Sports Technology

The organisers of the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar have outlined their plans to deliver the "ultimate live experience" for football fans.

Set to be the most compact edition of the tournament, the fan experience will be backed by technology and fans being able to witness multiple matches in one day for the very first time at a World Cup owing to the reduced distances and well-connected infrastructure of the host nation.

Speaking at a recent event in the Qatari capital of Doha, officials from German Bundesliga football club Bayern Munich and application software firm SAP discussed how Qatar will look to leverage digital technology to provide the best possible fan experience.

Bayern Munich board member Andreas Jung stated “Qatar has the opportunity to deliver the ultimate fan experience - from planning their trip beforehand, to providing exclusive media content, and ordering and delivering concessions to their seats.

“Worldwide, we are entering the stage of the ‘digital fan’. Football fans are passionate and want instant connections with their favourite teams on mobile apps and social media.”

SAP SE Products and Innovation Director Bernd Leukert added: “Qatar’s vision and infrastructure puts it in an ideal position to delver some of the most technologically-advanced events.

“With the help of real-time technology, sports teams can deliver personalised and seamless fan experiences, proactively engage with fans on social media, and enhance training and performance.”

Information released by Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy suggests that the 2022 FIFA World Cup will feature all the stadiums and training pitches in a 234 kilo metre² radius – an area less than half the size of Greater London.

The Supreme Committee has also mapped out the total distances between the stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, indicating travel times required to move between the World Cup stadiums. The longest distance fans will have to cover between the stadiums will be just 56 kilometres between Al Bayt - Al Khor City in the North of Qatar and Al Wakrah in the South. The shortest distances fans will have to traverse will be less than 6 kilometres between the Khalifa International Stadium and the Qatar Foundation - shorter than the distance between the Arsenal FC's Emirates Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur's White Hart Lane.

As a result, fans will be able to watch two or three live games per day during the group stages, depending to the schedule prepared by FIFA. This will be an unprecedented offering, as no other edition of the world cup has ever had this facility.

Fans will also have to spend a minimum time in travelling, with the maxiumun anticipated travel times between stadiums being less than 60 minutes at the most.

Every stadium used in the 2022 FIFA World Cup will also feature Qatar's new metro system, scheduled to launch in 2019.

Nasser Al Khater, Assistant Secretary General, Tournament Affairs, Supreme Committee Delivery for Delivery & Legacy commented “we have always maintained that Qatar’s size will make it one of the most unique World Cups ever that will benefit both fans and players.

“For fans, this will be the ultimate tournament for live game experiences. The compact nature means short travel times from the airport and accommodation to fan parks, tourist attractions and most importantly, match venues, enabling fans to watch more than one live game a day.

“For the teams competing, it will also be a huge advantage as they will be based at one location for the entire tournament, play in a consistent climate throughout and experience minimal travel between matches.”

Qatar’s World Cup kicks off on 21st November 2022.

Images: Qatar’s planned Al Rayyan Stadium. 

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