The stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar

For the main event of the 2022 World Cup, eight stadiums were prepared, seven of which were built from scratch for the tournament. What do they look like and what makes them unique?

The FIFA World Cup is an important event for every country. Hundreds of thousands of tourists come to the country at the same time, so it requires a lot of preparation. The host country of this event - Qatar - has spent about $220 billion on organizing the event and building the infrastructure.

Qatar is a small country in Asia, with a population of less than 3 million people, and huge stadiums for tens of thousands of people after the World Cup are unlikely to be fully operational. What awaits these buildings in the future?

Lusail Stadium

The largest and main arena of the 2022 World Cup. The opening ceremony of the World Cup was held there and the main games were held: quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.

To build Lusail, a city of the same name, a satellite of the capital Doha, was built in 2005. The new city is located 15 km from Doha and is connected to the capital by a branch of the metro. Its population is 450,000 people.

It is assumed that after the end of the event, the stadium will be dismantled and turned into a shopping hub, where shops, restaurants and a school will be located.

Al-Bayt Stadium

The name of the arena is derived from the traditional tents of the nomadic Qatari people, and the architects sought to embody this concept in the design, reminiscent of a yurt.

Upon completion of the Championship, the arena will be reconstructed, its capacity will be reduced to 32 thousand people, and a hotel, shopping center and food court will be equipped in the building.

Al Janub Stadium

In translation from Arabic, the arena name means 'Southern Stadium'. Its design is inspired by the image of doo boats, traditional for the inhabitants of the Persian Gulf. The author of the project is Zaha Hadid.

After the mounldial, the arena will retain its functionality and become part of a large public center, becoming an all-season arena due to the possibility of closing the top of the stadium.

Al Tumama Stadium

The design of the arena was based on the keffiyeh, a traditional headscarf of Arab peoples. The stadium is located in the eponymous city, not far from the Hamad International Airport.

After the World Championship, the arena will be reconstructed, its capacity will be reduced to 20 thousand people, and the adjoining territory will be re-equipped into public zones for playing volleyball, basketball, and handball.

Khalifa Stadium

The only one of the 8 stadiums built long before the event was reconstructed in 2018. The arena hosted the Asian Games, the Asian Football Cup, the World Artistic Gymnastics Championship, and other major events.

The name of the arena comes from the name of the sixth Emir of Qatar, Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani.

After the event, the stadium will retain its design and appearance. Khalifa is one of the oldest sports attractions in Qatar.

Stadium "974"

The stadium is built of 974 containers, resembling the country's telephone code (+974). This is the first closed-type stadium that can be dismantled and used again.

It is expected that parts of the stadium will be sent to one of the African countries, where it can be recreated and used again.

Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium

Er-Rayan's Home Stadium. Built on the site of the eponymous stadium, demolished in 2015. The facades of the building are decorated with patterns depicting various values ​​of Qataris: family, desert, local nature.

After the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the stadium capacity will be reduced to 20,000 people and will be handed over to the host team.

Education City Stadium

The name of the stadium translates from English as "City of Education". The arena features a unique cooling system that allows it to be used even in hot weather. The facade design consists of triangles forming complex geometric patterns that change color as the sun moves.

The arena will keep around half of the seats (25 thousand) and will be used for the matches among university students and other organizations, hence its name.

The FIFA World Cup in Qatar was held from November 20 to December 18, 2022. This is the first World Cup held in an Arab country.