Football fans at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 are reportedly close to exceeding the total spending during the 2018 World Cup by 89 percent, according to new data released by VISA.
Fans have already exceeded total spending during the 2014 World Cup by 192 percent, the data said, adding that almost 88 percent of VISA payments were contactless in Qatar, “showcasing fans’ strong preference for digital ways to pay,” VISA said in an emailed statement.
“For Qatar 2022, Visa enabled more payment terminals in official venues than ever before and are trialing some innovative new ways to pay around Qatar, so paying for things can be less cumbersome and fans can stay in the moment and focus on the beautiful game,” VISA’s GCC senior vice president and group country manager Dr. Saeeda Jaffar.
According to the data, 70 percent of spending by fans at the World Cup venues were done through VISA cards, with USA leading the transactions by 18 percent, followed by 9 percent in Mexico and Saud Arabia by 8 percent.
As for in-stadium spend, the transaction amount for all matches during the group stage matches was $23, with fans spending primarily on merchandise, food and beverages and FIFA ticketing.
Al Janoub stadium in Qatar also saw the highest proportion of contactless payments, especially during the Poland versus Saudi Arabia.
The Lusail stadium in Qatar saw 22 percent of payment volume coming from Qatar-issued VISA card, whereas 78 percent of payment volume was from international VISA cards.
“Stadium 974 saw the highest average transaction amount ($25), with $15 average total on food and beverage purchases, and $80 average on merchandise,” the data said.
As for per match spend, the highest volume of in-stadium payments was during the KSA versus Mexico match, followed by Argentina versus Mexico, which took place on November 30 and 26, respectively.
“The match with the highest average transaction amount was USA vs Iran on November 29 ($29), with $14 average total on food and beverage purchases, and $89 average on merchandise,” the data showed with top five matches by spend being:
- KSA vs Mexico (Match 40; November 30): 5,1 percent from total spend
- Argentina vs Mexico (Match 24; November 26): 4.7 percent from total spend
- Cameroon vs Brazil (Match 48; December 2): 3.7 percent from total spend
- Portugal vs Uruguay (Match 32; November 28): 3.6 percent from total spend
- Qatar vs Ecuador (Match 1; November 20): 3.6 percent from total spend
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