Qatar World Cup has been hailed as the best ever. The country’s beautiful stadiums built on the occasion of the World Cup played an important role behind this praise. But what will the country do with the stadiums built for the purpose, now that the World Cup is over?
Discussions are going on about what will be used for these vast and artistic buildings.
Qatar is a small country. Its population is only a few lakhs.
Therefore, the country does not have the opportunity to use all the stadiums for sports purposes. It is unclear exactly how much Qatar’s stadiums have cost to build.
The country has spent a total of about 220 billion dollars on hosting the World Cup.
According to etimates, more than four times the total cost of the seven football World Cups from 1994 to 2018 was spent on hosting the World Cup in Qatar alone.
The reason for this high cost is because these stadiums had to be built from scratch.
Seven new stadiums have been built in Qatar for the World Cup. Footballers also had to arrange a separate ground for practice. This included Lucille Stadium. The final game was held here.
The 89,000-capacity Lucille Stadium is modeled after a handmade bowl. It is known as the Golden Pot. The 69,000-capacity Al Bait Stadium is like a nomad’s desert tent; Al Thumama Stadium is like a knitted hat.
One of these stadiums will leave Qatar forever after the tournament. Its name is Stadium 974. This temporary structure stadium in Ras Abu Aboud area of Qatar has more than 44 thousand seats. It is made from recycled shipping steel containers. 974 shipping containers were used in the construction. The international dialing code for Qatar is also +974. Hence the stadium was named 974.
At the end of the World Cup, the demolition of this stadium has begun. A section of the modular stadium has already been opened.
A total of seven matches were played in this field during the World Cup. The stadium was last closed for use on December 5.
The broken parts of this stadium could be shipped to one of the countries with poor infrastructure. It is believed that parts of this stadium will be sent to an African country. This stadium will be newly built for sports there.
But what about the rest of the stadiums? The Qatar government says a school and many shops and cafes will be built at the Lusail Stadium.
The stadium will also have a lot of sports facilities. Besides, a hospital and a community hall will also be built at the stadium site. There are also plans to build a museum in memory of the World Cup.
A luxury hotel, a shopping mall and a drug store will open at Al Bait Stadium.
Essentially, the medicines and essential medical supplies needed during sports can be found in the drug store.
The two stadiums will be used by two local football clubs. Al Rayyan will play at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium and Al Wakrah will play at Al Janoub.
Qatar’s national football team will start training from now to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. And Khalifa International Stadium will be used for that training.
The remaining stadiums could be used for the Asian Games in 2030, according to the Qatari administration.
In addition, the Gulf country is preparing to host the Olympics in 2036.
The fate of these stadiums may be decided keeping in mind the needs of that time.
However, the hotels built for the World Cup may be converted into smaller accommodations.
A few hotels can be made taller and multi-storied.
7 lakh football fans gathered in the country to watch the World Cup. They are now on their way to their respective countries.
(Inputs for this story culled from different sources on internet)
