Hamad Abdulaziz, a football fan from Qatar, has been recognized as the holder of a one-of-a-kind world record for “most matches attended at a single football FIFA World Cup by an individual,” after attending 44 of the 64 games during the Qatar World Cup 2022.
The 39-year-old’s participation in a single FIFA World Cup tournament is unquestionably the result of meticulous planning, and it is unlikely to be surpassed anytime soon.
Qatar hosted the smallest FIFA World Cup in tournament history, with all eight venues located within an hour’s drive of central Doha.
Each day, Qatar hosted four matches, with three hours between each kickoff. According to The Peninsula Qatar, the longest distance between stadiums was 75 kilometers, which was traveled between Al Janoub in Al Wakrah and Al Bayt in Al Khor. All stadiums were linked by subway and bus routes.
Hamad, who works as a coach for the Generation Amazing Foundation, said that he dreamt of playing in the World Cup when he was a kid.
“… and as the kick-off approached, I found a way of being part of the tournament’s success while showing how well everything was organized and how easy it was to get from one stadium to another,” he told The Peninsula Qatar.
Before the competition, Hamad contacted Guinness World Records to ensure that he met their requirements. He needed two witnesses to attest that he attended every game from start to finish, and the paperwork had to be signed before kickoff and at the end of the game.
The record-holder revealed that his brother drove him between matches to assist him throughout the process. He claimed that there were many “close calls” because a person could only attend three matches per day.
Thanks to his brother, he “was able to break the record, even with just an hour between the end of one match and the start of another.”
It was difficult for him to convince supporters of losing teams to confirm his attendance. Sometimes, he said, the witness would leave before the match ended, which left him without a witness signature. This caused him “endless headaches” but he soon learned that he must have more than three witnesses per match.
The man cheerfully shared that most people were extremely supportive, including his friends who assisted him in purchasing tickets.
In 2017, Hamad became a member of Generation Amazing, a human and social legacy programme. He previously worked in banking and graduated from Hamad bin Khalifa University with a master’s degree in Islamic finance. He shifted his career focus in 2017. Hamad is a master coach for the initiative, which uses soccer to teach valuable life lessons to underserved communities.
Hamad considers himself fortunate to have been a part of the tournament’s success.
“From helping Generation Amazing achieve 1 million beneficiaries to breaking the world record for attending matches”, he said he was proud to be a part of the country’s success.
