The Lusail Super Cup between Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal and Egypt’s Zamalek at the Lusail Stadium on Friday night turned out to be a huge success. While AFC Champions League winners Al Hilal lifted the trophy after a penalty shoot-out against the African giants, Qatar showed a glimpse to fans of what is to come at the FIFA World Cup later this year by organising a spectacular event.
Everything was in place as a record number of spectators attended the match at the 80,000 seat venue – home of the Qatar 2022 final on December 18, also the Qatar National Day. According to the official number, a total of 77,575 spectators attended the match between the two Arab clubs – the highest number of attendance recorded ever at a football match in Qatar. The record was previously held by the FIFA Arab Cup 2021 game between Qatar and the UAE, which was attended by 63,439 spectators at the Al Bayt Stadium – also a World Cup venue.
The organisers dubbed Friday’s showdown a last test to check preparations ahead of the World Cup kick-off on November 20 and Qatar showed its complete readiness to host the mega event – the first edition of the tournament to be hosted in the Middle East and the Arab world.
While cultural activities, grand fireworks and Egyptian singer Amr Diab set the mood ahead of the kick off, organisers smoothly conducted different operations successfully including the transportation as fans thronged to the stadium hours before the kick off. The innovative Hayya Card was also tested successfully with booths set up at the venue to assist the fans. A large number of volunteers were also present at the stadium, guiding fans throughout their way to the stands.
After staging the event successfully, Qatar is seeking to bring further improvement in their preparations to deliver the best edition of the FIFA World Cup.
“Qatar is ready to host the World Cup but we are keen on bringing improvement in our preparations to deliver an amazing World Cup,” said Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.
The players, officials and fans of Al Hilal and Zamalek also took back fond memories from a special night at the Lusail Stadium, praising Qatar’s preparations to host the greatest show on the planet. Qatar will now focus on giving the final touches to preparations what organisers call “the icing on the cake” before an estimated 1.5 million fans and 32 best teams of the world descend on the Gulf state for the landmark edition.
