Al Thumama Stadium – design description

Al Thumama Stadium is the sixth venue to be officially presented during preparation for the 2022 World Cup. It will be built in one of the best possible locations in southern Doha, providing great road and public transport access, as well as being just 5km away from the city's main airport.

The site in Al Thumama is also known for what won't be built there. Roughly a decade before the new plans, it was where Qatari authorities were planning to build the first underground stadium, with almost all fans located and covered below ground level. This time such measure is not possible due to the FIFA-required capacity of 40,000 people, five times greater than the one from years back.

New Al Thumama Stadium will have a smooth and simple outer form, covered with white cladding. That cladding however will have openings creating a stunning, intricate pattern, mimicking that of gahfiya, traditional Arabic headdress worn by boys and men. It's the first Qatari stadium to be designed primarily by local architects, led by Ibrahim M. Jaidah, in cooperation with global giants Heerim.

Though not under ground, the stadium is expected to provide superb cooling technologies, able to bring temperature inside down to just 18 degrees during the FIFA tournament. Afterwards, the building's volume will not decrease, but the capacity will be halved. Most of the upper ring will travel to developing countries, while an elegant patio with boutique hotel will be created instead.

Due to its fantastic location, the stadium will also become heart of a major leisure and sport precinct, including 8 football fields and facilities for several other sports disciplines.