Visa brings cutting-edge payment experiences to FIFA

Visa, FIFA’s Official Payment Technology Partner, has prepared a payments network that will enable contactless purchases throughout all official venues, including eight stadiums and the FIFA Fan Festival, as the world waits for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 to begin.

Visa has placed 5,300 contactless payment terminals at authorised FIFA venues, making FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 the largest payment-enabled FIFA event ever. Over a million fans are anticipated to travel to Qatar for the tournament. To provide fans with easy access to quick and secure digital payment methods, Visa will also test out new payment technologies.

Since 2007, Visa has served as FIFA’s official payment technology partner. Whether they are among the one million spectators expected in Qatar or the five billion viewers projected worldwide for this year’s event, Visa seeks to provide experiences that bring people closer to the action as a global supporter of both men’s and women’s football. In addition to offering the most recent payment innovations at authorised FIFA venues, Visa looks for ways to expand its commitment to improving lives through sports with initiatives like Financial Football, a video game that mixes fun and knowledge in an intense virtual football tournament.

The world cup provides a worldwide stage for Visa to show and test new technologies, amplify fan experience, and leave a lasting impression on the host country. The company will bring several digital payment solutions, including several limited pilots to demonstrate how future Visa payment solutions may come to life

Below are some of the digital payment solutions that Visa plans to roll out

• 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 (QNB) and POP ID and is 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: As consumers become more accustomed to getting things instantaneously, Visa is piloting a digital card issuance solution for limited cardholders in Doha. After simply 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—simply by downloading an app.

• Tap to Ride Around Doha: Keeping traffic flowing smoothly during FIFA World Cup™ has been a top priority and Visa, in partnership with Qatar’s Ministry of Transport, is enabling contactless payment acceptance on taxis so fans and Qatari residents will be able to pay for their trips with their Visa card or smartphone, making paying for their journeys in and around Doha faster and more convenient.

Dr Saeeda Jaffar, Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for GCC at Visa said “As FIFA’s long-standing partner, Visa wants to give football fans from around the world the best way to pay in Qatar, while experiencing exciting new innovations such as the fusion of art, football and technology at Visa’s Masters of Movement venue. With thousands of contactless payment terminals, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ promises to be the most payment-enabled FIFA tournament ever for the more than one million fans coming to enjoy the magic of football.”