The final countdown to the World Cup in Qatar is still full of uncertainty

With six months until Senegal take on the Netherlands at the Al Thumama Stadium in the opening game, uncertainty hangs over the World Cup in Qatar. It extends beyond fears over human rights to practical concerns: how many fans will attend the tournament? And what kind of experience will they have there?

The first question is the most pressing and the answer not definitive. Signs do seem to be pointing in a clear direction, however, and a carnival of global football fans in the Gulf looks unlikely. At the time of writing, Fifa has sold 800,000 match tickets to fans. This, from a capacity of 3.1m seats, is just over a quarter of the total. In Russia four years ago, 2.5m tickets were sold to fans from a capacity of slightly more than 3m. There is some way to go if organisers hope to match, or even get close to, that total.

At the end of this month Fifa will reveal the results of its second tranche of sales. The governing body publicised the fact that it received 23.5m ticket requests as part of that process but observers note it does not commit anyone to a purchase and that tickets for knockout matches can be sold several times, with ticket holders whose teams are knocked out along the way refunded.

Reports from different countries seem to back up the bigger picture. England have not sold out their allocation for their group games or prospective knockout fixtures. Only the match against (potentially) Scotland or Wales has got close, with two of three ticket categories oversubscribed. Reports from France suggest their travelling support is going to be less than a quarter of what it was in Russia.

For those involved, obtaining a ticket kickstarts a second period of uncertainty. Only once you have a ticket can you apply to the