The day football fans had been waiting for has arrived. Today Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will inaugurate the new Al Wakrah Stadium when football giants Al Sadd take on Al Duhail in the country’s biggest football tournament.
After five years of planning and slick construction by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), the brand new Al Wakrah Stadium will open the gates to a little over 40,000 fans for the Amir Cup final to be played between two quality sides.
When the Amir announces the opening of the Al Wakrah Stadium, it will be the second venue to be officially put to use by Qatar, the hosts of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Almost two years ago, H H the Amir inaugurated the iconic Khalifa International Stadium in the presence of FIFA President Gianni Infantino and 50,000 fans. That was the first official venue of the 2022 FIFA World Cup opened five years ahead of schedule.
Today’s landmark occasion in Qatar’s journey takes even greater significance since Al Wakrah Stadium has been built from scratch. The Khalifa International Stadium was massively renovated and decked up in spectacular fashion for the 2017 Amir Cup final played between Al Sadd and Al Rayyan. Al Sadd won that match 2-1 against arch-rivals as the world marvelled at the imposing sports venue.
The new Al Wakrah Stadium is directly connected with the Doha Metro that was launched last week attracting more than 80,000 passengers in the first two days of public service. The ground breaking ceremony of the new Al Wakrah Stadium took place in 2014 and in less than five years, an engineering marvel has been constructed with state-of-the-art construction techniques.
The stadium, which was designed by legendary architect Zaha Hadid, has a 92m retractable roof that will contribute to the efficiency of the stadium’s innovative cooling technology and protect the interior of the stadium from harsh weather conditions, according to SC. More than 100 air ventilation units – split evenly between the lower and upper tiers – will serve the stadium bowl. Just last month, Qatari company Urban Concept laid the turf at the new Al Wakrah Stadium in just 9 hours 15 minutes.
SC says after the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the seating capacity of the venue will be reduced to 20,000 and handed over to Al Wakrah Sports Club that features in the Qatar Stars League. Following the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the top tier of the stadium will be removed and donated to a country which needs sporting infrastructure, SC has promised.
When the referee blows the kick-off whistle today, Qatar will have fulfilled another promise.
