Architect Mark Fenwick has revealed that the most unique stadium he has designed, Stadium 974, will be dismantled and transported to another country. If the announcements come to fruition, it will be a worldwide phenomenon. However, the architect revealed that the move to the U.S. will not happen for a simple, albeit frustrating, reason.

Stadium 974 still stands in Doha, but not for long

Exactly 2 years after the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the famous Stadium 974, built entirely of containers, still stands on the Persian Gulf coast in Doha. Matches are played there from time to time, concerts or other events happen, but this is about to change.

Mark Fenwick, an architect known for his designs of RCDE Stadium or Nou Mestalla, among others, and more recently the author of the design for the national stadium in Belgrade, revealed in an interview with El Periódico de Aragón that soon Stadium 974 will change location, in accordance with the initial idea: to avoid a similar situation to those of many stadiums in Africa, which were built for tournaments like the Africa Cup of Nations, only to then fall into disrepair.

© Go Qatar 2022

If not the US, then where?

The modular design of Stadium 974 (the name comes from the number of containers and the area code for Qatar) allows the entire structure to be disassembled and transported elsewhere. Fenwick didn’t reveal where this would be, but he did disclose that serious consideration was given to the United States for the stadium to host another World Cup, this time in 2026. However, the voltage difference turned out to be a major problem, as in Qatar, 220 volts are used, while in the US it is 110 volts, which would require replacing the entire electrical system.

The original plan was to green the site after the stadium was dismantled, but the architect said that residential buildings would be built there. For sure, however, the modular structure will remain in Doha until the end of the year, as it will be the arena for the semifinal of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup on December 14. That's when we'll find out which club will face Real Madrid in the battle to be named the best team in the world 4 days later at Lusail Stadium.

© Embassy of Malta in Qatar