Al Bayt Stadium

Al-Bayt Stadium is a retractable roof football stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, that will be used for matches during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which is set to begin on November 20, 2022. Webuild S.p.A. and Cimolai were awarded the stadium construction contract in 2015. The stadium gained sustainability accreditation for green design, construction management, and energy efficiency in January 2020. The stadium is roughly 35 kilometers from Doha.

Al Bayt Stadium will host the opening match of the 2022 World Cup.

FIFA and the Organizing Committee have confirmed that the first match will take place on November 20 in front of 60,000 people.

The architectural design is inspired by the historic tents of Qatar’s and the region’s nomadic peoples.

It will include a retractable roof that will provide covered seating for all spectators. The onsite parking will be connected to a multitude of transportation systems and will be able to house 6,000 automobiles, 350 buses, and the arrival and departure of 150 public buses/shuttles, as well as 1,000 taxis and water taxis. The stadium will hold around 60,000 World Cup supporters, plus 1,000 press seats. The stadium has been certified for its sustainability credentials by the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) for a number of certifications relating to sustainable design and construction, construction management practices, and the efficiency of its energy center. The stadium also obtained a five-star rating from GSAS.

The stadium will also feature opulent hotel suites and rooms with balconies overlooking the football field.

To commemorate National Sports Day, the stadium’s surrounding park’s official inauguration date has been set for 11 February 2020, Qatar’s sports day.

The Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar is the second largest stadium after Lusail Stadium and is one of seven stadiums being rebuilt for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.

Dar Al-Handasah designed the stadium.

It is intended that after the World Cup, it would be converted into a 32,000-seat stadium. Excess seats from the upper tier will be gifted to other countries or used to build infrastructure for the Asian Games in 2030. The abandoned property will then be transformed into a five-star hotel, a shopping mall, and additional sports facilities.

The tent-like structure is made up of four stands, each with its own exterior walls and peaked roof made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) woven fiberglass membrane. To further reference Nomadic people’s tents, the exterior of the PTFE membrane is colored in traditional black, white, and red. The stadium is enclosed by a retractable canopy that joins the four stands.

According to a 2021 investigation by The Guardian, approximately 6500 migrant laborers from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka perished between 2010 and 2020 while working on World Cup venues in Qatar.

The Guardian’s figures did not include occupation or place of work, so deaths could not be linked definitively to the World Cup construction program, but “a very significant proportion of the migrant workers who have died since 2011 were only in the country because Qatar won the right to host the World Cup.” Construction News commented on the investigation by recalling, first, a 2014 BBC Newsnight investigation that claimed migrant workers employed by Carillion subcontractors in Qatar were forced to work in unsafe conditions and had wages withheld; second, a 2019 report by the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre that showed construction firms working in Qatar and the UAE were “failing” to protect workers’ rights – firms that included former Carillion subsidiary Al-Futt.

The stadium was inaugurated on November 30, 2021, as part of the opening ceremony for the FIFA Arab Cup 2021. The event was followed by a match between Qatar and Bahrain, in which the defending Asian champion Qatar survived a last-minute scare to defeat the visiting 1-0 thanks to a header by Abdulaziz Hatem in the 69th minute.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar’s Emir (head of state), attended this occasion.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, various Heads of State and Authorities, and Presidents of Member Associations will attend the Al Bayt Stadium inauguration ceremony, which will mark the official start of the FIFA Arab Cup 2021.

During the FIFA Arab Cup 2021, the newly built stadium held five matches, including the tournament final on December 18, 2021.

• Capacity: 60,000
• Location: Al Khor City, 35km north of Doha

World Cup Qatar 2022 – Matches on Al Bayt Stadium

• 20 November  Group A: Qatar v Ecuador (1900 local time)
• 23 November  Group F: Morocco v Senegal (1300 local time)
• 25 November  Group B: England v USA (2200 local time)
• 27 November  Group E: Spain v Germany (2200 local time)
• 29 November  Group A: Netherlands v Qatar (1800 local time)
• 1 December  Group E: Costa Rica v Germany (2200 local time)
• 4 December  Round of 16: Winners Group B v Runners-up Group A (2200 local time)
• 10 December  Quarter-final: Winners Match 51 v Winners Match 52 (2200 local time)
• 14 December  Semi-final Winners Match 59 v Winners Match 60 (2200 local time)