England Fans Face Paying A Tenner For A Pint In Qatar
England fans hoping to head out to the 2022 Qatar World Cup this winter probably weren't expecting the price of beer to be one of their man concerns when booking the trip.
However, according to a new study, football supporters may have to shell out around £9.98 for a pint in the Middle Eastern country.
The study in question, conducted by Finder.com, found the average price of a beer in Qatar was just shy of £10, making it one of the most expensive places in the world to buy a pint.
That figure shouldn't come as too much of a shock, as Qatar has a majority muslim population – with the sale of alcohol being tightly controlled. Along similar lines, the average price of a beer in the UAE and Oman is also incredibly high, at £9.94 and £7.97 respectively.
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With strict laws still in place over the sale of alcohol, its scarcity naturally drives up the price.
In the case of Qatar, a pint is more than double the average cost in the UK, which Finder claims is £4.07.
It should be noted that tournament organisers and indeed the government could introduce new rules around alcohol for this year's World Cup. For instance, after hosting the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup, won by Liverpool, fans were permitted to buy a beer for £5 in officially designated areas.
The price of beer could be just one extra expense for fans travelling to Qatar, who are already having to contend with sky-high airfares and hotel room costs.
While new hotel complexes are set to be completed before the tournament, there are currently just 30,000 rooms in the whole of the Gulf state.
Reports suggest some England fans have been quoted as much as £9,000 per night for a room during the World Cup.
Three Lions supporter Oliver Crooks said he would normally 'sink a few pints' while watching a match. "If we got to the final, it would cost me a fortune," Mr Crooks, from St Albans, Hertfordshire, told The Sun.
Overall, it is expected that high costs, combined with concerns over Qatar's questionable human rights record, could lead to a relatively small English fan contingent at this year's World Cup.
Fans who are looking for a cheaper footballing experience should also steer clear of Norway as a potential destination, which has the most expensive beer in Europe at around £7.90 per pint.
The cheapest average pint in the world, according to Finder's data, was found to be in the East African country of Burundi, at just 59p.
Tom Fenton