Al Sadd team members training at Al Wakrah Stadium. Pic: Salim Matramkot / The Peninsula
Doha: In an atmosphere charged with excitement and thrill, Al Wakrah Stadium—one of the eight venues for the 2022 FIFA World Cup—will be officially opened tonight with hosting of the Amir Cup final.
Al Wakrah Stadium is the second 2022 FIFA World Cup venue being delivered by the Supreme Committee of Delivery and Legacy (SC) after the opening of iconic Khalifa International Stadium in 2017.
The opening of the landmark Al Wakrah Stadium today is step-by-step realisation of Qatar’s dream of hosting a historic mega football event in Qatar in 2022. Al Wakrah Stadium, designed by celebrated Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, has a capacity of 40,000 seats and is just 23km from Doha city centre.
The futuristic Al Wakrah Stadium will host matches up to the quarter-finals stage during Qatar 2022. The design is inspired by the sails of traditional dhow boats; in tribute to Al Wakrah’s seafaring past.
It also features innovative cooling technology for the benefit of spectators and players. The technology is capable of cooling the spectator areas to 18°C and the field of play to 20°C.
The tickets for the Amir Cup 2019 final that will be played between Al Sadd and Al Duhail have already been sold in no time and all preparations by the authorities concerned including the Supreme Committee, Qatar Football Association, Public Works Authority, Doha Metro, the General Directorate of Traffic, and others have been finalised to conduct a super successful sporting event tonight.
Another highlight of tonight’s final is a farewell for Spanish legend and Al Sadd captain Xavi, who will appear for the last time on the pitch as a player. Doha Metro announced yesterday that it would extend its service tonight for the Amir Cup 2019 final. Passengers will be able to access the metro even after the match.
The service will be open till 3am on Friday, which will help football fans to commute back from the stadium after the match, which kicks off at 10.30pm tonight.
The inauguration ceremony of the Al Wakrah Stadium, which will host the final, will begin at 9.15pm. The door opens for the sold-out match at 7.30pm.
“We’re delighted to extend our train service on the red line from 8am (Thursday) until 3am on May 17 (Friday) so that customers can use the metro to watch the Amir Cup final,” Doha Metro tweeted.
Meanwhile, the Organising Committee of the Amir Cup has issued a number of instructions for fans with the aim of successfully conducting a safer final tournament. Along all the citizens and residents of Qatar, the employees of the SC who have been dedicatedly attached with the project are joyous over the completion of landmark stadium.
