The Arab States are renowned for their spectacular and monumental architecture. Think of the Burj Khalifa and Palm Islands in Dubai, the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi, and the 10,000-room hotel being built in Mecca. Fuelled by these states' immense oil wealth, they're constructing buildings with a scale and ambition unparalleled anywhere in the world.
The Qatar 2022 World Cup is no exception. Despite being the smallest nation ever to host the football tournament, they've gone all out creating eight breathtaking stadiums, the envy of the world. All the stadiums are powered by solar-panel farms, and, given Qatar's scorching climate, their cooling systems have been meticulously designed. After all, fainting football superstars do not make the best headlines. In fact, Qatar's dedication to sound environmental practices earned all the stadiums four or five stars from the Global Sustainability Assessment System. It's all very impressive.
Let's take a tour around these eight modern marvels. We're exploring how they were made, what they cost, and the unbelievable story behind each.
Al Baytà Stadium
The first, and perhaps most instantly recognisable arena, is the Al-Bayt Stadium. Located about 35 kilometres away from the Qatari capital of Doha, it can hold over 63,000 people. It's the second-biggest of all the stadiums built - and indeed, it towers over the surrounding landscape. After winning its bid to host the World Cup in 2010, Qatar set about building their vision. In 2015, they awarded Dar Al-Handasah, a Lebanese construction company, the contract to design and build the stadium. Their vision drew inspiration from the traditional tents of the nomadic Bedouin peoples of Qatar. Known locally as Bayt al Sha-ar tents, the name was also given to the stadium. The walls billow in and out, echoing the flowing fabric. Such tents are ideal in the hot desert climate. However, the Al-Bayt stadium features a slightly more high-tech solution. A colossal retractable roof will cool the interior, helping to manage the scorching Qatari temperatures. The tent-like structure also shades the pitch. This clever design work earned the stadium several sustainability certifications, including a five-star GSAS rating. But the stadium is more than just a football arena. You'll find a five-star hotel and shopping center inside its massive walls. These luxurious hotel suites and rooms all boast balcony views of the football field in a breathtaking display of opulence. It's like no stadium on earth - aside from its siblings built for the World Cup. The stadium is planned for eight games, including the opening match. However, once the tournament is over, the upper tier of seats will be removed and given to developing nations. It's a bold gesture that will reduce the stadium's capacity to below 32,000 - a more manageable number considering the local city of Al Khor has a population of only 202,000.
Al Janoub Stadium
Established in one of Qatar's oldest neighbourhoods, Al Janoub Stadium was designed by the renowned British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, famous for the London Olympics Aquatics Center and Beijing Daxing Airport. Sadly, Hadid died in 2016, and never witnessed the stunning postmodern and neo-futurist design she conceived. It wasn't merely a futuristic vision, however. The swooping, frilled curves are meant to mirror the sails of traditional Dhow boats used by pearl divers to weave through the tumultuous currents of the Persian Gulf. It's not hard to see the similarity. In fact, the curvilinear roof gives spectators the feeling of being on a ship. And the bowed beams holding up the roof also resemble a ship's hull. It's a beautiful nod to the seafaring history of Al Wakrah, the city where the stadium is located. It also features a retractable roof and complex cooling system, capable of reducing the inner temperature to as low as 18°C. Like all major developments, the 40,000-seater stadium was conceived as part of a wider project. As the architects explained:
"The stadium was designed in conjunction with a new precinct so that it sits at the heart of an urban extension of the city, creating community-based activities in and around the stadium on non-event days."
It's a subtle nod to the issues which typically plague such developments. With the sports complex also featuring swimming pools, spas, a shopping center, and schools wedding halls, additional sports facilities, and restaurants planned nearby, the $700-million cost may not be in vain. Still, 20,000 seats will be removed after the stadium's seven world cup games.
Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium
The Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, better known as the Al-Rayyan Stadium, sits on the site of one of Qatar's former major arenas. In fact, it's almost the same stadium, with 80% of the construction materials being reused or recycled. It's a masterclass of upcycling. Not that you could tell. Designed by Pattern Design, this 40,000-seater stadium features a huge 'media façade' with a membrane that acts as a screen for projections, news, commercials, and tournament information. It's hard to comprehend the scale, or the glimmering spectacle it creates on the horizon, miles away in the desert. With a price tag of $360 million, it's one of the cheaper stadiums built by the Qataris, but no less breathtaking. It is also one of the few planned to be used by a sports team after the tournament ends.
Al Rayyan Sports Club
The Al Rayyan Sports Club will call the stadium home, albeit with a reduced capacity of 20,000. Al Rayyan is a multisport club and one of Qatar's most successful. With titles in basketball, handball, and volleyball, the stadium is sure to get significant use. Although, it's the football team that receives most of the attention. The stadium will host seven matches through the 2022 World Cup - opening to the public in December 2020. It's already hosted four matches during the FIFA Arab Cup 2021, where it was a wild success.
Al Thumama Stadium
Al Thumama Stadium is perhaps the most Arabic in its aesthetic. Named after a native tree, its design is based on the traditional ghafiya: a woven hat popular amongst Arabic men. It's an unusual design choice for a football stadium. Still, it certainly strikes a bold and elegant image on the Qatari skyline. In fact, so inspiring is the design that it was awarded the MIPIM Architectural Review Future Project Award in the Sports and Stadiums category in France. Located in Al-Thumama, a district of Doha, the stadium is just 12 kilometres south of the city's centre. The glistening stadium is, therefore, planned to be at the heart of the tournament, featuring eight games, including a quarter-final. Like other stadiums, it has a capacity of 40,000 people, planned to be reduced to 20,000 following the tournament. It's also part of a wider development project. The $342-million stadium sits in a 50,000 square metre public park,brimming with greenery not often seen in the arid country. It's a clear statement of Qatar's environmental ambitions. Where the 20,000 seats are removed, a boutique hotel is planned and a branch of the world-renowned Aspetar Sports Clinic. A mosque will also feature inside the stadium, highlighting a desire for the arena to continue to serve the community long after the tournament has ended. After all, though Qatar is among the world's wealthiest countries, wasting billions on stadiums is a step too far, even for them. Already the stadium has hosted six games in the FIFA Arab Cup 2021, including a semi-final between host nation Qatar and Algeria.
Education City Stadium.
The Education City Stadium isn't the most romantically named of the eight. Nevertheless, this 40,000-seater arena located in Education City, 7 kilometres south of Doha,has earned the nickname the 'Diamond in the Desert'. A single glance tells you why. Designed by Fenwick Iribarren and Pattern Design, the building has a façade composed of a myriad of diamond shapes, giving the overall structure its jewel-like appearance. Indeed, these diamond patterns appear to shimmer and change colour as the sun moves across the sky. Despite being the jewel in the crown of the Qatar World Cup ambitions, it's also among the most environmentally sustainable stadiums in the world, receiving a five-star GSAS rating. In fact, 20% of the building's material came from green sources.
Education City Stadium will be among the most prominent following the World Cup. Built in the heart of Education City, which features satellite campuses of eight international universities, the stadium will play host to the university athletic teams, retaining 25,000 of its initial 45,000 seats. The stadium will feature in eight World Cup games, including a quarter-final. Since its opening in early 2020, it's served as a popular arenafor international football events, including the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup and five matches during the FIFA Arab Cup 2021. The $700-million stadium is certainly proving its worth. But, with such an exorbitant price tag, the Qatari will be looking for other headline events to host going forwards.
