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Associated Press

The World Cup stadium was designed to leave a minimal footprint in the Qatari sand. It’s now expected to be dismantled.
Stadium 974 played host to seven matches, the last of which was Brazil’s 4-1 win over South Korea in the second round on Monday.
Qatar says the stadium will disappear, but it isn’t clear when that will happen. The Gulf country will soon stage an Asian Cup, the multi-sport Asian Games and maybe even an Olympics.
Here is a look at Fifa requirements for World Cup stadiums and what happens next for Qatar’s venues.

What did Qatar need?
Fifa has clear specifications for a World Cup host’s venues plan.
A main stadium holding at least 80,000 people to stage the final, at least one more of 60,000 capacity that must host a semi-final, and several more of at least 40,000 – though the world game’s governing body let Russia have two that dipped below 35,000 four years ago.
Qatar had a 12-stadium plan when it bid for and won the hosting rights in 2010.
About three years into its long preparations for the 2022 tournament, that project plan was cut to eight stadiums. Seven of them were built from scratch, and the Khalifa International Stadium was renovated before hosting the 2019 world championships in track and field.
Fifa accepted this because Qatari football simply didn’t need so many new venues. Nor did Qatar need such big venues for its domestic games in the 12-team Qatar Stars League, where games typically draw crowds of a few thousand.
The long-term promise during bidding was to cut back one tier from some venues after the tournament. The steel and seats would be donated to less wealthy countries needing stadium infrastructure.

What was built in Qatar?
The exact cost of Qatar’s stadiums is unclear. The total spending on projects that were tied to preparing for the World Cup is estimated at about US$200 billion.
What Qatar got for its money was seven new and distinctive arenas with strong themes taking inspiration from local culture.
The 89,000-capacity Lusail Stadium is modelled after a handcrafted bowl; the 69,000-capacity Al Bayt Stadium resembles a nomad’s desert tent; the Al Thumama Stadium is like a woven cap.
Al Janoub Stadium designed by the late Zaha Hadid, then the world’s most famous woman architect, is said to be inspired by the sails of a pearl fishing boat. Many observers saw feminine finesse in the sweeping curves of its roof.

Who built them?
Tens of thousands of migrant workers were brought mostly from South Asia to labour in conditions that are the main controversy of this World Cup.
The exact number of workers who died or were injured on projects related to the tournament is unclear, in part because Qatar didn’t collect data or investigate the deaths, but it is believed to be in the thousands.
Qatar reformed the so-called kafala system that tied workers to their employers, including European construction firms, and adopted a monthly minimum wage of 1,000 Qatari riyals (US$275).
However, rights activists claim Qatar doesn’t enforce its laws with enough rigour.
Fifa has shown some willingness to heed calls to create a compensation fund for the families of dead and injured migrant workers.
The Qatari government has dismissed the calls as a publicity stunt, and notes its own efforts to ensure workers get their unpaid salary.

Post-World Cup plan?
Much of the detail is unclear such as where the stadium parts will go, but several will be scaled back.
Lusail Stadium will incorporate “a community space of schools, shops, cafes, sporting facilities and health clinics,” Qatari World Cup organisers have said. Al Bayt will have a five-star hotel, shopping centre and sports medicine clinic.
Two of the stadiums will be used by local football clubs. Ahmad bin Ali Stadium is home for the Al Rayyan club and Al Wakrah will play at Al Janoub.
Khalifa International Stadium should still host Qatar national team games, including in qualifying games for the 2026 World Cup.

More big events
Some of the stadiums can be reused for the next Asian Cup scheduled in January 2024.
Qatar officially picked up the hosting rights one month before the World Cup started, replacing China, which cited the Covid-19 pandemic for handing back the tournament it was expected to stage in June next year.
Maybe Stadium 974 could be reprieved for the Asian championship starting in 13 months’ time? The venue was constructed in the Doha Port area to a Lego-like design with the same amount of shipping containers as the number in Qatar’s international telephone code.
Qatar also needs venues to host the 2030 Asian Games, a multi-sports championships that has more athletes competing than the Olympics.
Then there is the big Olympic prize Qatar wants: the Summer Games as soon as 2036.


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Fifa World Cup 2022

From a World Cup to the Asian Games and beyond, what does the future hold for Qatar’s billion-dollar stadiums?

Brazil’s players celebrate their side’s 4-1 win over South Korea in the second round of the World Cup in Qatar’s Stadium 974. Photo: Reuters

The Al Thumama Stadium in Doha. Photo: AP

A general view ahead of the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium ahead of the Group B game between the United States and Wales. Photo: AP

Tens of thousands of migrant workers were used to build the stadiums and thousands died in the process. Photo: DPA

Khalifa International Stadium should still host Qatar national team games, including in qualifying games for the 2026 World Cup. Photo: AP

Qatar has ambitions to host a Summer Olympics and is hoping the infrastructure built for the World Cup will support a bid. Photo: AP

Fifa World Cup 2022 in Qatar: a visual explainer - fixtures, results, squads, groups, stadiums, players to watch, injuries

Qatar’s South Asian migrant army queues for glimpse of World Cup in stadiums they built

The FIFA World Cup original trophy on display in the Qatari capital Doha. Photo: AFP

The Lusail Stadium, Qatar, was built by migrant workers - many fromSouth Asia. Photo: Reuters

Fifa president Infantino ducks Qatar worker abuse question, says building World Cup stadiums gives migrants sense of pride

Fifa president Gianni Infantino speaks at the 2022 Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills. Photo: Reuters

A picture taken on December 20, 2019 shows a view of Qatar’s under construction Lusail Stadium, around 20km north of the capital Doha. Photo: AFP

Workers install foundation steel reinforcement bars on the construction site of the Ras Abu Aboud stadium in Doha, Qatar. Photo: AP

Sport

Football


Stadium 974 hosted Brazil’s 4-1 win over South Korea on Monday, now it’s set to be dismantled
But with the Gulf state hoping to host a Summer Olympics one day, others could be repurposed



Stadium 974 hosted Brazil’s 4-1 win over South Korea on Monday, now it’s set to be dismantled, but with the Gulf state hoping to host a Summer Olympics one day, others could be repurposed.


From a World Cup to the Asian Games and beyond, what does the future hold for Qatar’s billion-dollar stadiums?

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Stadium 974 hosted Brazil’s 4-1 win over South Korea on Monday, now it’s set to be dismantled But with the Gulf state hoping to host a Summer Olympics one day, others could be repurposed

What did Qatar need?

Stadium 974 hosted Brazil’s 4-1 win over South Korea on Monday, now it’s set to be dismantled

But with the Gulf state hoping to host a Summer Olympics one day, others could be repurposed