FIFA World Cup 2022 venues: Eight Qatar stadiums to host Middle East’s first football showpiece
Seven new stadiums have been built in and around Doha to host the 64 matches. Know all the FIFA World Cup 2022 venues.
The FIFA World Cup 2022 will be held in Qatar from November 20 to December 18.
Set to be the 22nd edition of the world football championships, the FIFA World Cup 2022 is set to be a special one considering it will be the first time that a Middle Eastern country will host a football World Cup.
This will also be the second time that the FIFA World Cup will be hosted in Asia. The 2002 FIFA World Cup was co-hosted by Japan and South Korea.
A total of eight stadiums spread across five different Qatari cities will host 32 teams in 64 matches during the FIFA World Cup 2022.
The designated venues for the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar are Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail, Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium and Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan and Stadium 974 and Al Thumama Stadium in Doha.
All the venues are located within a 55-km radius of Qatar’s capital city of Doha.
Barring the Khalifa International Stadium, which has been operational since 1976, all the other stadiums have been constructed over the past three years with the FIFA World Cup in mind. The Khalifa Stadium will host the third-place playoff match.
Lusail Iconic Stadium has the highest capacity (80,000) among the eight venues. It will also be the busiest stadium of the lot, hosting a total of 10 matches, including the final and closing ceremonies.
The Al Bayt Stadium, set to host nine matches, will be the stage for the opening ceremony and FIFA World Cup 2022 opener between hosts Qatar and Ecuador on November 20.
The group matches have been divided among the stadiums as follows:
Groups A, B, E and F: Al Bayt Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium
Groups C, D, G and H: Lusail Iconic Stadium, Stadium 974, Education City Stadium, Al Janoub Stadium
The upcoming edition will be the first FIFA World Cup which will not be played between May to July because of the intense heat in Qatar during non-winter months. The stadiums have also been equipped with state-of-the-art climate control facilities to manage instadia temperature..