Qatar 2022: Education City Stadium to open on June 15

05.06.2020 18:49 source: StadiumDB.com; author: michał

Mundial 2022

It will officially become the third stadium to be opened for the 2022 World Cup. Despite being almost 900 days away, the tournament has 80% of stadium work already delivered.

Qatari Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy has officially confirmed the opening date of Education City Stadium. Initially advertised as Qatar Foundation Stadium, the venue will be inaugurated with a show dedicated to COVID-19 frontline workers on June 15.

Initially the stadium was supposed to open on December 18, 2019. It was due to host the semifinal of the Club World Cup, however the hosts didn't manage to safeguard its timely delivery. While it was physically complete, it was missing necessary certification. The project thus has nearly exactly 6 months of delay, however this isn't a major issue. After all, it's being built for a tournament that will only begin in 899 days.

Education City Stadium owes its name to the university and research complex it has been built within. Location in north-western Doha means it should offer convenient commute not only within the metropolis, but also from nearby Bahrain.

Currently the stadium's capacity is over 45,000, however it will lose app. 20,000 seats after the FIFA tournament in 2022, to be transferred to a developing country. With lower capacity it should serve as host venue mostly for academic sports.

Construction of the 'diamond of the desert' began in 2016 and the inauguration date makes it the third stadium of the 2022 World Cup to be opened. It follows the Khalifa International Stadium and Al Janoub Stadium.