Their countries' teams aren't even in the World Cup. So why are these fans traveling to Qatar
Doha, Qatar (CNN) — The accommodation is in tents or prefabs, there's no beer in the fases, the temperatures are uncomfortably hot and the whole moment is mired in controversy over alleged human rights abuses.
While that's not enough to deter hardcore football penggemar from traveling to Qatar to dukungan their national tims in the World Cup, more surprisingly, it hasn't been enough to deter even those whose country tims aren't even in the competition.
Situs Bola Walk around the narrow streets of downtown Doha and you can't help but get caught up in World Cup fever, with penggemar from all four corners of the globe rapat in squares and restorans to celebrate their cultures with one another.
The evenings are particularly busy, with grups gathering together by country, singing their hearts out to the seemingly constant rhythm of drums that reverberate through downtown Doha.
One of the loudest grups in the days running up to kickoff was a pocket of England penggemar from India.
The grup is fully coordinated, wearing the same shirt with the name of England captain Harry Kane on the back. They proudly sing songs associated with the English national tim but they mix them with traditional chants from back home.
The supporters went trending last week, with people akising them of being "fake penggemar," used to create the impression of people enjoying a World Cup that, thanks to the controversy surrounding its Middle Eastern hosts, may lack the usual pizazz of the turnamen held every four years.
Qatar 2022 organizers, as well as FIFA, rubbished the claims and a anggota of the grup told CNN that he was surprised to see the headlines.
"We are a fan grup from Kerala, in South India," he said, too busy singing and dancing to give his full name.
"India is not in the turnamen and we have always loved England. We used to watch David Beckham play so we are passionate about England in Qatar."
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These penggemar are representative of a wider theme of Qatar 2022, which has allowed many to get a taste of World Cup action.
Ali Abbadi is from Jordan and currently lives in Dubai. He spoke to CNN as he explored Souq Waqif, a marketplace which has become a hub of fan activity.
"I'm here because it's a good opportunity and it's very close to our country," he said. "In 2018, the World Cup [in Russia] was too far from our country but now we perasaan the World Cup is in our home."
"In the Middle East we always watch football. Football is our life."
Messi business
The 35-year-old was proudly wearing an Argentina shirt and he's certainly not alone.
The blue and white colors are by far the most populer in Doha this week and almost all the shirts have the name Messi on the back.
It not only demonstrates the mega-bintang player's pulling power but also the impact that his current klub Paris-Saint Germain has had on the world.
The French side is owned by the Qatar Sports Investment grup and posters of its star players, Neymar and Messi, are plastered all around Doha.
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But, unlike many who have adopted the South American side for this year's turnamen, it isn't the reason that Ali is cheering for them.
"I supported Argentina even before Messi. Messi is doing a great job but I supported Argentina for more than 15 years," he said.
"I watched players like [Gabriel] Batistuta, [Hernán] Crespo, so I hope they win in Qatar."
It appears you don't even need to be passionate about a tim in order to santai the World Cup.
Fei Peng is from China and traveled to Qatar to watch the turnamen with his friends. CNN met him as he was bedding into his new accommodation in one of the somewhat dystopian fan villages on the edge of the city.
'It's perfect'
The scramble for accommodation is likely to hot up given Qatar is set to welcome an estimated 1.5 million penggemar over the month-long turnamen, which begins on November 20.
"This is a really good opportunity to come to a host nation that is smaller than my home city [Beijing]," said Peng, who told CNN he had tickets for 35 matches over the turnamen.
"We can have the opportunity to attend so many game, it's perfect."
When asked who he'd be supporting at the World Cup, Peng said he had "no real preference" but wanted South Korea and Japan to do well.
"As I'm Asian, I want the Asian tims to do well but I'm just looking forward to seeing good results," he said.
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"Also, I hope China can qualify for the next World Cup in America, that would be so special."
Only a few doors down from where CNN met Peng, Jimmy and Kennis Leung were getting comfy in their home for the next 16 days.
The couple traveled to Qatar from Hong Kong but, unlike Peng, they very much have a favourite tim to dukungan.
Jimmy was dressed in the distinctive orange colors of The Netherlands and says he's excited to see his adopted tim play, despite there being no obvious links with the Dutch side.
"They have great players and history and I just like the tim," he said, beaming. "I want to see all their grup game."
Amid all the criticism of Qatar 2022, the turnamen has undoubtedly provided an opportunity for people to santai one of the world's biggest sporting moments for the first time.
Organizers will hope these stories go some way in justifying the decision to let the tiny nation of Qatar host a World Cup like no other.
Hebat gambar kredit: David Ramos/Getty Images
