Doha: The distance to the World Summit is getting shorter as the days go by. There is only 300 days left to go to the football festival. Today marks the 300th day of waiting at the Digital Clock Tower, which has become a pilgrimage center for sports enthusiasts in Doha’s Corniche.
A year ago, Qatar set up all the infrastructure for the World Cup, which starts on November 21, and has now started selling tickets. The first round of ticket sales began on January 19 through the FIFA website. The ticket booking process, which runs until February 8, has received overwhelming support from football fans around the world.
Ticket bookings started last Wednesday and 12 lakh people booked within 24 hours. Large bookings continue in the following days. New booking figures will be released in the coming days. FIFA has begun the process of selling tickets with the promise of spectators coming to the gallery to watch the game at the lowest possible rates. Eligibility for tickets will be determined by a random draw after March 8.
Currently, most people book tickets from Qatar. Most bookings are from Argentina, Mexico, USA, UAE, England, India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and France.
What’s that?
Kovid’s third wave came a year after the countdown and the uproar over the FIFA Arab Cup. While this is a setback to the excitement of the World Cup, Qatar is poised to wake up again in the wake of the Kovid challenge. The follow-up to the World Cup qualifiers will begin two days later. Currently, 13 teams, including the hosts, have secured tickets to Qatar. The remaining 19 teams are yet to be identified. The picture of 17 of these teams will be shown before March 30. The other two teams will make their way to Qatar through the Intercontinental Playoffs in June. The draw for the World Cup will follow the FIFA Annual General Body Meeting in Doha on April 1.
By the end of the group round in Europe, 10 teams had qualified for Qatar. The second round matches will be played on March 24. The final of this round is on the 29th. The four winning teams will also qualify from Europe to Qatar.
The remaining matches of the qualifying round in Latin America will begin at midnight on January 27th. Currently, Argentina and Brazil have qualified. Each team has four games left until March 29. Both teams can qualify directly for Qatar. A team can also play in the Intercontinental Playoffs. The African third round will also take place in March. The Concacaf third round matches will resume on January 27.
