Qatar unveils World Cup fan village consisting of 6,000 cabins

Qatar has unveiled a 6,000-cabin village built on a car park near its airports for fans attending the World Cup.

The 1.1 square-mile site features a metro station, a bus stop, and a temporary restaurant and convenience store. The area could hold as many as 12,000 people if booked at capacity, officials said.

Artificial green grass covers the walkways outside, with common areas filled with large bean-bag style chairs.

Competing nations’ flags flapped in the strong desert wind and there is a large screen for fans to watch matches.

The brightly coloured cabins, with thin walls, are designed to accommodate one or two people with twin beds, a nightstand, a small table and chair, air conditioning, a toilet and a shower inside.

They will be available for around $200 a night — $270 with board.

Some 60 per cent of the cabins are already booked for the tournament, said Omar al-Jaber, the head of accommodation at Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy for the tournament.

There will be other rooms offered at $80 a night farther out than this site near Doha International Airport and Hamad International Airport, both of which will be seeing flights at all hours during the tournament.

Those staying at the Fan Village can expect a 40-minute commute to stadium sites.

“Most of the fan(s) they prefer if it’s not a hotel, they prefer the apartment and villa,” Mr al-Jaber said, noting those options are managed by French hospitality company Accor. However, those wanting budget accommodation will come to this site and the other for cheaper options, he said.

In the lead-up to the tournament, concerns about hotel room space and high prices for the rooms available have affected Qatar, which lacks hotel capacity for all teams, workers,