Giant slides, whirlpools, bumper cars, non-stop entertainment and food — this is how thousands of football fans in Qatar are spending their time between the matches.
During this World Cup — the first to invite fans to sleep on a cruise ship — a Dubai father and son had an exciting time on board a fan zone that never sleeps.
Saptarshi Bandopadhyay and his son Siddharth spent five days aboard the MSC World Europa, one of three cruise liners that are accommodating 10,000 fans from around the world.
Booking a small cabin on the 22-deck floating hotel made perfect sense to the marketing manager, who was looking to keep his young son fully occupied before kick-off.
You had more time to speak to other fans about their country, football culture, favourite player, what they think went right or wrong
Saptarshi Bandopadhyay,
World Cup guest on MSC World Europa
“It’s a different party altogether on the cruise liner,” Mr Bandopadhyay told The National.
“The tempo changes at night and everyone congregates on the 18th floor where there are large pools, whirlpools and a huge screen to watch games you don’t have tickets for.
“When searching for accommodation, the choice was a stand-alone hotel, the fan village or container camps.
“Since I was taking my son, the idea was to find a place we could relax and he could have fun the entire day with 1,001 activities and we could easily get to the games and back."
Docked at Doha’s Grand Terminal, the liner is a short bus ride away from the eight stadiums being used for the tournament, which are all located within a 50km radius of the city centre.
Theatres, theme shows and nightclubs
The cruise guests were a mixed lot: some were on their own, others shared rooms with friends and there were also groups of families who travelled with younger fans.
The fans spend the day soaking up the sun on the deck at one of six swimming pools, working out at the gym or checking in for a spa treatment before the games.
Returning from the stadiums in the evening, guests watch themed shows, dine at one of the 13 restaurants, or head to nightclubs or the theatre.
Flags of Denmark, Wales, Iran and Croatia were among the multitude of team colours hung outside cabins.
Mr Bandopadhyay often caught the day’s final game on the big screen on deck alongside hundreds of others.
“The atmosphere changes at night when you see the Brazilians and Argentinians come in,” said the Indian citizen, who supports both teams in that order.
“The South Americans brought in a jovial, song-and-dance energy that lifted the entire mood.”
Spiral slide a crowd favourite
Siddharth was devastated when his favourite team Argentina were defeated by Saudi Arabia in an upset that had the tournament reeling.
The nine-year-old kept busy with a never-ending stream of activities, playing football with new friends and slipping down giant water slides with virtual reality headsets that transport guests to snowy wonderlands or an African safari.
Of all the activities on board the mammoth passenger cruise ship, there is a clear favourite — climbing into the mouth of a giant snake.
The spiral 11-deck Venom slide — the longest dry slide at sea — that descends from the 20th to the eighth floor was a winner among younger guests.
“The cruise ship was crazy. It was basically a fun hotel but you were docked on the quay,” he said.
“I would stay on a cruise ship again. I made new friends from Tokyo and played football with them.
“The spiral Venom drop and the VR sets in the water slides were the most cool.”
A true football fan, the real thrill came from watching the games.
Of the four matches he attended, his top choice was Spain’s decisive victory over Costa Rica.
“I know some kids don’t like to watch the whole match because they think it’s too long,” he said.
“But it was very exciting. I was really, really upset that Argentina lost.
“I really liked how many goals Spain got. The 7-0 score was unbelievable.”
He has gathered scarves and team flags from Spain, Denmark and Tunisia to bring back to Dubai as part of the World Cup memorabilia he will always treasure.
Floating city that never sleeps
With an outdoor 90-metre promenade and an indoor walking area, MSC World Europa aims to replicate the offerings of a small city, with conference centres, video game arcades, a theatre, spas, a salon, boutiques and shops.
Prices for a cabin start at $350 per night.
Mr Bandopadhyay selected the full board package for four nights. He and his son stayed in a small room with no view, as he knew they would be mostly outdoors.
The price moves to upwards of $2,600 per night for luxury suites with living areas, a terrace with an outdoor whirlpool and expansive glass doors that open to panoramic views.
The football enthusiast will return to Qatar later in the tournament with a friend and stay in a hotel for two quarter-final games.
He has been to World Cups in Russia (2018) and Brazil (2014), where he said the atmosphere was markedly different.
“If it was Russia or Brazil, I would definitely not have taken a cruise because then you want to be in the heart of the football,” he said.
“There it was natural and free-flowing. People would be playing football in the streets. In St Petersburg, you would see two Argentina fans versus hundreds of fans from Brazil shouting songs at each other.
“That is something you cannot replicate in Qatar — the true spirit of football fans and their passion.
“But they did a decent job of getting people together in fan zones with DJs, people, singing and dancing.”
What was unusual about the cruise experience was the time spent with other fans.
“In the previous two World Cups, you got to chat to other fans but it’s a very transitory phase in a bar or restaurant,” Mr Bandopadhyay said.
“The cruise ship was a different take on the fan interaction.
“You had more time to speak to other fans about their country, football culture, favourite player, what they think went right or wrong.
“And that was the unique and interesting twist to staying on a ship.”
After the World Cup, the MSC World Europa will make the UAE its home port and sail the Arabian Gulf for the winter season.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Ajax v Real Madrid, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Poacher
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Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
The biog
Favourite food: Fish and seafood
Favourite hobby: Socialising with friends
Favourite quote: You only get out what you put in!
Favourite country to visit: Italy
Favourite film: Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Family: We all have one!
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
Understand What Black Is
The Last Poets
(Studio Rockers)
Royal wedding inspired menu
Ginger, citrus and orange blossom iced tea
Avocado ranch dip with crudites
Cucumber, smoked salmon and cream cheese mini club sandwiches
Elderflower and lemon syllabub meringue
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20M3%2C%208-core%20CPU%2C%20up%20to%2010-core%20CPU%2C%2016-core%20Neural%20Engine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2013.6-inch%20Liquid%20Retina%2C%202560%20x%201664%2C%20224ppi%2C%20500%20nits%2C%20True%20Tone%2C%20wide%20colour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F16%2F24GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStorage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20256%2F512GB%20%2F%201%2F2TB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Thunderbolt%203%2FUSB-4%20(2)%2C%203.5mm%20audio%2C%20Touch%20ID%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%206E%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2052.6Wh%20lithium-polymer%2C%20up%20to%2018%20hours%2C%20MagSafe%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECamera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201080p%20FaceTime%20HD%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVideo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Support%20for%20Apple%20ProRes%2C%20HDR%20with%20Dolby%20Vision%2C%20HDR10%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAudio%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204-speaker%20system%2C%20wide%20stereo%2C%20support%20for%20Dolby%20Atmos%2C%20Spatial%20Audio%20and%20dynamic%20head%20tracking%20(with%20AirPods)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Midnight%2C%20silver%2C%20space%20grey%2C%20starlight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20MacBook%20Air%2C%2030W%2F35W%20dual-port%2F70w%20power%20adapter%2C%20USB-C-to-MagSafe%20cable%2C%202%20Apple%20stickers%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh4%2C599%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
MATCH INFO
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
