Souk Waqif was the place for us to enjoy the build up to the much awaited England vs USA game. The Souk is a huge market only recently dubbed ‘The best spice market he’s ever been to’ by the World’s leading voice on Spice markets, David Beckham. As well as the spices it sells a little bit of everything including country themed ‘Thoubs’, the traditional Qatari robes, allowing fans of all nations to support their country while enjoying a little bit of the local culture. I managed to resist the temptation of a camel ride in front of the TV studios and we headed off for some delicious local food at Gourmet.
A very different build up without the beer but very enjoyable and civilised. The passing throngs of fans of other teams provided a lovely atmosphere, particularly the loud and proud Iranian fans celebrating their victory earlier that day against Wales, giving hope to a nation suffering a difficult moment to say the least. On route to the bus stop we saw a large junction of the Souk being taken over by Argentina fans. They had set up their banners and shrines to Maradona and were set to sing and dance for the rest of the evening, a scene that was to become an abiding memory of this World Cup.
Tranquil journey
Our game was to be at the 69,000 seater Al Bayt Stadium, the furthest stadium from Doha and the only one not on the metro line so an hour long bus was required. A rather untypical bus journey ensued, not quite the chants of ‘We’re on the ball’ that I recall from previous adventures but a comparatively subdued atmosphere as I chatted with randoms whilst some took the opportunity for a nap.
6 months after purchasing tickets, the time was finally here. Once inside we purchased a round of nice flat non-alcoholic Budweiser, but without having had a few proper drinks before the placebo effect simply didn’t work. Migs was making his World Cup debut and a few mandatory selfies were taken as we took our seats for the anthems. For England, the match lacked the jeopardy due to the scale of the victory against Iran, a draw was almost certainly enough and even a defeat would leave us is a fairly strong position. Likewise for USA, whether they drew or lost against England made little difference as either result would mean they still needed to win their final game vs Iran.
Tame atmosphere
We were sat far from the England fans but just above the Americans who made some noise but were not there in huge numbers. Contrary to my expectations when I heard that US citizens had purchased more tickets than any country bar the hosts. However after a couple of days walking around and interacting with fans it was clear to see that these were mainly expats/second generation fans from countries like Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina rather than those travelling to support the USMNT. This game was a perfect example as we were sat amongst Mexicans, Peruvians and Brazilians.
The game itself was a nervy affair with few half chances in the first period, the best of those falling the way of USA with Pulisic striking the bar and Weston McKennie skewing over a golden opportunity. Unfortunately that was about as good as it got with defences coming out on top as the second half petered out into a 0-0 draw. The first thing I did after was text my friend Jack who still vividly remembers my curse of 2014. The final whistle was met by jeers and whistles. I couldn’t hear the reaction of the England fans but I can say for sure that the neutrals showed their displeasure at one of the worst spectacles of the World Cup so far.
A quick exit
Given the hassle of the night before, there was no hanging around at the finish and straight off to get the bus home. The process tonight was much smoother but with 10pm kick off times we were still landing back in the centre at 1am. With Qatar being Qatar it was back to the apartment, and with no beer inside us and a tepid 0-0 draw, we were just fine with that.
Feeling fresh again the next morning we took the opportunity for another run. We headed out to Aspire Park which was part of the complex including the Khalifa International Stadium. A large, tranquil and relaxing green space away from the hubbub of the World Cup. It was a beautiful spot with mainly local families enjoying the serene environment.
Lavish spending
Post run we stopped in at the Villagio Mall which was pretty much the most spectacular mall I had ever seen. A mini Venetian canal running through the middle complete with Gondola rides. A full size Ice Rink, scary to think how much that would cost to cool during a 50 degree summer. GoKart track, Imax Cinema, countless restaurants and every luxury branded shop known to man, nicely complemented by stunning architecture. No expense spared but it’s hard not to wonder why they have bothered. This is one of many malls that seems just another expression of wealth of the Qatari people. I’m sure there are a million less selfish ways they could spend the money to improve aspects of their country but hey ho, who I am to opine?
Mission impossible?
