Qatar 2022: Four salient features of Al Rayyan Stadium
The Al Rayyan Stadium if the fouth venue to be officialy completed following the renovation of the Khalifa International in 2017 and the inaugurations of Al Janoub (2019) and Education City (2020).
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.
Two more tournament venues — Al Bayt and Al Thumama — are in the final stages of construction, while the main works at the remaining two stadiums – Ras Abu Aboud and Lusail – will be complete by 2021.
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.
Ahead of the proposed opening of the Al Rayyan Stadium on Decemeber 18, which is the Qatar National Day, here is a quick look at four salient features of the desert venue.
Visually stunning, culturally important
The stadium’s design reflects the story of Qatar. Its most striking feature is a glowing façade, comprised of patterns that characterise different aspects of the country: the importance of family, the beauty of the desert, the native flora and fauna, and local and international trade. A fifth shape, a shield, brings together all the others, representing the strength and unity that is particularly relevant to the proud desert city of Al Rayyan.
Round of 16 venue
During Qatar 2022, the stadium will host seven matches up to and including the round of 16 stage. The stadium’s seating capacity during the tournament will be 40,000. After Qatar 2022, the capacity will be reduced to 20,000 following the removal of the modular upper tier, with the seats being re-purposed into sporting facilities across Qatar and overseas. It will also become the home of Al Rayyan Sports Club, one of the most popular football teams in the country.
Gateway to the desert’
The stadium is situated in one of Qatar’s most historic cities, which sits close to Doha on the way to beautiful desert landscapes. A tight-knight, family-oriented community, Al Rayyan will be transformed into a regional sporting hub, where locals will have the opportunity to experience the many other sporting facilities that spring up as part of the stadium complex. Six football training pitches, a cricket pitch, horse riding track, cycling track, gym equipment and an athletics track are just some of the facilities that the community can look forward to using.
Turning old into new
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