Qatar's Al Thumama World Cup stadium ready for inauguration
Qatar is set to inaugurate Al Thumama Stadium, its fourth newly built venue, ahead of the 2022 World Cup. Located 12 km away from Doha city centre, the 40,000-seat stadium will host matches through to the quarter-finals of next year's tournament. Its design is inspired by the gahfiya, a traditional woven cap worn by men and boys across the Middle East.
In a break from the normal tradition of hosting the FIFA World Cup in the June-July window, Qatar 2022 will be held in winter with the tournament starting on November 21 and ending on December 18 to coincide with the Qatar National Day.
Qatar, who are the reigning Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup champions are building eight stadiums for biggest football show on earth. Five stadiums -- Khalifa International, Al Janoub, Educational City, Al Rayyan and Al Bayt -- are already complete and hosted many matches amidst the raging novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Main work on two more tournament venues -- Ras Abu Aboud and Lusail - will be complete by the year end. Qatar 2022 will be a 28-day affair as the country is set to host the first FIFA World Cup to be held in Middle East and the entire Arab world. There could not have been a better match than the final of the 49th edition of Emir's Cup between Qatar Stars League (QSL) clubs Al Rayyan and Al Sadd to set the ball rolling at Al Thumama. Steeped in the culture, history and symbolism of Qatar and the region, the 40,000-seat stadium will matches right through to the quarterfinals. Located 12km south of Doha's glittering skyline and seafront promenade, the stadium designed by Qatari architect Ibrahim M Jaidah represents the gahfiya - a traditional woven cap worn people across the Middle East.
During Qatar 2022, the stadium will host eight matches up to and including the quarterfinals stage. The venue will also be a prominent host of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021, with six matches up to and including the semi-finals stage being played at the venue. After Qatar 2022, the stadium's capacity will be reduced to 20,000 and used for football and other sporting events, with the dismantled sporting infrastructure to be donated to developing nations.
