Three stadiums due to be launched this year

Education City Stadium (source: Qatar2022.qa)

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is a vehicle to achieving the nation’s goals, said Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary—General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), during his appearance at Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Education City Speaker Series (ECSS).

Speaking at Qatar National Library on the eve of National Sport Day 2020, Al Thawadi discussed the country’s preparations for the world’s most anticipated sporting event and how it is creating a legacy long before the tournament kicks off on 21 November 2022, the SC said on its website.

When discussing current progress, Al Thawadi said three stadiums are due to be launched this year, while Qatar is also gearing up to host the FIFA Club World Cup again after successfully hosting the tournament for the first time in December 2019.

“Two stadiums have been inaugurated – Khalifa International Stadium and Al Janoub Stadium. Three more stadiums will become operational by the end of this year: Al Rayyan Stadium, Al Bayt Stadium and, of course, Education City Stadium – which is close to everybody’s hearts here at QF.”

Al Bayt stadium (source: Qatar2022.qa)

Al Thawadi continued: “We will also be hosting the FIFA Club World Cup again – which is another significant milestone for us. Last year’s event was a great success and we were able to test our readiness for 2022. It was a golden opportunity to run through our concepts and put our operational plans to the test.”

Al Thawadi went on to say that innovation would lie at the heart of Qatar 2022 — with support from local stakeholders such as QF.

“Every tournament has to have a unique innovative element to make it close to people’s hearts. For us, innovation is at the core of our preparations. We want to provide the most advanced, enhanced and engaging fan experience for people from Qatar and all over the world. And we continue to work closely with Qatar Foundation on various elements in this regard.”

Al Thawadi ended his appearance by outlining the massive legacy benefits of the first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East and Arab world.

“We planned for legacy from day one,” said Al Thawadi. “A lot of host nations unfortunately look at legacy as an element that comes after the tournament. From the beginning, we looked at the Qatar National Vision 2030 as a guiding post. We understood the goals required and how the World Cup can help to achieve them.”