The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) has revealed the design for Lusail Stadium, the venue where the opening and final games of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™ will take place.
The 80,000-capacity venue will be the largest stadium during the tournament, which will kick off on 21 November 2022, the first to take place in the Arab world. Located 15 km north of central Doha, Lusail Stadium will form the centrepiece of the new ultra-modern Lusail City, construction of which is 90% completed. The area holds significant cultural and historical significance for the country, as it was once the home of the founder of modern Qatar, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani Al Thani.
Renowned British firm Foster + Partners provided the design concept for the stadium. The venue’s golden vessel takes its inspiration from an Arab architectural sense as much as it does from literal symbolism by celebrating the region’s ancient tradition of craftsmanship. The design features ‘fanar’ lanterns and intricately detailed bowls that have been created for centuries in the region.
Construction of the stadium, which is being delivered by a joint venture comprising Qatari firm HBK Contracting Company and China Railway Construction Corporation, is already well underway. With the substructure complete, concrete superstructure and infrastructure works are progressing in all zones, while internal works have commenced in the west stand. Construction of the stadium is set to be completed in 2020.
This is the eighth stadium design to be unveiled by the SC, which is responsible for delivering the infrastructure and host country planning required for 2022. Khalifa International Stadium became the first tournament-ready venue in 2017, while two more stadiums will be completed early next year – Al Wakrah Stadium and Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor City.
After the 2022 FIFA World Cup™, Lusail Stadium will be transformed into a community space, with schools, shops, cafés, sports facilities and health clinics. This multi-purpose community hub will provide everything necessary under one roof – the original roof of the football stadium.
To make way for these new amenities, many of the stadium’s modular seats will also be removed and donated to sporting projects, taking the arena’s extraordinary legacy – and a little bit of FIFA World Cup™ history – to locations around the world.
For updates and more information about preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup™ in Qatar, visit sc.qa.