Elegant-looking Education City Stadium to open in Qatar

Article posted by Coliseum, October 2^nd, 2019

Image: SC

A 40,000- capacity venue – Education City Stadium with a very high chic quotient – will open on December 18, 2019 coinciding with Qatar’s National Day.

It will also hold the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final on December 18 followed by the tournament’s final three days later.

Dubbed the ‘diamond in the desert’, the facility will become the third FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ stadium to open following Khalifa International Stadium in 2017 and Al Janoub Stadium earlier this year.

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Situated in the heart of Education City – in the Al Rayyan district of Qatar – the stadium shall host matches up to the quarter-finals stage in 2022. Using the Doha Metro Green Line, fans will be able to make an entry to the stadium which is set to open in the coming weeks.

The design of Education City Stadium demonstrates the rich history of Islamic architecture and yet retains the smart look. The façade features triangles that form complex, diamond-like geometrical patterns which, depending on the sun’s position, appear to change color.

Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), stated that unveiling the stadium on Qatar National Day would be a proud moment for the entire country, “The inauguration of Education City Stadium will mark another major milestone on the road to delivering international football’s showpiece event. Everyone in Qatar will feel immense pride when this architectural masterpiece is unveiled on our country’s National Day, during the prestigious FIFA Club World Cup, and exactly three years before the Qatar 2022 final takes place.”

He added, “Hosting the FIFA Club World Cup is a golden opportunity to boost preparation for 2022 while giving thousands of fans from across the globe a taste of what to expect in three years’ time. We are immensely excited about hosting this tournament for the next two installments, as we continue to finalize our plans for the World Cup.”

It has already been confirmed that European champions Liverpool will contest the stadium’s inaugural fixture after they received a bye to the semi-finals of the tournament. The Reds qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup after winning the UEFA Champions League in June. Liverpool’s opponents in the semi-final will be decided during the tournament, which kicks off on December 11.

Engineer Yasir Al Jamal, Vice-Chairman of the SC’s Technical Delivery Office, stated, “We are honored that Liverpool – one of the most famous and prestigious clubs in the world – will contest the opening match at Education City Stadium. We are also immensely proud that Education City Stadium will be the third tournament-ready venue for Qatar 2022 and the second, after Al Janoub Stadium, to be built from scratch. I would like to pay tribute to the entire project team, along with Qatar Foundation, one of our key stakeholders. They have collaborated brilliantly to deliver this magnificent structure three years before the FIFA World Cup is held right here in Qatar.”

Sustainability defines the Education City Stadium project. Post-2022, the stadium’s seating capacity will come down to 20,000, with the modular upper tier donated to create sporting facilities overseas.

In the long run, the facility will provide sporting facilities for the various educational, research and innovation establishments at Education City.

The lead designer for the venue is FIA Fenwick Iribarren Architects and the stadium was delivered by ASTAD Project Management. The JPAC joint venture has served as the design and build contractor, while Pattern were appointed as the lead design architect and BuroHappold’s services was hired for engineering design.

The FIFA Club World Cup 2019 will be held in Qatar from December 11 to 21. The matches will be played at three arenas – Jassin Bin Hamad Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium and Education City Stadium. Five teams have qualified till date – Al Sadd SC (host country representative*), Liverpool FC (UEFA), CF Monterrey (CONCACAF), ES Tunis (CAF) and Hienghène Sport (OFC). The AFC and CONMEBOL representatives will be confirmed in November.

*If Al Sadd wins the AFC Champions League, it will amount to them entering the tournament in Match 3 and be replaced in the opening match by the AFC Champions League runners-up.

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