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From Paris to Doha, two football fans to attend Qatar 2022 one pedal at a time

The Peninsula, 27 September 2022

Doha: Two avid football fans are on track to reach Qatar by cycling across ten countries to witness football's biggest tournament, FIFA World Cup 2022, set to take place in the country from November 20 to December 18, 2022.

It was on August 20 this year that the 26-year-olds, Mehdi from Caen and Gabriel from Bordeaux, departed from Paris and took on the challenge to pedal 8,000 kilometres on their bicycles, with only panniers and two tents in hand. 

Travelling by bike, the two friends took up the challenge to cross ten countries to reach the host nation and support France's football team as well as get a first-hand experience on the World Cup festivities in the country.

After crossing France, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, the two have reached Turkey and are expected to soon enter the Middle East.

n a video message shared by Institut français du Qatar, Mehdi and Gabriel said: "Welcome to the Institut Français in Qatar, we are Mehdi and Gabriel, we left Paris on August 20. We will travel 8,000 km to reach Doha. We are going in the right direction but we still have a long way to go and we are glad to have you accompany us!".

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