shuttle planes plan to arrive five hours before any given match. Then, according to Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker, fans will have plenty of time to board the planes to return to their country of stay. Those looking to partake in this must have three things secured. For one, there is the Hayya Card completed and accessible. Fans must also have a match ticket. Those looking to get into the country for restaurants or other activities will need other transportation. Finally, fans must book a flight that arrives in Doha at least four hours before kickoff.

World Cup 2022 Qatar Browse shuttle flights from UAE and Oman to Doha

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Learn more about traveling to Qatar for World Cup 2022 in our World Cup 2022 Content Hub.