Payments

Visa to offer contactless payment options at FIFA World Cup Qatar

Image provided by Visa.

November 17, 2022

Attendees at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be able to make contactless purchases throughout the official venues, thanks to a payment network provided by Visa, the event's official payments network, according to a press release.

Visa has installed 5,300 contactless-enabled payment terminals at official FIFA venues, including eight stadiums. Visa will also trial new payment innovations to give fans easy access to simple and secure digital ways to pay.

Pilots will include:

• Pay with your face. Marking the first-time it will be used for payments in Qatar, facial recognition technology is a collaboration between Qatar National Bank and POP ID and supported by Visa via tokenization. The solution allows customers to authenticate payments using just their face, without a physical card or mobile phone after initial enrollment. It will be piloted at three Flat White Specialty Coffee branches.
• Card art gets animated. After scanning a QR code, a digital prepaid card will be instantly issued and can be added to a mobile wallet. The digital card will feature animated card art, with the official mascot La'eeb demonstrating a future in which consumers could bring greater personalization and even digital animation to their Visa cards.
• Accepting payments gets simpler for SMBs. In partnership with three Qatar-based banks, the Visa Tap to Phone solution is now available to merchants in Qatar who want to fast-track their ability to accept digital payments in advance of the expected tourist influx. Visa Tap to Phone makes it easier for merchants to use their Android NFC-enabled devices they already own to accept contactless payments by downloading an app.
• Tap to ride around Doha. In partnership with Qatar's Ministry of Transport, Visa is enabling contactless payment acceptance on taxis so fans and Qatari residents will be able pay for their trips with their Visa card or smartphone.