Qatar’s Al Wakrah Stadium is set to host its first match later this month, the Amir Cup final on 16 May.
The 40,000-seat modular arena is also one of eight venues that will host matches at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. It is the second to complete construction behind the redevelopment of Khalifa International Stadium, which hosted the 2017 Amir Cup final. Al Wakrah Stadium is the first Qatar 2022 stadium to be built from scratch.
“The launch of Al Wakrah Stadium is a significant step on the road to 2022,” said Thani Khalifa Al Zarraa, the stadium project manager for SC. “Its innovative and futuristic design means it is set to be one of the iconic venues during the first FIFA World Cup in the Arab world.”
The stadium has already taken on an iconic status for some but not necessarily for the reason its designer, the late British-Iraqi architect, Dame Zaha Hadid probably desired. Hadid first released her design back in 2013. She said the design was designed was inspired by the shape of a traditional Arabic dhow but some say the stadium bears a slight resemblance to a certain part of a woman’s anatomy.
Hadid was none too pleased with critics who poked fun at her stadium design. In a 2013 interview with Time Magazine, Hadid shot back.
“It’s really embarrassing they come up with nonsense stuff like this. What are they saying? Everything with a hole in it is a vagina? That’s ridiculous.”
Zaha Hadid Architects
Hadid, who died in 2016, also designed the Aquatics Centre at the 2012 London Olympics, the MAXXI Museum in Italy and the Guangzhou Opera House in China.
Al Wakrah Stadium will be home to Al Wakrah Sports Club. Following the World Cup, its capacity will be reduced to 20,000. Excess seats will be donated to football development projects overseas.
