England World Cup fans on a fact-finding mission to Qatar faced a long trek through desert-like conditions to get to venues.
Supporters on a trip to the Gulf state had to walk a ‘45 minutes to 1hr’ from the £26bn Metro system to some of the newly-built stadiums.
In November/December, when the World Cup takes place, temperatures hit 22/25°C (72/77 °F).
Organisers say the Metro takes fans directly to five out of eight venues. But they will listen to feedback from fans’ groups at test events.
“It was an hour’s walk to get to some of the venues, 45 minutes for others,” one England fan told the Mirror.
“That is just too far, especially in the sort of temperatures you are talking about - even for the evening kick offs.
“It was a struggle - you are walking through a desert.”
Another fan added: “The stadiums are very good, you can’t complain about anything there.
“The air conditioning keeps the temperatures down. But there are teething issues with the transport which will need to be addressed.”
It is believed 10,000 England fans will make the trip to Qatar at various stages of the World Cup. Many have tickets for the 2022 final in case Gareth Southgate’s side can go one better than the semi-final defeat to Croatia at Russia 2018.
Supporters groups have warned it is likely to be the most expensive in history due to ticket, travel and accommodation costs.
Ashley Brown from the Football Supporters Association Fans’ Embassy team said: “This is another World Cup supposedly for the fans where the cost of seeing your team all the way to the final is at least £1,200.
“On top of the costs of flights, human rights concerns and expensive accommodation, a huge barrier for most ordinary fans.”
The cost of attending the 2022 World Cup final is up, with ticket prices 46 per cent higher than in Russia.
Qatar 2022 chiefs say the new stadiums are no more than 40 miles apart, and they will look at bus transport from the Metro stations furthest away from the venues.
The tournament takes place from November 21 to December 18. Work on Lusail Stadium, the 80,000-capacity venue for the final, was completed in November, with all eight now ready for the tournament.
Football’s world governing body Fifa said: “With temperatures in Qatar in Nov/Dec ranging on average between 15 and 24ºC, players and fans will enjoy optimal conditions at the FIFA World Cup 2022.
“This has been confirmed by teams, spectators and media who attended the 2019 and 2020 editions of the FIFA Club World Cup played in Qatar, as well as last year’s FIFA Arab Cup.”
A spokesperson for the Supreme Committee & Legacy said: "The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be the most compact edition of the tournament in modern history.
"Fans can expect minimal travel times to stadiums, with a state-of-the-art metro system providing direct access to five of the eight venues.
"The remaining stadiums will be serviced by shuttle buses from the nearest metro stations, central Doha, fan zones/festivals and fan accommodation.
"Qatar will increase its existing public bus service capacity to cater for tournament demand in and around central Doha, with high-frequency services transporting fans directly from the central Doha area to stadiums."
Fans with valid match tickets will also enjoy free public transport. A smart journey planner will be available in the official tournament app.
The spokesman added that the average temperature in November and December is 15-24°C, ensuring those who travel to the country can comfortably enjoy Qatar’s many outdoor activities The FIFA Arab Cup 2021 was a test event for the World Cup, and set national attendance records.
It saw 83 percent of fans using the Doha Metro, with over 30,000 fans choosing to travel by bus throughout the tournament. The spokesman added: "We recognise a small number of fans experienced operational challenges during the tournament.
"We have engaged with our global network of fan groups to better understand any issues in order to learn lessons and improve fan experience ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
"Qatar has delivered over 600 sporting events since it won the hosting rights to host the tournament in 2010. These events have enabled Qatar to stress test infrastructure and fan services and experiences to ensure they are seamless come the FIFA World Cup later this year."
The Qatar Supreme committee spokesman added that while they have already listened to feedback from fans, all the stadiums are situated in 'well-developed urban areas' throughout the country.
