World Cup 2022: How have travelling fans found Qatar tournament?

Fans person been making themselves heard connected the metro

At astir 4.30am each time successful Doha, the Adhan echoes astir the city.

At the aforesaid time, World Cup visitors are climbing backmost into their beds having near the Fifa instrumentality festival - wherever matches are shown connected large screens, past concerts staged - erstwhile it closes astatine 2am.

Qatar has a colonisation of less than 3 cardinal radical and much than 2,000 mosques, and a opposition successful civilization has been brought to the state for the archetypal large planetary shot tourney to beryllium held successful a Muslim authorities successful the Middle East.

"It feels truthful peculiar seeing the excitement and smiles of the fans," instrumentality festival manager Mead Al Emadi told BBC Sport. "We person welcomed radical from each backgrounds and cultures to observe the champion of shot here.

"Seeing however overmuch radical are enjoying themselves is the intangible bequest of the World Cup. As a Qatari pistillate who loves her football, moving connected this task for the past 10 years, past delivering it, is thing that has been beyond my wildest dreams."

Prayer facilities 'make it easy'

Faizal, his dada and member person been to ticker a fig of England matches

Qatar is simply a blimpish state but Sharia instrumentality is firmly entrenched successful its constitution - homosexuality is illegal, and the depletion of intoxicant is prohibited successful public.

Surrounded by visitors from astir the world, Qataris person stuck to their traditions and beliefs - men, women and children are seen astatine matches successful their thobes and abayas, but with look overgarment and carrying scarves and flags.

Every stadium has designated supplication rooms, including the media centres, which are often packed erstwhile the clip is approaching for the adjacent of the 5 regular prayers, and the Khalifa International Stadium has a purpose-built mosque wrong its perimeter.

During England's archetypal grooming league successful Doha, the Maghrib (sunset) Adhan could beryllium heard; astatine 1 Brazil crippled astatine Stadium 974, the imam was seen wearing a Neymar shirt; and during the past radical crippled astatine Al Janoub, a radical utilized a Uruguay emblem arsenic a supplication mat.

"If the World Cup hadn't been held here, we astir apt wouldn't person travel [to Qatar]," says Faizal, who has travelled from Yorkshire with his begetter and brother.

"The supplication facilities present marque it precise casual for us, whether it's successful the instrumentality festival, the souq oregon the stadium. It has been beauteous to spot tourists from each implicit the satellite attending the mosques and having a genuine involvement successful Islam and the Arab culture.

"Halal nutrient is simply a indispensable for america and would astir apt beryllium a conflict successful different countries, truthful having entree to halal nutrient wherever we are is specified a immense payment to us."

Three of the stadiums person besides been equipped with sensory rooms, giving fans with entree requirements the accidental to acquisition the crippled distant from ample crowds and large music.

Stadium entree has mostly been 'smooth'

Qatar has spent billions connected infrastructure for the tournament, including the stadiums, multi-lane motorways and a marque caller metro system.

Organisers person consistently claimed 3 migrant workers died connected stadium sites, with 37 further fatalities of stadium workers off-site owed to non-work reasons, and disputed a study alleging arsenic galore arsenic 6,500 migrant workers person died.

Late past month, World Cup main Hassan Al Thawadi told TalkTV an estimated 400-500 migrant workers died "as a effect of enactment connected to the World Cup".

However, Qatari officials rapidly sought to clarify that figure, saying it was an estimation for fatalities crossed each manufacture sectors, not conscionable infrastructure sites linked to the tournament.

With the astir distant of the stadiums conscionable 40 miles from the centre of Doha, determination were questions earlier the World Cup astir however the infrastructure would cope.

After an archetypal contented with the Fifa ticketing app connected time 2 - causing issues for hundreds of fans going to the England and Wales games - stadium entree has mostly gone well.

With immoderate of the stadiums a locomotion of 20 minutes oregon truthful from a metro station, hundreds of unit person been connected manus to constituent radical towards the venues, past outcry "metro, this way" portion pointing with elephantine foam fingers aft the matches.

England instrumentality Ben lives successful Doha, and attended the archetypal crippled astatine Al Bayt - the stadium furthest extracurricular the city.

"The logistics astir the stadium were precise smooth," helium said. "There were loads of buses getting america to the crushed from the metro and loads of buses to get america back.

"Getting into the crushed was smooth, too. The queue was agelong but it moved steadily and we were wrong successful astir 20 minutes.

"But nary nutrient oregon h2o was disposable successful the concourse adjacent us, which was a spot of a farce."

Holly, an England instrumentality who travelled for the radical stage, said: "What has truly amazed is the easiness to get to the stadiums and astir the city. The metro has been superb and you hardly person to wait."

Another England protagonist said fans could get to astir stadiums rather easily, but the ones further distant were "quite hard to navigate".

The longer-term bequest of the tourney volition beryllium felt erstwhile overseas fans person returned home, though, and a Brazilian antheral who has lived successful Qatar for 8 years told america the operation of the metro strategy volition person a peculiar impact.

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'We consciousness overmuch safer here'

Take (second right) travelled implicit to Qatar from Japan with his person and are pictured present with BBC Sport reporters Emma and Shamoon

Qatar has a debased transgression rate, truthful being pickpocketed oregon mugged successful the thoroughfare is unlikely. But information has been heavy bumped up for the tournament, with plentifulness of constabulary officers patrolling the metro and stadiums.

