The 2022 Qatar World Cup was always going to be unique in several ways, but one aspect FIFA would not have welcomed is that fans the world over are opting not to attend the tournament.
There are many factors involved, which individually might have been minor deterrents but, piled together, have made supporters who routinely follow their teams at huge expense decide to give this one a miss.
The shift from its usual summer holiday slot in June-July to the northern hemisphere winter, ending only a week before Christmas, because of high temperatures in the desert state has had a significant impact.