Al Wakrah Stadium

2022 Supreme Committee

Al Wakrah Stadium

With six years left before Qatar hosts the 2022 World Cup, construction crews are hard at work on the tournament stadiums.

qatar airways

This week, World Cup organizers are giving behind-the-scenes glimpses of the work that’s going on at five of the under-construction venues, including Khalifa International Stadium, whose arches are in place and seating tiers are coming up.

Officials have previously said all stadiums are set to be complete by 2020, although some have earlier finishing dates. Here’s a look at the work:

Khalifa stadium

Though Qatar is constructing most of the World Cup venues from scratch, it is also overhauling a few of them, including Khalifa International Stadium.

Located at the Aspire Zone, it is expected to be handed over to Supreme Committee of Delivery & Legacy (SCDL) by the end of this year.

The 40-year-old stadium is being renovated to meet FIFA regulations and will host the quarter-final World Cup matches.

It will have capacity for 40,000 spectators and be the first World Cup venue to be lit solely by LED lighting, the SCDL said.

Khalifa Stadium’s single, iconic arch on the stadium’s eastern end was removed and it has been replaced with two arches, which the film shows are already installed.

The tiered seating area can also be seen continuing to take shape.

Qatar’s 3-2-1 Olympic and Sport Museum will also be housed at Khalifa Stadium.

This week, Sheikha Al Mayassa, chairperson for Qatar Museums, released a short video of her recent site tour:

Part of my visit to the construction site of “3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum” to see the work progress

Al Wakrah stadium

Meanwhile, “rapid progress continues” at the site of the Al Wakrah Stadium, the SCDL said.

Piling is underway, and metal reinforcing bars can be seen protruding from the base of what will be the stadium.

Last month, it was announced that the main contractor MIDMAC, which is in a joint venture with PORR Qatar and Six Construction, will soon begin erecting cranes and is expected to complete the stadium’s steel roof structure in 15 to 17 months.

Designed by architect Zaha Hadid, who died earlier this year, the 40,000-capacity stadium will host the World Cup quarter-finals. It is expected to be complete by the fourth quarter of 2018.

Al Bayt stadium

Over in northern Qatar, time-lapse footage of construction of Al Bayt Al Khor Stadium shows concrete being poured and work on the foundations “well under way,” the SCDL said

Last summer, the committee said that construction on the site was due to begin in September. This followed the completion of enabling works that included erecting temporary onsite offices, paving internal roads and ground leveling.

The 60,000-seater stadium will host games until the semi-final stage, with a design resembling a traditional tent used by nomads around the region that is meant to symbolize Arab hospitality.

Previous estimates were that the stadium would be complete by September 2018.

Qatar Foundation stadium

As far as the Qatar Foundation stadium goes, a 30-second “progress update” shows the footprint of what will be the pitch raised from the ground.

When complete, this 40,000-seater stadium will be used up to the quarter-finals of the football tournament.

Its design resembles a “diamond in the desert” and will feature geometric patterns that appear to change color as the sun arcs across the sky.

Al Rayyan stadium

The fifth stadium currently under construction is Al Rayyan Stadium to the west of Doha.

Original plans were to renovate Ahmed Bin Ali arena which was on the site, but this stadium was eventually torn down and a new structure is being created to meet FIFA’s technical requirements.

This stadium’s design was inspired by sand dunes, according to the SCDL.

The latest video clip of the area does not show much in the way of work to the actual stadium, but construction of training pitches should be complete by August.

Work on the three other confirmed World Cup venues in Lusail, Ras Abu Aboud and Al Thumama is still in the very preliminary stages.

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