One of the world's most awaited stadiums will open its doors for the first time in May of this year. Another World Cup venue should be delivered by year end.

Initially scheduled for delivery in late 2018, the new Al Wakrah Stadium isn't ready yet. And it doesn't have to be, as we previously wrote. After all, over 3 years are left until the 2022 tournament, while it's not crucial for domestic use. And already now, as shown in this comparison, it's looking almost like in renderings:

© Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy

Until now we only knew that the inauguration would take place some time in the first half of 2019, now there's more clarity on the date. During this week's interview Nasser Al Khater, CEO of new joint venture FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC, announced the Zaha Hadid-designed stadium would open in May, marking the Emir Cup Final.

While the final is scheduled for May 16, it's not certain at this point whether the game would be held at the stadium or would the stadium simply be opened as part of associated festivities.

Al Wakrah Stadium lies just south of Doha and has been under construction since May of 2014. The stadium, equipped with first ever two-garage retractable roof system, is contracted to cost nearly €575 million. For the 2022 World Cup it will hold over 40,000 people and then lose roughly half of its capacity in legacy mode.

When announcing the big news, Al Khater also assured that Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor would be delivered by the end of this year, in December.

© Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy