There is no doubt that the State of Qatar has presented an exceptional edition of the World Cup, not because the tournament took place in a festive atmosphere filled with joy, excitement and unprecedented security, but rather because Qatar offered an exceptional environment for the event. Qatar offered things that no one had ever done before, especially free transportation and visas without discrimination that enabled hundreds of thousands of people from the global south nations to enter the country with the Hayya card. This would not have been possible if the World Cup had been held in a country other than Qatar, especially the self-conceited global north countries.
Two days before the kick-off of the tournament, Qatar made it possible for everyone with a Hayya card to use free transportation, and this continues until today. The public transit system transported nearly 26.8 million passengers.
The Ministry of Transport revealed that more than 18.416 million passengers were transported by Doha Metro, Lusail Tram, Education City Tram, and Msheireb Tram.
Following a thrilling month of non-stop action and entertainment, Qatar Airways, the Official Airline Partner of FIFA, announced that it operated nearly 14,000 flights -- uniting the world in Qatar for the greatest sporting event. During the mega sporting event, as many as 26,425 aircraft movements were recorded at both Hamad International Airport and Doha International Airport.
The transportation sector also set remarkable record numbers in all its services throughout the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. With no interruption and a peaceful manner, the sector transported fans from stadiums to fan zones, markets and different places in the country. Qatar also made good on its promise to provide easy and reliable access to transportation for people in wheelchairs. It dedicated a fleet of 70 special vehicles that operated around the clock to prioritise access to the World Cup venues. No one was left behind.
As a first in the history of the FIFA World Cup, almost 900 e-buses were deployed to ferry fans, which reduced the event’s carbon footprint.
For guests with individual transport requirements, Karwa ramped up its Taxi and Limousines Services to cater to the enormous influx of international guests.
The tournament was a resounding success, with impressive attendance figures of over 3.4 million fans throughout the 64 matches. So what was a dream for many finally became a reality, as many fans managed to attend more than two matches in one day.
