As strange as it is to say, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is just over a year away and stadiums are rising from the ground in time for the show-stopping tournament.
Euro 2020 is still fresh in our minds after it was postponed to the summer of 2021, yet we’re already thinking about the next major tournament – and it will be a Christmas tournament for the first time ever.
Games will be held from late-November until the final on 18th December 2022 – one week before Christmas Day.
Right now, we don’t even know which teams have qualified for the competition as World Cup qualifiers on TV continue to rage on.
However, we do know the venues that will host matches in Qatar. Eight stadiums spread across five cities in a compact space will play host to the biggest tournament in world football.
RadioTimes.com has rounded up everything you need to know about the Qatar World Cup stadiums for the 2022 tournament.
Lusail Iconic Stadium
!["Qatar]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/Qatar-stadium-8f98973.jpeg?quality=90&resize=620%2C355" "\"Qatar")
City: Lusail
Capacity: 80,000
The centrepiece, the main stage, the headline acts, the very heart of it all. The Lusail Iconic Stadium will host the 2022 World Cup final.
Al Bayt Stadium
!["Qatar]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/GettyImages-1190700477-1-a1df8b0.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Qatar")
City: Al-Khor
Capacity: 60,000
It all gets underway at the Al Bayt Stadium in November 2022. The opening match of the tournament will be held here including an inevitably glitzy opening ceremony.
Ras Abu Aboud Stadium
!["Qatar]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/Screenshot-2021-10-07-at-17.30.31-86e007a.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Qatar")
City: Doha
Capacity: 40,000
The new design for this stadium will incorporate a number of shipping containers and reusable elements. The stadium will only ever host six competitive games before it is entirely dismantled and re-used in other projects.
Al Thumama Stadium
!["Qatar]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/Qatar-stadiums-6aadcaf.jpeg?quality=90&resize=551%2C413" "\"Qatar")
City: Doha
Capacity: 40,000
The stadium has been constructed to represent the gahfiya, a traditional woven cap worn by men across the Middle East.
Education City Stadium
!["Qatar]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/GettyImages-1196061599-9d1424f.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Qatar")
City: Al-Rayyan
Capacity: 45,350
Following the conclusion of the tournament, 20,000 seats will be removed and donated to developing nations as they seek to build impressive football arenas.
Ahmed bin Ali Stadium
!["Qatar]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/GettyImages-1292391547-1-1e1a811.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C376" "\"Qatar")
City: Al-Rayyan
Capacity: 44,740
The surrounding facilities will incorporate a number of sand dune-shaped structures that signify the desert landscape around the ground and Qatar itself.
Khalifa International Stadium
!["Qatar]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/GettyImages-1196061657-7e18ad9.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Qatar")
City: Al-Rayyan
Capacity: 40,000
The Khalifa International Stadium is a long-standing stadium, relatively speaking, and has undergone several makeovers since breaking ground in 1975.
Al Janoub Stadium
!["Qatar]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/GettyImages-1196060102-8d7f513.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Qatar")
City: Al-Wakrah
Capacity: 40,000
It says a lot that you can build a stadium that looks as futuristic as this and only use it for one knockout game – a Round of 16 tie at that.
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