Khalifa International Stadium
Qatar's premier stadium is rightfully known as the National Stadium. Named after Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar's former Emir, it sits within a truly vast complex of sports centres, shops, and restaurants. The stadium first opened in 1976 and hosted the 1992 Gulf Cup, in which Qatar won for the first time. For the 2006 Asian Games, the stadium's capacity was increased from 20,000 to 40,000 seats, and a roof was added to cover the western side. With such an illustrious history, the Khalifa is the only World Cup stadium not being partially or fully dismantled afterwards. Although with a refurbishment cost of $374 million, equivalent to some of the smaller stadiums, it's hardly surprising. Home to Qatar's national football team, as well as numerous other track and field competitions, it's the best known and used stadium in the country. In recent years, it's played host to six games of the 2011 Pan Arab Games, the 2019 World Athletics Championships, and five games of the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup, including the final. It'll be an exciting venue for football fans, situated in Doha Sports City. Nearby in the Hamad Aquatic Centre, featuring an Olympic-size swimming pool and the Aspire Dome, the world's largest multi-purpose sports hall. The Villaggio Mall is also a stone's throw away. Inspired by an Italian hill town, it features a 150-metre-long indoor canal complete with gondolas. The Khalifa will be a centrepiece stadium for the nation, hosting eight matches, including the third-place play-off. It's still not the biggest stadium the Qataris have built, however.
Lusail Stadium.
The biggest and boldest of Qatar's new stadiums is the humbly named Lusail Iconic Stadium. It will be the flagship stadium for the tournament hosting ten games, including the final. It's pure opulence in its design. Designed by the renowned British architectural firm Foster + Partners, the stadium's design pays homage to the fanar lantern and traditional hand-crafted bowls and vessels used throughout the Middle East. It's envisioned as a dance of light and shadows with the intense Qatari sun bouncing off the golden panels. It's just not golden panels; solar panels also power the building, with the entire structure having a zero-carbon footprint. But such ambition comes with a sizable price tag. It reportedly cost $767 million, with construction being delayed a year. With a total capacity of 80,000, it's by far the biggest stadium of the eight. However, like almost all the stadiums, it's planned to be reconfigured after the event to a more manageable 40,000-seats. Parts of the building are expected to be repurposed into community spaces, including shops, cafes, athletic and education facilities, and even a health clinic. What remains of the upper-tier will become part of outdoor terraces for new homes. It's an ingenious way to make use of these gargantuan structures. It'll be the centre-point of the new Lusail city, located 23 kilometres north of Doha. Lusail is even more ambitious than the stadium and will be the hottest destination for the tournament's spectators. Much of the city is yet to be complete, but it will eventually accommodate 450,000 people. It's planned to have marinas, residential areas, island resorts, commercial districts, and more. The Lusail Iconic Stadium will be the pinnacle of the city's achievements so far, being the 5th largest future stadium in the world. It'll make for one unforgettable final match. Stadium 974. The most impressive stadium isn't the biggest, however. Stadium 974, formerly Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, is a 40,000-seater arena unlike anything anywhere on the planet. In fact, despite opening in November 2021, the stadium won't exist in a few years. That's right - after the World Cup ends, the entire structure is planned to be dismantled. Indeed, from its conception, the whole stadium was built with impermanence in mind. Its name, which pays homage to Qatar's international dialling code, is also an element of its design. Constructed from 974 recycled shipping containers and modular steel, the extraordinary stadium is a blueprint for future tournament hosts worried about being stuck with an expensive stadium they can't fill. It's the first temporary venue in FIFA World Cup history. Its inventive design uses containers for bathrooms and concessions, as well as the stadium's outer wall. Despite this cobbled-together approach, the waterfront arena is uniquely beautiful, maintaining the grandeur of traditional stadiums but with a modern eco-spin. It received a four-star sustainability rating from the GSAS. Nor are the Qataris wasting their efforts. The stadium was tested on the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup's opening day and is planned to host seven matches during the 2022 World Cup, up to the last 16.
It's unknown exactly how much the temporary structure cost to build, though the site will become a waterfront development after being deconstructed. The shipping containers, modular steel, and seats will be provided as assistance to under-developed countries worldwide. You bet it won't be the last temporary stadium to feature in a World Cup. But it will be the benchmark by which all others are measured. But what do you think? Has Qatar exceeded expectations by producing the greatest football stadiums in the world? Or are they yet more monumental structures that will fail to live up to the hype? After all, stadiums of World Cups past are often doomed to financial problems, remaining empty for years.
And what do you think of the temporary stadium? Is this an ingenious solution to the problem? Let us know in the comments below! If you enjoyed this article, please follow us.
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Stadium is so beautiful
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