Eight stadiums will capture the attention of millions of people around the world between November 20 and December 18. That’s the number of venues that will host matches at the most expensive World Cup in history so far.
Hosting the 2022 World Cup cost Qatar an estimated $200 billion, which is several times more than any other league.
Soccer oasis in the desert.
In this way the arenas of the next battles can be determined. It was the organizers’ wish that the sports facilities reflect a number of different historical and cultural aspects of Qatar as a state and nation.
For the first time, all stadiums are so close to each other: the maximum distance between two arenas is only 55 kilometres.
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There is none with a seating capacity of less than 40,000, and undoubtedly the two largest, Al Bait (60,000) and Lusail (80,000) respectively, will host the first and last matches of the tournament. This Sunday at “Al Bayt” the hosts will open the competition with a match against Ecuador, while in almost a month at “Lusail” it will be clear who will take away the coveted primacy and define themselves as “world champion”.
And a month is enough time for the landlords to finish the ongoing construction work.
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“Al Bayt” is located 35 kilometers from the capital Doha and impresses with a retractable roof. Opened less than a year ago, the stadium boasts that 63,439 fans watch the live match between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on 10 December 2021.
Another curious fact is that there are also hotel rooms in the stands, which VIP guests can rent and directly follow what is happening on the pitch, because the view is in that direction. In the context of the championship, a total of nine matches will be played here, more than all those played so far at the same venue, which are five. After the end of the world, part of the seats will be dismantled to be sent to sports infrastructures in other countries. More hotel rooms will appear in the empty space.
“Lusail” is the largest stadium in the country with its 80,000 seats. Its construction lasted four years, between April 2017 and April 2021, and in September of this year it was officially inaugurated with the matches of the “Saudi-Egyptian Super Cup”. It is located 23 kilometers north of Doha and, just like the other World Cup stadiums, will be cooled by solar energy and have a zero carbon footprint. In part, Qataris are trying to atone for the anger that keeps flowing in their direction from all quarters over the appalling treatment and conditions of construction workers in the build-up to the championship.
“City of Ejaculation”
Photo: Getty Images
“Education City” is the stadium that received the nickname “Diamond in the Desert”. Built in one of the districts of the capital Doha – “Al Rayan”, and months before the start of the 2022 World Cup, the Bulgarian national team played two matches there. They lost their grip on Qatar and Croatia, with the 45,350-seat stands sparsely populated. The program holds eight matches in this arena – six from groups and two from eliminations, the odds for which you can see here. 20% of the materials for its construction are entirely “green”.
“Ahmad bin Ali”, better known as “Al Rayan”, is also located in the district in question of the capital and bears the name of Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani, Emir of the country between 1960 and 1972. Originally it had a of 21,282 seats, but was demolished in 2015 to be rebuilt, but now with more than double the capacity. And in close proximity to the largest shopping center in the country.
The Khalifa International is the national stadium of Qatar, built in 1976, but then underwent two renovations, in 2005 and between 2014 and 2017. Its capacity is 45,416 people and over the years it has already hosted several important events, such as Asian Games in 2006, as well as the Club World Cup in 2019. In the same year it hosted the world championship in athletics. On December 17 “Khalifa International” will host the dispute for third place, and England will also make their Qatar debut at this very stadium – on November 21 against Iran, with the “three lions” gaining an absolute advantage , which you can check here – 1.37 for England’s victory.
The remaining three stadiums are “small” compared to the others because they have the smallest capacity – 40,000 each.
These are ‘Al Tumama’ which is in close proximity to Hamad International Airport, ‘Al Janub’, and ‘974’ which is definitely the most interesting of all because it is… temporary. The French champions will play their first match in Al Janub, as expected favorites against Australia – you can see the odds here.
Yes, that’s right, “974” is so called because it is built with 974 recycled shipping containers and will go down in history as the first temporary structure at the soccer world finals. And because +974 is the dialing code for Qatar.
After the end of the 2022 World Cup, it will be dismantled and transported to Maldonado, where it will once again have the opportunity to host World Cup matches, provided that Uruguay wins with its candidacy for 2030.
The transport infrastructure has also been thought out. The Arab Cup in 2021 serves as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup. The Doha Metro is in full swing, the road network has been upgraded and expanded, and more than 800 electric buses will help transport enthusiasts between point ‘A’ and point ‘B’.
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“We tested everything last year to make sure we were prepared and as efficient as possible in planning the tournament,” says one of the event’s spokespersons.
The subway trains are regular, clean (they are brand new) and they even have…a “VIP car” which has better seats and is a bit more expensive than normal. There is also something traditional about the Muslim wedding party: a chariot for women and children only. And all this – at prices of around 75p, a much cheaper ride than… the London Underground, shall we say.
Transportation to Qatar during the World Cup will definitely not be the most expensive feather.
“Stadium 974”
Photo: Getty Images
