COVID-19 affected sports a lot and of course soccer is not the exception. Qatar 2022 will be the first FIFA World Cup to be held after the pandemic started, so the host country announced the requirements the fans must comply with to attend the games.

Through the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, almost every sport was suspended temporarily due to the risk that was getting this illness. Now, after the vaccines emerged and precautionary measures increased, it has been easier to return to how things used to be.

But the pandemic is not over yet. There are still thousands of cases daily around the world and Qatar is trying to keep the visitors away from the virus, so they have announced the requirements they must follow to be able to go to each one of the stadiums.

Qatar 2022: COVID test requirements for fans to attend the next FIFA World Cup

As Qatar 2022 will be the first FIFA World Cup to be played after the COVID-19 pandemic began, the organisers are trying to lower the risk of getting ill as much as possible.

Since 2020, the host country has been trying keep an eye on the fans that are attending to the FIFA World Cup. They launched an app called Etheraz to track if they get sick of coronavirus as the users must inform through this method if they are ill.

Travellers aged above 18 years must download this app, but also younger people, who must be supervised by an adult. This will give the organisers the information they need to avoid any infection in the stadiums.

As not every country has been able to vaccinate their population, Qatar won't be asking for this as a requirement for the fans to enter the stadiums next November. The organisers know that this could affect tourism and this topic is very important for them during the tournament.

With less than 50 days away from the competition, the host country announced that they will only ask for a negative COVID-19 test regardless of their vaccination status. This applies for visitors aged six and over, who must present a PCR with the mentioned result taken within 48 hours before their departure. They can also show it from a rapid antigen test (from official medical centres and not self-administered), which must be taken in the 24 hours before their arrival, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy said.