Qatar’s fourth World Cup stadium will be declared open in less than three days. And it will be inaugurated with fanfare. The entire football family will be in for a treat on Friday when the brand new FIFA World Cup venue at Al Rayyan will be declared open in front of a host of dignitaries on Qatar’s National Day. The inauguration will take place just before the kick off of the 2020 Amir Cup final between Al Sadd and Al Arabi, marking a historic day for the football-loving country.
Fatma Al Nuaimi (pictured above), Executive Communications Director of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), yesterday said the inauguration of the venue will be remembered for long. “I think it would be like a night to remember especially with spectators being allowed to attend the final by the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH).
Fatma Al Nuaimi, Executive Communications Director of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC)
The excitement of football is gradually now coming back to our venues,” Al Nuaimi said during an online discussion hosted by the SC yesterday. Qatar, one of few countries to allow fans at stadiums in the time of COVID-19, will welcome 50 percent of the total capacity of the new venue at Al Rayyan for the blockbuster final with all necessary preventive safety measures in place.
“Three hours before the final, there will be cultural and community activities for people to enjoy. This will be done to encourage fans to come ahead of time and enjoy the festivities. An enjoyable atmosphere will be there for families coming to the stadium considering the Amir Cup final is on a Friday. It will be like a fan zone,” Al Nuaimi said. Al Nuaimi said a host of VIPs are expected to join the inauguration ceremony at the 40,000-seat venue. “There will be a brief inauguration officially announcing that the World Cup stadium is ready. Hopefully, the FIFA President, UEFA President and the AFC President who will also be attending the next day’s AFC Champions League final, will be here to attend the event together,” Al Nuaimi said.
Al Nuaimi, who has witnessed the progress of Qatar’s World Cup venues from scratch, said the new stadium is a short distance from the Education City Stadium. “The stadium is just five minutes away from the Education City Stadium, which again showcases the compact nature of Qatar 2022 World Cup in which people will be able to attend more than one match in a day,” she said. “Before starting work on the new venue, we looked at a study from an engineering perspective to decide whether to renovate the existing stadium or actually to take it down and built it from scratch. After detailed discussions, we realised it’s better to build the stadium on a sustainable model, which would be more efficient.
Ninety percent of recycled materials from the old stadium have been actually put into the existing stadium,” Al Nuaimi said.
“You can see the development at this area. Just next to the stadium, you will see there is a green park surrounding it. The metro is fully operational and it will help people access the stadium easily. The roads and expressway have opened. Also there is a massive shopping mall next to it.
“You can see that the area surrounding the stadium has really developed. After the World Cup, the upper tier of the stadium will be taken out. Some 20,000 seats will be taken down and donated to other countries. The development of the area has helped accelerate the plans of the Qatar National Vision 2030 from a transport perspective.
“From actually making it easily accessible to people, it will not only enhance the fan experience during the World Cup, but also leave a legacy for the community,” Al Nuaimi explained.
“When I first visited the completed stadium, I felt really proud,” Al Nuaimi recalled.
“From the time it was a construction site, we have been doing all of these visits and now that the stadium is ready. Now we’re getting the chance to celebrate it with an actual tournament. My feelings are indescribable. I get emotional when I think of the construction days and now, seeing the venue ready and completed,” she said. “During the World Cup, when we host a million fans, it will be an opportunity for us to tell our story and showcase our hospitality. It will be the first world Cup in the Arab world, the first time in the Middle East and second time in Asia. I think there is so much that the world will be seeing when they come here,” Al Nuaimi said.
