From empty seats to fake attendance numbers, the curious case of Qatar Stadiums

The 2022 FIFA World Cup organisers find themselves in controversy yet again.

Since the opening ceremony, there have been deceptive attendance figures at the matches. Qatar has repeatedly been called out for questionable attendance at the last six World Cup matches.

Qatar has already been chastised for several reasons. And the host country has again demonstrated mishandling by announcing suspicious attendance six times.

Is Qatar exaggerating their stadium capacity?

Qatar began its FIFA World Cup campaign with a 2-0 loss to Ecuador in Al Bayt stadium, which has a capacity of 60,000 supporters. However, the organisers stated that 67,000 fans were seated for the match, raising concerns about the stadium's capacity.

Even though a few seats were left empty at the end of the game, spectators were left with questions. This was followed by another game in which England met Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium, which is a 40,000 seater. But apparently, 45,334 people attended the match.

It happened again during the Netherlands' game against Senegal at the Al Thumama Stadium, which had a capacity of 40 000. However, the official attendance issued was 41,721 supporters.

The same happened in the USA vs Wales match at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, which has a capacity of 40,000. But the stadium announcer stated 43,418 were present. The Lusail Stadium, where Argentina and Saudi Arabia played today has a seating capacity of 80,000 people. However, official records state 80,012 people attended the game.

Meanwhile, Denmark and Tunisia played at Education City Stadium, which has a limit of 40,000 people. But official records once again show 42,925 people attended the game.

Qatar has allegedly misled fans into believing that the stadiums were crowded, which was untrue since the numbers don't add up. This will again cast a negative light on Qatar, and it appears that this will be the country's final World Cup as a host nation.