The first of the 3 chartered as floating hotels cruise ships arrived in Doha (Qatar) Thursday morning, November 10th.
MSC World Europa berthed at Old Doha Port to accommodate FIFA World Cup fans during the chanpionship.
The 22-deck liner which is bespoke for the 22nd edition of the tournament will officially be inaugurated/christened on Sunday, November 13th.
The Executive Director of the Housing Department at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, Omar Al Jaber said:
"This cruise is considered its first voyage to Qatar, where it was built for the World Cup in particular, and it is considered the largest ship in MSC Company, and it will have an inauguration ceremony and naming it on November 13."
MSC World Europa, which boasts environmentally advanced features, can house up to 6,700 World Cup fans. She spans 47 m wide with a total of 2626 staterooms and 40000+ m2 of public space.
With just 10 days before the start of football's biggest event, MSC World Europa serves as the first of 3 hotels to anchor in the country.
The second hotel ship - MSC Poesia - is scheduled to arrive on Monday, November 14th, while MSC Opera is chartered from November 19 through to December 19.
Qatar doesn't have the hotel capacity for all workers, volunteers, fans, and teams at the World Cup and is creating camping/cabin sites, hiring liners, and encouraging fans to stay in neighboring countries and fly in for the games.
MSC Cruises previously signed a deal with the government of Qatar in 2019 to provide 2 ships with ~4000 cabins as floating hotels in order to help house the expected 1.2 million international tourists.