MSC Cruises has agreed to charter two cruise liners to accommodate fans during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, one of which, MSC Europa, will be the second-largest class of cruise ship in the world.

The cruise liners, which feature a combined capacity of 4,000 cabins and more than 9,000 beds, will act as floating hotels during the controversial tournament.

Qatar is accused of using bribes to secure the rights to host the FIFA 2022 World Cup and has allegedly employed abusive practises in the treatment of its migrant workers building the stadiums and associated infrastructure for the event.

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One of the major problems faced by Qatar is an under-developed tourism industry, with far fewer hotels than other countries in the region, such as the UAE.

As such, Qatar had been planning to charter cruise ships for some time, according to a press release from MSC Cruises.

The two cruise ships, MSC Poesia and MSC Europa, will be berthed at Doha Port, the country’s primary cruise port, which benefits significantly from Dubai’s booming cruise sector.

While MSC Poesia was launched in 2008 and is currently deployed in the European and Brazilian cruise markets for MSC Cruises, MSC Europa, is currently under construction in Saint-Nazaire, France, and will be delivered in 2022.

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At 200,000-gross tons and carrying 5,400 passengers, she will be the first of five in MSC’s World-class cruise ships, the second-largest class of cruise ship after Royal Caribbean’s 230,000-gross ton-plus Oasis-class.

The first liquefied natural gas-powered ship in MSC Cruises’ fleet, she will use the most environmentally friendly marine fuel currently available, keeping air emissions to a minimum.

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MSC Cruises’ new World-class of ships will be the second largest ever built (after the Oasis class) and will be LNG powered

She will also feature, like all cruise ships from MSC Cruises’ fleet, advanced waste and water treatment systems, in addition to a wide range of cutting-edge environmental technologies for cleaner air emissions and minimised environmental footprint.

The five new World-class cruise ships are part of a huge US $13-billion plan by MSC Cruises to increase its fleet from 17 to 25 ships by 2027.

Additionally, MSC Cruises is investing an additional US $2.5 billion in a new luxury cruise brand comprising four super-yacht ships, launching one per year between 2023 and 2026.