2022 World Cup: Qatar’s fifth stadium design revealed

40,000-seater Al Rayyan enclosure to host matches up to quarter-finals

DOHA: Officials in Qatar have unveiled the design for the fifth stadium to host matches during the football World Cup in 2022.

The 40,000-seater Al Rayyan Stadium will host matches up until the quarter-final stage of the competition in seven years' time.

The stadium is expected to be completed three years before the tournament begins.

In a ceremony at the Ali bin Abdullah Fort on the western fringes of the capital Doha, Qatar's World Cup head, Hassan Al Thawadi, said that revealing the design was the latest important benchmark in the country's preparations for football's biggest tournament.

"Unveiling the design of Al Rayyan stadium is another important step forward in our preparations to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup," he said. "We will continue to work tirelessly as our vision for the tournament takes shape on the ground."

Sheikh Saud bin Khalid bin Hamad alThani, chairman of Al Rayyan Sports Club, said he hoped the stadium would help Qatar deliver the best World Cup there has ever been.

The stadium, which is "focused on Qatari tradition", is the latest to be rebuilt or revamped as the country prepares for 2022.

It will include cooling technology, to help with Qatar's fierce temperatures even in winter, and the capacity will be reduced to 21,000 after the tournament with the upper tier of seats being sent to developing nations.

A final decision will be taken later this year on how many stadiums Qatar will use for the tournament, which is uniquely taking place in the months of November and December, following a decision by FIFA.

 

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