Like in previous World Cups, Clegg hopes to follow his team throughout the tournament. He hopes Gareth Southgate's team will make it out of the group stage and into the final, according to the BBC. However, if his dream comes true, Clegg faces a major problem: he's not sure where he'll sleep for nearly a month of the tournament.
"I just booked a room for the first four nights and paid a lot of money. I don't have any cheaper options, so I'm not sure where I'll stay after that," he said.
Like Clegg, thousands of others are facing similar problems. With the World Cup kicking off in less than two months, many fans have yet to find accommodation in Qatar.
Scarce choice
The World Cup is expected to attract more than a million tourists, but as of March, Qatar had only 30,000 hotel rooms, 80% of which had been booked by FIFA for teams, officials and sponsors. To make more room, organizers are offering shared accommodation in empty apartments, villas and traditional tents in the desert.
Two cruise ships have also been converted into hotels at the Doha port. All of these measures are expected to add 70,000 additional tourist accommodation spaces. Qatar is working to provide around 130,000 “comfortable” rooms during the tournament. However, the current accommodation options for tourists on land are limited and too expensive.
Qatar is the smallest World Cup host country in the world.
Tents in the desert outside Doha are cheaper, at around $200 a night. But many visitors say the price is still too high for the level of comfort and service they receive. Anas Filali, a tourist from the United States, said there were no affordable options for ordinary fans like himself.
"$200 for a room in the fan village is too expensive. Airbnb rooms are also very expensive. I hope to find a better place to stay when I get there," he said.
There are hardly any places on Airbnb for less than $200 a night. Leo Caglilio, an Australian tourist, is paying $265 a night for a private room in a private home in Doha. He said he visited Brazil for the 2014 World Cup and had no trouble finding affordable accommodation.
"This time it's really tiring. I've been trying to find a room since April, but the prices are always so high," Caglilio said.
Tourists flock to Dubai
Qatar is the smallest of the countries to have hosted the World Cup and has reportedly spent $200 billion on infrastructure and stadiums since winning the right to host the tournament in 2010.
The group stage will be a “peak season”, with matches being played every day at several stadiums in Doha and surrounding areas. FIFA said nearly 2.5 million of the 3 million tickets available have already been sold and 1.2 million visitors, or nearly 40% of Qatar’s population, are expected to attend the matches.
Qatar's troubles are opening up opportunities for neighboring countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman, which have said they will operate additional flights to bring fans to the host country during the World Cup.
Tourists visiting Qatar.
Dubai has emerged as a hot destination, with demand for hotels soaring ahead of the World Cup. The city will operate nearly 50 daily shuttle flights to Doha, less than an hour away. Simon Witney, a fan from the UK, is in Dubai and plans to visit Doha only on match days. He said luxury rooms in Dubai cost less than $100 a night, and the prices and service are much better than in Qatar.
"If I can find cheap flights, I can save a significant amount of money," Witney said.
Dubai estimates that around 1 million World Cup fans could visit the city, although some observers say that target may be ambitious, given that Qatar is expecting a similar number of visitors. Despite the lack of accommodation, many fans like Paul Clegg hope to stay in Qatar to fully enjoy the World Cup.
"I want to immerse myself in the atmosphere of the tournament. If I were in another country, I would miss that experience," Clegg shared.
