• Saudi hiker travelled across the Saudi Arabian desert for 55 days before arriving in Qatar on Saturday
• Abdullah Al Salmi, an avid football supporter, merged his two loves—hiking and the Beautiful Game
• Saudi fans expected to drive in to watch matches, Qatari authorities have renovated the immigration and customs facilities

To motivate his nation’s team, which will compete in the FIFA World Cup 2022 starting later this month, an extreme Saudi hiker travelled across the Saudi Arabian desert for 55 days before arriving in Qatar on Saturday.

Abdullah Al Salmi, an avid football supporter, merged his two loves—hiking and the Beautiful Game—by organising his most challenging journey—a 1,600-kilometer walk from his hometown of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to Doha, Qatar.

Al Salmi was hailed by hundreds of supporters from all around Qatar after arriving at the Doha Corniche. While posing with him for photos beneath the Saudi flag, admirers praised him on his accomplishment.

Al Salmi stated on the Qatar2022 website, “I have always wanted to attend a World Cup, and with the tournament coming to the Arab world for the first time, I wanted to mark the occasion by walking across the Arabian Peninsula in a show of brotherhood and unity between two neighboring countries,”

Al Salmi, who originally became interested in trekking while studying in Canada, left Jeddah on September 9 to traverse the entirety of Saudi Arabia.

With hundreds of Saudi fans expected to drive in to watch matches, Qatari authorities have renovated the immigration and customs facilities at the Qatar-Saudi land border at Abu Samra, which is roughly 100 kilometres from Doha.

“I wanted to walk from the Red Sea, from the Jeddah Corniche to the Doha Corniche on the Arabian Gulf. Hiking gives me a sense of freedom and I wanted to share this passion and love with the millions of fans that are eagerly awaiting the first World Cup in the region,” added Al Salmi, a passionate Green Falcons fan.

“I hope that our national team hears of my walk and that it inspires them to do their best in the tournament. I want to show everyone that nothing is impossible and that with hard work and determination, you can do anything,” added Al Salmi.

By going undefeated in eight of their nine qualifier games, Saudi Arabia qualified for Qatar 2022. Saudi Arabia has been placed in Group C with Argentina, Mexico, and Poland. On November 22, they will face two-time champions Argentina at Lusail Stadium to open their campaign.

“The’amazing reception I’ve received has been tremendous. As soon as I crossed the Qatari border, people met me with flowers and food. This World Cup has also been about bringing people together and I hope my journey inspires others to walk towards each other — to cross boundaries, to get to know each other, and break the stereotypes that so many of us in this region have to contend with,” added Al Salmi.

A Spanish football fan who was travelling on foot from Spain to Qatar recently vanished in Iran, according to reports in the international press.

Since October 1, when he emailed pals a photo of himself as he crossed the border into Iran from Iraq, Santiago Sanchez, 41, has vanished from public view.

On November 20, the FIFA World Cup 2022 gets underway with a match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium.

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