Visa at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 was more than a sporting event — it was a stage for Visa to demonstrate the future of payments and fan engagement. As part of Visa’s CEMEA Innovation team, I led the design and localisation of two flagship projects:
Face Pay: A biometric payments experience enabling fans to pay with a smile.
Visa Go: A localised, gamified mobile app blending fan engagement with Visa’s digital payment capabilities.
Both projects were designed as showcase innovations for global audiences — proving their value at FIFA before scaling into commercial markets.
Face Pay Case Study
Challenge
How do you make paying for coffee at the world’s biggest sporting event as simple as smiling?
Visa partnered with QNB and PopID to introduce biometric payment authentication in Qatar — a first for the country. My role was to ensure the user experience was intuitive, secure, and engaging for a diverse global audience.
Approach
Map Onboarding Journey — From scanning QR at the point of sale to first-time facial registration and Visa token linking.
Design Payment Flow — Focus on speed (sub-5 second transactions) and clear confirmation feedback.
Pilot Launch — Activated in three Flat White Specialty Coffee locations in Qatar during FIFA, positioned as a global showcase.
Outcome
Global Visibility: Featured in Visa’s FIFA innovation press coverage.
Market Expansion: Scaled post-event to Carrefour supermarkets in UAE.
Proof of Concept: Demonstrated biometric payments readiness for wider CEMEA markets.
My contribution
UX Mapping: Designed the end-to-end biometric onboarding and payment flow, integrating QNB account linking and PopID facial recognition.
Workshop Facilitation: Ran design and alignment workshops with QNB, PopID, and Visa stakeholders to ensure smooth implementation.
User-Centered Adaptation: Considered multi-language support, cultural sensitivities, and privacy transparency for GCC markets.
The FIFA World Cup project demonstrated how global innovations can be localised for maximum impact — blending cutting-edge payment technology with fan engagement strategies tailored to a specific market. These initiatives positioned Visa as a leader in payment innovation on the world stage.