Qatar is planning to use cruise ships to accommodate football fans, players, officials and other guests during the FIFA 2022 World Cup.

The Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) has announced plans to contract at least 6,000 cruise ship rooms for the tournament that is scheduled to take place in November and December that year.

QTA revealed this plan during an international expo, Cruise Shipping Miami, held in Miami, USA along with their partners, Cruise Arabia Alliance.

The 6,000 rooms figure is equivalent to about five average-sized cruise ships, and approximately one-third of the 16,000 hotel and apartment hotel rooms currently available in the country.

To host the tournament, Qatar must have a minimum of 60,000 rooms available by 2022 for fans, players and officials but QTA's bid document in 2010 pledged 100,000 rooms by the time the tournament begins.

The idea of commissioning "floating hotels" for the upcoming tournament was first raised in May 2013.