41 days to GO! Qatar hires 3rd cruise ship as floating hotel for World Cup

FILE - In this Feb. 4 2016 photo the MSC Opera cruise ship passes the Malecon sea wall as it leaves the harbor in Havana, Cuba. A third cruise ship has been hired by Qatari World Cup organizers to operate as a fans' hotel docked in Doha port. It will add much-needed rooms during the month-long tournament. Geneva-based MSC Cruises announced the agreement just six weeks before the World Cup starts for the 1,075-cabin MSC Opera. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan, File)

A third cruise ship was hired by World Cup organizers in Qatar on Monday to operate as a soccer fan hotel docked in Doha Port to add much-needed rooms for the tournament.

Geneva-based MSC Cruises announced the agreement only six weeks before the World Cup is scheduled to start on Nov. 20. The 1,075-cabin MSC Opera will be available from Nov. 19 to Dec. 19.