Alright, so I am back to talk more about Qatar 2022. This time I will be talking about the venues. One of my favorite parts of the world cup is the architecture. This year does not disappoint. At least visually. I am not supper excited with how we got here.
First off some of the stadiums do not have the features that they were supposed to have. They were all supposed to be climate controlled. Or at least have air conditioning. These venues are basically palaces. There was no need not to fulfill promises made a long time ago. Another issue I have is that most of the stadiums do not have tenants. It would be nice to see these stadiums fill up with teams.
Where a lot of the controversy of this world cup comes from is that over 6,500 died during the construction process of these stadiums. That is unacceptable. There is no reason for that. Humanity needs to do better.
NAME: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium
LOCATION: Umm Al Afaei, Al Rayyan, Qatar
CAPACITY: 44,740
SURFACE: Grass
REBUILT: 2016-2020
TENNANT: Al-Rayyan SC (Qatar Stars League)
WORLD CUP MATCHES: Group B, Group F, Group E, Round of 16 (Runners-up Group D)
Ahmad bin Ali Stadium was originally built in 2003. It was renovated for 2016 to 2020 for the FIFA world cup. The opening match for this stadium will be the United States vs Wales. Ahmad bin Ali Stadium will hold matches for groups B, E, and F. It will also host a round-of-16 match with the Group D runners-up. The design looks somewhat basic. The cool feature about this stadium is that is lights up at night.
NAME: Al Bayt Stadium
LOCATION: Al Khor, Qatar
CAPACITY: 60,000
SURFACE: Grass
BUILT: 2014-2021
TENNANT: Qatar National Football Team, Al Khor SC (Qatar Star League)
WORLD CUP MATCHES: Group A, Group F, Group B, Group E, Round of 16 (Runners-up Group A), Quarterfinals, Semifinals
Al Bayt Stadium was built from 2014 to 2021. It was built for the FIFA World Cup. The opening match for this stadium will be Qatar vs Ecuador. The United States will face England here. Al Bayt Stadium will also host matches for Groups A, B, E, and F. It will also host the round of 16 match for the Group A runners up, the quarterfinals, and the semifinals. The design is cool as it looks like a tent in the desert with an oasis.
NAME: Education City Stadium
LOCATION: Education City, Al Rayyan, Qatar
CAPACITY: 45,350
SURFACE: ???
BUILT: 2016-2020
TENNANT: None
WORLD CUP MATCHES: Group D, Group H, Group C, Round of 16 (Runners-up Group E), Quarterfinals
Education City Stadium was built from 2016 to 2020. It was built for the FIFA world cup. It does not have a team. The opening match for this stadium will be Denmark vs Tunisia. Ahmad bin Education City Stadium will hold matches for groups C, D, and H. It will also host a round-of-16 match with the Group E runners-up and a quarterfinal match. To me it has a basic modern design. It looks like so many other stadiums built in the last fifteen years.
NAME: Khalifa International Stadium
LOCATION: Doha, Qatar
CAPACITY: 45,416
SURFACE: Grass
BUILT: 1976
TENNANT: Qatar National Football Team
WORLD CUP MATCHES: Group B, Group E, Group A, Group F, Round of 16 (Runners-up Group B), third place playoff
Khalifa International Stadium was built in 1976. It was renovated in 2005. It was renovated again from 2014 to 2017. The opening match for this stadium will be England vs Iran. Khalifa International Stadium will hold matches for groups A, B, E, and F. It will hold a round of 16 match. It will also hold a third-place playoff. I like the design. The shape of the building is unique. I like the lights. I think the tower is a nice feature.
NAME: Lusail Iconic Stadium
LOCATION: Lusail, Qatar
CAPACITY: 80,000
SURFACE: Grass
REBUILT: 2017-2021
TENNANT: Qatar National Football Team
WORLD CUP MATCHES: Group C, Group G, Group H, Round of 16 (Runners-up Group G), Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Final
Lusail Iconic Stadium was built from 2017 to 2021. The opening match for this stadium will be Argentina vs Saudi Arabia. Lusail Iconic Stadium will hold matches for Groups, C, G, and H. It will host quarterfinals and semifinals. It will also host the final. The FIFA World Cup trophy will be handed out here. That is only fitting as this is the largest stadium in the tournament. It is designed like a bowl. It looks like a gold brick in the desert. To me the design looks futuristic. Like something straight out of Star-Trek.
NAME: Stadium 974
LOCATION: Ras Abu Aboud, Qatar
CAPACITY: 40,000
SURFACE: Grass
REBUILT: 2018-2021
TENNANT: None
WORLD CUP MATCHES: Group C, Group H, Group D, Group G, Round of 16 (Runners-up Group H)
Stadium 974 was built from 2018 to 2021. It was built for the FIFA world cup. It is a temporary stadium. It will be dismantled after the world cup. The first game here will be Mexico vs Poland. Stadium 974 will host matches from groups C, D, G, and H. It will also host a round of 16 match. It has a unique design. I like the shipping container aesthetic. I think more stadiums should use this aesthetic.
NAME: Al Thumama Stadium
LOCATION: Al Thumama, Qatar
CAPACITY: 40,000
SURFACE: Grass
REBUILT: 2017-2021
TENNANT: None
WORLD CUP MATCHES: Group A, Group E, Group F, Group B, Round of 16 (Runners-up Group C), Quarterfinals
Al Thumama Stadium was built from 2017 to 2021. It was built for the world cup. Senegal vs the Netherlands will be the first match played here. It will host matches for groups A, B, E, and F. It will also host round of 16 and quarterfinal matches. I like the design. I like the pattern on the stadium. I like how circular it is.
NAME: Al Janoub Stadium
LOCATION: Al-Wakrah, Qatar
CAPACITY: 40,000
SURFACE: Grass
REBUILT: 2014-2019
TENNANT: Al-Wakrah Sports Club (Qatar Stars League)
WORLD CUP MATCHES: Group D, Group G, Group H, Round of 16 (Runners-up Group F)
Al Janoub Stadium was built from 2014 to 2019. It was built for the world cup. The first match will be France vs Australia. It will host matches for groups D, G, and H. It will also host a round of 16 match. It is the most unique stadium of all of these.
Here is how I have ranked the stadiums. I like all of them. I don’t think any of them look bad. I just like some more than others.
Zac Electrifly 