Fanatic Sports launches the FIFA 2022â„¢ Official Hospitality Programme in India

Fanatic Sports, the Joint Exclusive Sales Agent of MATCH Hospitality in India for the sale of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Official Hospitality Programme is estimating an exponential revenue growth for the showpiece international men’s football championship, to be held in Qatar.

A pioneer of sports experiential experiences in India as well as one of Asia’s leading providers of curated travel plans for global sporting events, Fanatic Sports is the Joint Exclusive Sales Agent of MATCH Hospitality in India for the sale of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Official Hospitality Programme providing a range of customized and curated premium and unforgettable experiences to sports fanatics.

“Indian market for official hospitality is approximately 4-5% of the global market and Fanatic Sports is expecting to contribute to more than 50% of this ever-rising market scenario in India. As Official Hospitality Programmes are becoming a key part of corporate entertainment, rising income levels, a whole new generation of young aspirants and passionate sports fans indicate that people not only have the knowledge but also want to build lifelong memories. We identified this opportunity and pioneered in curating this once in a lifetime experience,” Raghav Gupta, Founder and CEO of Fanatic Sports said at the ‘Launch Event’ of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Official Hospitality Programme in Mumbai on Friday.

According to industry estimates, the global sports industry is more than Rs 600 billion and with India slowly moving to the concept of experiential tourism this has resulted in redefining how Indians traditionally watched sports. This year’s FIFA World Cup™ will be an absolute value for money as one can enjoy complete match experience along with food, beverages and lounge access. 

Staying in top notch accommodations and enjoying the best of hospitality and having exclusive access to meet and greet with sporting personalities and celebrities from the football world will add to the experience.

“Sports experiential market in India has huge potential. Despite pandemic impacting travel, we have seen a steady rise in Indian sports fans wanting to travel for such experiential travels. In 2018, the hospitality sports revenue business had generated close to Rs 80 crore but this time we are expecting India to be among the highest revenue generators for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™,” said John Parker, Director at MATCH Hospitality AG, appointed as the worldwide Exclusive Rights Holder of the Official Hospitality Programme for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. 

India’s burgeoning youth population has resulted in a big evolution among Indian sports fans. They are no longer content by just consuming the matches on television; they want to be present in person to soak the live actions.

The 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup™ is the first to be hosted in the desert nation and will be the biggest sporting event in Asia since the pandemic. 

Qatar, being the closest in proximity, is expected to fetch the most number of Indian fans and is likely to outnumber traditional travelling fans from Europe and South America as four matches are on offer to watch on a single flight ticket and a travel time of just three-and-half hours from all major metros from India.