Dec 19

Dec 19 The Games I saw at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar

In November 2022, five friends and I met in Doha, Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This was my eighth straight FIFA World Cup. But none of us had ever been to so many games at one World Cup before!

Five us had worked together way back at the Colorado Rapids. Later, three of us worked for FC Dallas.

Brett and I have traveled together to the 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and now 2022 tournaments. Evan, Andy and Kieran joined us in Brazil 2014. Some of them had also attended the 1994 or 1998 tourneys before any of us met.

Experienced travelers, we connected in advance and decided to get a couple rooms at the Najd Hotel in the Souq Waqif, a lively pedestrian area in the center of Doha that featured dozens of restaurants and traditional markets selling all kinds of stuff. This hotel was also just a two blocks from the main bus hub that took fans to games, and a couple blocks from two metro stations. It turned out to be the perfect spot for us.

We took advantage of the close proximity of all the stadiums - and the lack of fans that traveled to Qatar - and went to a bunch of games. The six of us went to many games together, but we also split up to see different games. And, we also met up with other friends, colleagues and acquaintances while there.

I attended 24 Games over 16 consecutive days
• Saw 28/32 teams play: ⬆️ 4X 🇺🇸
• All 8 stadiums at least twice.