Qatar unveils the design of final 2022 arena — the spectacular Lusail Stadium
Qatar has been gearing up fast towards the hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. While work on many of the stadiums for the tournament are progressing at a fast pace, some of them, like the Khalifa International Stadium, are already complete.
The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), which is in charge of the organisation of the mega event, today unveiled the design of the Lusail Stadium, which will host the opening and closing games of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, according to the SC website.
The venue, which has a seating capacity of 80,000 people, will be the biggest-ever stadium the country has ever seen.
Located about 15km to the north of Central Doha, Lusail Stadium will form the centerpiece of the new ultra-modern Lusail City, for which the construction is almost 90% complete.
In addition to being placed at the heart of Lusail City, the area also holds significant cultural and historical significance for Qatar.
This is because the area was once home to the founder of modern Qatar — Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani Al Thani.
Famous British firm Foster + Partners have provided the stadium’s design concept. 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 area.
Construction of the stadium is already well underway. While the substructure is complete, concrete superstructure and infrastructure works are progressing in all zones. The stadium’s construction is expected to be complete by 2020.
“With the reveal of the iconic Lusail Stadium design, today marks another significant milestone on the road to 2022. It has now been eight years since we won the rights to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup and we told the world to expect amazing. With this stunning design of our showpiece stadium, I’m proud today to once again be delivering on that promise,” said SC Secretary General Hassan Al Thawadi.
“The new stadium is a nod to our past and a symbol of an exciting future. On the very same land as the home of our nation’s founder, it sits at the heart of a brand new city. It’s a city for the future, and once the World Cup is over it’ll form a crucial part of the legacy of the tournament as it transforms to become the heart of a brand new community,” he added.
After the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Lusail Stadium will be transformed into a community space which includes schools, shops, cafés, sports facilities and health clinics.
This multi-purpose community hub will allow people to find everything they need 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 be removed and donated to sporting projects, taking this arena’s extraordinary legacy — and a little bit of FIFA World Cup history — to locations around the world.