Japan protagonist Take said helium felt "much safer here" than successful Brazil 8 years ago.

"You had to cheque your bags everyplace you went," helium said arsenic helium reflected connected his acquisition successful 2014. "Here, nothing."

England instrumentality Mike said: "This is simply a World Cup similar nary different - it is truthful different, but it has been brilliant. I went to the instrumentality festival and determination were truthful galore fans astir enjoying the occasion.

"Obviously you don't person the drinking, and determination hasn't been immoderate trouble. It each feels truthful safe."

Another England fan, Holly, added: "There were concerns astir coming, but I person truly enjoyed it. It is simply a precise antithetic ambiance to what we are utilized to astatine shot successful England.

"There being nary portion and nary ample groups of fans has made it a spot of a carnival atmosphere. I haven't seen tons of European fans about, but the South Americans person much than made up for that."

Atmosphere 'as bully arsenic ever' oregon 'disappointing'?

In the build-up to the tournament, it was unclear however galore supporters would question to Qatar and what the ambiance was going to beryllium similar astatine matches.

It is estimated much than 1 cardinal fans person made the journey, and precise fewer matches person looked importantly undersubscribed. Indeed, Fifa said attendance for the radical signifier had been an mean of 96% of stadium capacity.

The bulk of games person been afloat of the colour, passionateness and sound you would expect astatine immoderate large tournament, though determination person been others that person prompted radical to station connected societal media they person felt "flat" oregon "artificial".

The astir evident quality erstwhile compared with erstwhile tournaments has been a simplification successful the fig of European fans. While the likes of Brazil and Argentina look to beryllium represented everyplace you go, it is antithetic to spot a protagonist wearing a European shot garment distant from the stadiums.

A Germany instrumentality we met earlier their gully with South Korea said the ambiance astatine European games had been "disappointing" and determination was a immense opposition to the 2006 tourney successful his homeland, wherever instrumentality parks had "100,000 successful each day... present it is lone 30,000 astatine the Corniche".

Many supporters person been impressed by the ambiance successful the stadiums, though, with Brazil instrumentality Dulce - who has lived successful Doha for 5 years - saying it was "as bully arsenic ever".

"We person truly loved it," she said. "I americium told determination are astir 30,000 Brazil fans who person travel from South America, and 38,000 from Argentina. This is usual.

"Just perceive to the noise. You could beryllium anyplace successful the satellite and this sound is arsenic large and arsenic good. I americium excited by what volition hap aboriginal successful the World Cup."

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'Leaving down LGBTQ+ supporters'

While we person been speaking to supporters who person chosen to question to Qatar, determination are, of course, galore fans who person stayed away, with the determination to signifier the World Cup successful a state wherever homosexuality is amerciable heavy criticised.

Organisers person ever maintained each visitors would beryllium invited careless of race, religion, sex oregon sexuality, but they besides said they expected their laws and civilization to beryllium respected, and galore LGBTQ+ fans said they had not received the assurances implicit safety they needed.

Days earlier the World Cup kicked disconnected successful Qatar, a instrumentality radical said shot is "leaving behind" its LGBT supporters.

A cheery instrumentality wrote successful a diary for BBC News that, though helium has ne'er felt acrophobic for his information successful Qatar, locals "don't see cheery fans arsenic portion of the equation".

A transgender Qatari pistillate besides told BBC News: "I americium precise afraid, but I conscionable privation radical to cognize that we bash exist."

BBC News writer Shaimaa Khalil wrote from Doha: "It does consciousness similar determination are 2 parallel universes erstwhile it comes to the controversies astir this World Cup.

"For the advocates, the activists, the European teams and particularly the 7 captains who had intended to deterioration the One Love armband, this is an LGBT and quality rights contented they privation to stay vocal about.

"For hosts Qatar, and those spectators who've travel present oregon who are watching astir the Arab satellite - which has a immense Muslim bulk - this is astir religion, culture, the norms of the portion and mostly astir respect which they don't consciousness they're getting."

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'Coffee is our beer'

Alcohol cannot beryllium consumed successful nationalist successful Qatar, portion ordinarily it is lone disposable to acquisition astatine definite hotels oregon if you person a licence.

Just 2 days earlier the commencement of the tournament, Fifa changed its policy and decided that intoxicant would not beryllium sold astatine the 8 stadiums.

The tourney has been chiefly trouble-free, isolated from an incidental which appeared to amusement a combat betwixt Argentina and Mexico supporters.

In Msheireb - the downtown country of Doha wherever determination are a fig of restaurants with al fresco eating - we spoke to a instrumentality with a Scotland garment connected and his 2 friends enjoying a brushed drink.

Asked however helium has felt without intoxicant being easy accessible, helium said: "It hasn't been a occupation astatine all. In fact, it's made america consciousness a spot better."

An Ecuador fan, who present lives successful Saudi Arabia, said they portion intoxicant successful his location state and it is simply a "big mode of life". He admitted it had been "very hard for a fewer weeks" aft helium moved to set to not drinking intoxicant and having parties, but helium is utilized to however it is successful Qatar and present has an alternative.

"Here, java is similar our beer," helium said. "People are lining up for ages for coffee."

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