What the United States can learn from Qatar for the 2026 World Cup
Now that the 2022 World Cup is finished, all eyes look ahead to the 2026 World Cup which will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. There are a few things that the U.S. could learn from the 2022 World Cup hosts, Qatar.
1. Public Transportation
One of the biggest successes at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was the public transportation that had been built for the tournament.
While Qatar had the money and time to build the necessary equipment to host the 2022 World Cup in an area slightly smaller than Connecticut, the U.S. does not. This is a slight issue because some of the stadiums are not easily accessible without a car.
One example is Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is around an hour and a half journey from central Boston on the train. For a New England Patriots game, the price of a train ticket is $20. There appears to be one route to and from the stadium. This is not terrible by any means but could be improved.
The use of shuttle buses was exceptional in Qatar and made traveling to and from stadiums a breeze. The best example was the Al Bayt Stadium which required a 25-minute bus ride from the last metro station. The use of the bus made the journey very easy.
A similar comparison for the United States in the 2026 World Cup is the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. From looking at maps, it seems to be a 90-minute journey due in part to the stadium being far out from downtown Miami. Driving, on the other hand, takes roughly 35 minutes.
The use of shuttle buses from spots around the city similar to what was done in Qatar would make getting to the stadiums significantly easier.
2. Fix Prices
Concession prices at the stadiums in Qatar were incredible compared to what we see at stadiums in the United States. For water and soda, it cost 15 Qatari Riyal which is the equivalent of $4.12 in America, while hot dogs and burgers were closer to 25 Qatari Riyal or $6.80. I cannot think of the last time that I saw food prices this low at a professional sporting event in the U.S.
Traveling to the U.S. will be a pretty penny for fans. Throw in the high prices that hotels will likely charge coupled with the likely need for a rental car due to a lackluster public transport system, and it’s going to be expensive. Having cheaper concession prices will not make a huge difference for the people in charge, but it might be for the fans traveling.
The other aspect of American sports that is ridiculously expensive is parking. It is not uncommon to see prices upward of $60-70 for parking at an NFL stadium. This is a huge difference from what stadium parking prices were in Qatar. To park in the main parking lot at the Al Bayt Stadium it cost fans a whopping $0. That’s right, parking was free at this stadium and all the others.
With everything else being overpriced for the 2026 World Cup, it would not hurt to at least lower parking prices significantly.
3. Ease up on Security
All of the stadiums being used in the U.S. are NFL stadiums. Speaking from experience, security at these stadiums is extremely strict with only clear bags being allowed in. In Qatar, however, all types of backpacks were allowed in and that lets the party that is the World Cup continue.
At the 2022 World Cup, fans from Ghana and Senegal would come in crazy costumes with drums. No shot an NFL stadium would let those in without it being part of a band like we see with college teams.
The exquisite costumes and noise makers are part of what makes the World Cup special. If the U.S. is going to embrace the sport and the fans, then they should not worry about worst-case scenarios regarding security. Allowing fans to bring noise makers and other items of that sort helps create an incredible atmosphere.
4. Make it fun/keep politics out
A major talking point of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was the extreme political beliefs of the host nation. It would be naive to not believe that, in one way or another, politics will be brought up during the 2026 World Cup, especially after how vocal the Western world was of all Qatar’s issues.
Sure, there are times when politics and sport do overlap, but the World Cup is a time for fans to come together. Politics do nothing of that sort and spread people apart more than bring them together. At the end of the day, the World Cup should not be a political statement but a celebration of a sport that brings each corner of the globe together.
From my experience at other football tournaments, having fan zones all over the place with big screens brings the atmosphere of the stadiums to the streets. Qatar had very few big screens around busier areas which the United States should learn from. If the U.S. wants to fully embrace the spirit of the World Cup, then having public watch parties will be a must.
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