World Cup Day 1: USA vs. Netherlands is part of the Qatar World Cup Trip Report.
If you have five nights in Doha, good luck trying to occupy the time (see Guns & Butter: Doha Travel Guide). If you have five nights in Doha during the knockout stage of the World Cup (see The Beautiful Game, A Beautiful Time: World Cup Recap!), you will be thankful there’s not much more to do than see the greatest tournament on earth.
QSuites to Doha
Food poisoning/AC flu? In the middle of my QSuites flight from MIA to DOH (see Flight Review MIA-DOH: Qsuites to the World Cup!), I got the chills and felt instantly weak. I had read that both the Dutch team and the US coaches had a flu-like illness. I wondered if I had the same affliction.
Arrival Lounge?
I flew QSuites for the third time this year (see QSuites: The Best Business Class Flight? & QSuites DOH-MIA: Maybe SQ Is Better). Normally, I would take advantage of the arrival lounge like I did in Abu Dhabi when I flew Etihad or when I went to London on Virgin (see Etihad Arrivals Lounge: Time for a Proper Shave & Virgin Atlantic Revivals Lounge LHR: Call Me George Jetson). However, the priority was to get back to the room and prepare for the US vs. Netherlands game. Learning from my experience in Milan, where I almost cost myself dinner by stopping for a beer en route to the hotel, this time I recognized there was no time for superficial detours (see Late Night Bite in Milan).
Fan Gear?
I did not have a Team USA jersey. All I had was a Team USA Urban Turban (For Sale on clearance here). I could go to a FIFA store and buy one. I should have known better than to go to the Souq Waqif, the fake old town, to try and find one (see Guns & Butter: Doha, Qatar Travel Guide). There was nothing for sale and no Uber to be found. I ended up stuck in interminable traffic in an Uber instead of using the free and perfectly planned bus rides to the stadium (see Qatar 2022: Tremendous World Cup Logistics).
TPOL’s Tip: Show up prepared with fan gear.
Uber
After over an hour in traffic, I could finally see Khalifa Stadium. Perhaps we would make it in time for the national anthem, I thought. Then the Uber made a right turn away from the stadium. We had to go in the opposite direction only to return to where we started. This time, I told the Uber driver to stop. I opted to walk the rest of the way. I did not realize that the entrance was still a long way away. Flu aside, I decided to run and saw other Americans running as well. Chants of “USA! USA!” began to ring out. This was the World Cup excitement that I had come (and overpaid) to see (see The Guide to Buying Tickets for the World Cup And Other Big Events).
USA vs. Netherlands
Unfortunately, that was the second-best moment of the night. Upon entering the stadium, I had to run up nine levels. I was only able to record the sound of the national anthem and did not get to see America take the field.
When I arrived at my seats, I thought I would be surrounded by American fans. My plan was to give away the turbans to fellow supporters. Instead, I saw no American fans, just bystanders who had no affinity for either side.
The place lacked energy. Even when the Dutch scored, nothing happened. I wondered if this was because I was sitting in the nosebleeds, if this was a result of no alcohol, or if the tickets were given to migrant workers to fill up the stands.
I was told that Americans purchased more tickets than any other country. If this was true, where were they?
Down 1-0, the game dragged on. With 1 minute left in stoppage time, I was eager to see who would be walking around the concession stands. Of course, within that minute, the Dutch scored again, putting the US and me in a deeper hole.
Typically at half-time, there is a buzz around the concourse as the fans sprint to buy food and drinks. This was more of a funeral. I did see Americans but the mood was subdued. Was this really the World Cup? Did I make a mistake by coming?
Second Half
The second half started and I made my way back to my overpriced seats. There was one fleeting moment of joy when the US scored. Hope didn’t last long as soon after that the Dutch scored to end all chances of a comeback.
Watching Team USA is like watching the Lions on Hard Knocks, I had to question where the talent was on this team. They may have the drive but who besides Pullsic and the goalkeeper possessed the pizazz needed to challenge the best of the world? I saw little sign of hope when I watched the US play Iran and was annoyed that I had paid $1300 to see such a lackluster performance in such a blasé environment. On top of that, on this night, I had generated zero buzz for the turbans.
Argentina vs. Australia
The adrenaline was gone. My body was weak but Argentina was playing next. I could not physically get myself to go to another game and I did not have the Wi-Fi capability to look for tickets. Instead of paying for an Uber, I followed the organized signs for the buses. I was impressed that there were busses that went to the next game, busses that went back to central Doha, and busses that went to the Fan Festival, my next stop.
Food
It was 9PM, an hour before kickoff. I had not eaten since the flight and was running on empty. I saw a sign that read ‘Fudruckers’. Could this restaurant from my youth still be in existence? I walked from the entrance of the Fan Festival to find out.
A half-pound burger and melted cheese later, I had the energy I needed to watch the next match.
Fan Festival
As I wrote, the logistics of this tournament were perfect. There was an orderly queue to get into the watch zone where my Hayya card was scanned (see Epic Failure: Denied Boarding for the World Cup), followed by a security screening. I walked to the park where the giant screen showed the game was underway. Once again, I found myself surrounded by bystanders but there were zero from Australia and next to none from Argentina. What was this manufactured World Cup? Did they pay people to come out to watch these games? Like the US game, there was one moment of excitement when Argentina scored. The crowd of bots erupted with joy.
At halftime, I had to get out of there. My body wanted to give up, my mind wanted to as well. I was convinced that this was going to be the worst World Cup in history. Before I put the headstone that would read the same, I decided to go to the one place where I thought there would be signs of life: the bar.
Metro? This Way
Doha is tiny. It is impossible to get lost. During the World Cup, this was reinforced by the funny and helpful guides that chanted out ‘Metro? This way.’ Everyone enjoyed their comedy and it became an ongoing theme throughout the trip.
Marriott Marquis Champions Bar
The last time I was in Doha, I spent too many nights at Champions Bar. It is one of the few places that is constantly busy and lively. I was able to watch the end of the Argentina game. The Socceroos almost pulled off the upset.
Overall
Day 1 was a mixture of fun and disappointment. The stop-and-go excitement was consistent throughout my World Cup experience.
