FIFA World Cup 2022 Stadiums
The FIFA 2022 World Cup is about to kick off in a few months’ time and fans are all excited and ready for the ultimate showdown, the highest level of international football competitions.
While everyone is getting ready for the tournament and making predictions on who might take home the trophy, rooting for their favorites to win, here’s one of the most important details they might also want to consider; The Stadiums to be used for the competition.
There’s no doubt that the pitch, weather conditions, atmosphere, and the fans present at the moment during a match are some of the key factors for the possible outcome of the game. This is why we bring to you the stadiums to be used in Qatar FIFA 2022 World Cup competition.
The FIFA 2022 World Cup to be hosted in Qatar, is scheduled to be played in eight(8) stadiums across five (5) cities, which is the least amount of stadiums to be used in the tournament’s history since the 1978 World Cup in Argentina.
This is the first-ever World Cup Cup to be hosted in an Arabian country, and the second to be hosted in Asia. This means it would have to set the bar high for other Arabian countries and prove that the continent has what it takes to host such events. This would be the last World Cup with only 32 competing countries, as the number of qualifiers is set to increase to 46 by the next World Cup in 2026.
These stadiums were constructed to meet the international standards required by the international football governing body FIFA (fun fact: one of the venues to be used, Stadium 974 was made out of 974 contained and can be dismantled once the world cup is done)
All stadiums to be used are situated within a 21-mile radius of the capital city Doha, and are all linked by a metro system, making it possible for fans to watch more than one match per day.
The stadiums were all built with internal cooling systems powered by solar panels farms to help battle the scoring sun/heat of the Middle East. They were also designed to be dismantled afterward, with only one of the stadiums to be left after the competition to be used by a club, while the remaining six stadiums (excluding Stadium 974 and Khalifa International Stadium) would have half of their seats taken up to other developing countries.
While we anticipate one of the most controversial World Cups of all time, here’s a list of all stadiums to be used for the competition, the capacity, locations, and pictures.
1. Al Bayt Stadium
Capacity: 60,000
Designer: Dal Al-Handasah
No. Of Games: Eight (8)
Location: Al Khor, Qatar
One of the biggest stadiums to be used in the tournament is the AL Bayt Stadium, which would host eight matches, including the opening ceremony match between Qatar and Ecuador. It would also host matches until the semi-finals stages.
This stage was built and designed by the infamous Dal Al-Handasah, to help represent the Arabian Hospitality, structured to look like the traditional Arabian tent also known as ‘Bayt Al Sha’ar’.
It is the furthest from the capital city, Doha. With a retractable roof for the harsh middle east weather which can sometimes top 30°C and a pushed Five-star hotel with shopping centers, it has fans covered. Traveling between stadiums might be a bit tough due to the little distance, but with all the fully available infrastructure readily available and a fully operational metro station, fans have nothing to fear or miss.
It is located in the city of Al Khor, which is the municipal seat in the state of Qatar, and located in the northeast, around 50km(31 miles) from Doha. It is the largest city in the municipality.
2. Al Thumama Stadium
Capacity: 40,000
Designer: Ibrahim Al Jaidah
No. Of Games: 8
Location: Doha, Qatar
With a total capacity of 40,000, the Al Thumama stands as one of the completed stadiums to be used in the 2022 World Cup. The Stadium’s design was inspired by a traditionally woven cap worn by men across the middle east, known as ‘Gahfiya’.
It was the first stadium to be used for the tournament to be designed by the Arabian architect Ibrahim Al Jaidah and built by the Arab Engineering Bureau.
The Al Thumama Stadium was selected to host the first match of the tournament between group A teams – Senegal and Netherlands. The matches would be played before the opening ceremony, and has advance lighting to been the entire city during night matches.
It is located in the capital city of DOHA, and centrally connected to other stadiums through the city’s metro system. After World Cup, half of the seats in the stadium is set to be donated to developing countries, and new hospital and mosques would be built on site.
3. Stadium 974
Capacity: 40,000
Designer: FIA Fenwick Iribarren Architect
No. Of Games: 7
Location: Doha, Qatar
Officially opened for World Cup on the 31st November 2021. Stadium 974, which was formerly Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, was rebuilt from 974 shipping containers and different other materials that can be easily disassembled whenever.
The beautiful design and creative improvisation were crafted by Fenwick Iribarren, especially for the upcoming World Cup tournament. It was designed to reduce as much waste and environmental pollution as possible by using on-site materials to complete the structure, thereby reducing general waste emissions.
The stadium is located in Doha, the capital city, and overlooks the Doha Corniche, showing off the beautiful skyline of the WestBay, which is an impressive promenade that has a spectacular night view. The Stadiums would be hosting games in the group stage and some in the round of 16.
