FIFA World Cup: Qatar announce attendance figures higher than actual capacity of the stadiums

The FIFA World Cup 2022 has witnessed more controversies than footballing action so far and the host nation Qatar has come under fresh scrutiny for announcing highly dubious attendance figures thrice since the beginning of the tournament. The FIFA World Cup in Qatar commenced on 20 November and the hosts’ opener against Ecuador, and as per the official announcement made at the end of the game, 67,000 fans were present in the Al Bayt Stadium to watch the game. The announcement raised many eyebrows as the stadium can only hold a capacity of 60,000 fans. FIFA World Cup: Fixtures | Results | Points Table | Squads | Records Moreover, there was a significant number of empty seats evident throughout the coverage, thus leaving fans puzzled by the figure.

Notably, same was the case for England’s World Cup opener against Iran on Monday as the attendance figure at Khalifa International Stadium was announced at 45,334, despite the stadium’s official capacity being 40,000. The trend continued as the attendance figure once again exceeded the possible amount for Senegal’s game against the Netherlands at the Al Thumama Stadium, whose capacity is listed at 40,000, but the official figure stated that 41,721 fans were present. Even if one considers that all the mentioned stadiums were jam-packed – which they were visibly not, the numbers don’t quite add up. Hence, fans around the world have been forced to doubt the legitimacy of official attendance figures.