Our main mission on arriving in Qatar was to try and purchase tickets for the Mexico vs Argentina game. For myself to see the greatest player to ever grace the game one more time, as well as cheering on my TUFC sweepstake team in Mexico. But above any of that it would have been great for Migsy to see his home nation in a World Cup game. There is nothing like it, especially as an underdog. It is a little different being an England fan as there is an inherent feeling of entitlement across the fanbase that we somehow deserve to win, not me personally but very often I hear it.
Alternatively, I have sat alongside Costa Rican’s living the most unexpected of dreams, reaching the Quarter Finals in Brazil 2014 and witnessed 1000’s of Panamanians cheer a goal against England in Nizhny Novgorod in 2018, celebrating like they’d won the World Cup, despite being 5 goals down and heading home. There is something special about the unity and pride that supporting your national team can give you that is hard to capture anywhere else in life.
Not meant to be
But after all that, sadly it was an impossible dream. I tried a variety of options but the cheapest I could find was $600 per ticket, it simply wasn’t worth it for me. As well as those from the US mentioned before, the Mexicans and Argentinians were ranked 5th and 7th respectively in tickets purchased, throw in the neutrals favourite and tickets were like gold dust.
Close to home we dropped in to a local restaurant for more impeccable food whilst watching Saudi lose to Poland. A real shame as I would have loved to have seen the atmosphere had a Wozniak Szczesny penalty save not prevented the Saudi’s from following up their shock win against Argentina with further points.
FIFA Fanzone
So with no match tickets it was time for me to check out the FIFA Fanzone for the first time. Here we could get ourselves a beer and queues were non-existent so I was in my element. As was Migsy, proudly sporting his Mexican shirt and a huge flag for a cape. We met up with a few other Mexicans we’d met previously and joined the biggest group we could find to get behind them. Other Latino’s joined to support the Mexicans, ‘America Latina, menos Argentina’ was heard regularly.
Even though we weren’t in the stadium there was a very strong sense of pride. Seeing the sheer passion and joy on Migsy’s face when singing his national anthem made my night. It was a shame that Mexico weren’t able to hold out for a point against Argentina but when playing the great Leonel Messi, as we all know, things are often taken out of your own hands. A late wondergoal from the emerging Enzo Fernandez sealed their fate and Mexico were very much up against it to qualify in their final match.
Happy vibes
Even just a few beers changed the vibe at the Fanzone, you would strike up conversations at the bar or on the way to the bathroom and leave with more friends than you left with, the true joy of a few beers. For 2 hours post-match we danced and partied as Migs insisted we went to the front of the DJ set. The crowd was 95% young lads from a variety of Arabic and other Asian countries having a ball, a great time was had by all.
A change of scenery
Morning brought another treat as my old buddy Dan swung by to take us to our new luxury accommodation. An old school friend, Dan has been living in Qatar for 12 years working as a pilot for Qatar Airways. On getting in touch he offered us a place to stay and we gladly obliged the kind offer. After picking up some wonderful Schwarma on the way, we pitched up at his apartment. Our last place was lovely but this was a different ballgame, 16 Floors up with gorgeous views over the stunning Pearl. Not only these wonderful views but we took a couple of hours out to enjoy the relaxing facilities with a swim in the pool and chill in the Jacuzzi.
Off to the desert
Before the trip we’d explored things to do in Doha and a trip out on the sand dunes was high on the list, but as with several things in Qatar the high price put us off booking. Again, in steps our saviour Dan who always takes his guests out to the dunes for a ride. A few hairy moments but good fun was had as we all took a turn driving the pickup truck under Dan’s calm tutelage.
We repaid a little of Dan’s generosity taking him and his lovely fiancé Diana out for dinner at a gorgeous Turkish Restaurant in the Latin Quarter before heading out to finally grab a drink in a hotel. Not far from the Pearl was the Kempinski Hotel where the USMNT were staying, a really smart place with great areas to relax and enjoy the footy. We caught the end of Portugal comfortably beating Uruguay, no shocks in the football but there was at the bar. 2 pints of Stella and 3 shots of Tequila came to the princely sum of £69. Needless to say we just stayed for the one round before heading home once the glasses had been licked.
Next on the list, send the Welsh home