It is also one of the stadiums to be dismantled after the World Cup completion is done, in mid-December.
4. Khalifa International Stadium
Capacity: 45,400
Designer:
No. Of Games: 8
Location: Doha, Qatar
The Khalifa International Stadium, which is also known as the national stadium, is a multipurpose international Stadium located in the capital city of Doha, Qatar. The stadium is named after the former Emir of Qatar, Khalifa Bin Ahmad Al Thani.
It has been the home Stadium of the Qatar National team since it was opened in 1986. This was has been renovated a couple of times, and was extensively redesigned as part of the country’s World Cup Stadiums.
The Khalifa International Stadium has hosted a lot of iconic events and matches since its commission including the IAAF World Athletic championship in 2019. Adding to that, the Stadium has also hosted the Gulf Cup, Asian Games and AFC Asian Cup. It was also on this same grounds that the 2009 friendly between England and Brazil was played, and in 2019 Liverpool won the FIFA Club World Cup at this stadium.
It became the first stadium to be given a 4-star rating by the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) in 2017, employing over 30,000 workers in the middle east.
5. Educational City Stadium
Capacity: 40,000
Designer: FIA Fenwick Iribarren Architects
No. Of Games: 8
Location: Al Rayyan, Qatar
This is one of the newly constructed football stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It is located within the university campus of the Qatar Foundation Education City. The stadium would be hosting 7 matches from the group stage through to the quarter-finals.
It was designed by the Fenwick Iribarren architects, taking the shape of a diamond, and nicknamed the ‘Diamond in the Desert’, designed to glister during the day and glow at night. The stadium is located in AL Rayyan city, which is about 28 miles from the capital city Doha.
The Stadium hosted its first official match in September 2020 and was the venue for the FIFA Club World Cup between Bayern Munich and Tigres. After the World Cup tournament, half of the seats would be donated to developing countries, and 25,000 would be used by the University’s athletics team.
It is located in AL Wakhra I’d is suited to the north by the country’s capital Doha, and to the eastern edge shore by the Persian Gulf. It is considered the second-largest city in Qatar.
6. Al Janoub Stadium
Capacity: 40,000
Designer: Dame Zeha Hadid
No. Of Games: 7
Location: Al Wakhra, Qatar
This is a retractable roof football Stadium inaugurated in May 2019, and chosen to be one of the big eight grounds to host the FIFA World Cup tournament in 2022.
The stadium was designed by the British-Iraqi brilliant architect who is now late Zaha Hadid, and constructed by AECOM. Its futuristic design was inspired by the sail of the dhow boat which is traditional to the Qatari natives, in a modern to the costars city maritime heritage. When the first design was released, commentators suggested that the stadium looked like a woman’s private part.
The Al Janoub Stadium was actually the first stadium to be completed and launched from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Like most of the other stadiums to be used, it would have about 20,000 seats removed from it after the completion of the World Cup tournament in December.
7. Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium
Capacity: 40,000
Designer: Rboll
No. Of Games:
Location: Al Rayyan
The Al Janoub Stadium, also known as the Al Rayyan Stadium, thanks to the city it is located at, is a multi purpose Stadium to be used in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It was named after the Emir of Qatar, between 1960 -1970, Ahmad Bin Ali Al Thani.
The Stadiums would host group stage matches and knockout rounds matches up until the quarter-finals. It was designed by Ramboll architecture and represents the beautiful Qatari culture.
The very details of the Qatari culture and wildlife is symbolized through the facade features and intricate patterns of the Stadiums’s design. The hospitality area and merchandise stalls just outside the stadium are shaped to resemble sand dunes, which truly show the Qatari desert pride.
8. Lusail Iconic Stadium
Capacity: 80,000
Designer: Foster + Partners
No. Of Games: 10
Location: Lusail, Qatar
The Lusail Iconic Stadium is the biggest stadium in Qatar today, owned by the Qatar football Association and is one of the 8 stadiums chosen to be used for the 2022 FIFA World Cup event.
It is one of the country’s masterpiece stadiums, and would be hosting major matches across the group stage and knockout rounds. Due to the capacity and expectations from the Federation, it would be the venue for key matches and the 2022 FIFA World Cup Finals to be played 18th December, 2022.
The stadium was designed by the Foster + Partners company, and was inspired by the Fanar Lantern. Which gives it it’s aesthetic designs which represents interplay of lights and shadows known to the Fanar Lantern.
The stadium is located in Lusail, a planned city in the southern coast of the municipality of Al Daayen. It is about 14 miles from the capital city of DOHA, and can be easily linked by road, subway or other quick means of transportation for fans looking to easily travel between cities to catch up with their matches.
