Qatar will build a stadium "shaped like an Arabian skull cap" for the 2022 World Cup, organizers said on Sunday, as the Gulf state moves ahead with preparations for the tournament "despite a diplomatic rift with its neighbors," according to Tom Finn of REUTERS. The Qatar 2022 World Cup Committee said in a statement that Doha's Al Thumama Stadium, designed by a Qatari architect in the shape of a traditional knitted "gahfiya" Arabian cap, will host 40,000 fans at a World Cup quarterfinal match. Qatar 2020 Committee CEO Hassan al-Thawadi said, "This symbolic design embodies everything that unites us as Arabs and Muslims, and is a fitting tribute to the first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East." The venue is one of "at least eight air-conditioned stadiums Qatar is building along with a new port and metro system" as part of a $200B infrastructure upgrade (
REUTERS, 8/20). In London, Glen Williams reported Al Thumama, situated four miles south of Doha, is "one of seven stadiums now under construction." The site, which was previously home to four training pitches, will feature a boutique hotel, more "state-of-the-art" outdoor training pitches, volleyball, handball and basketball courts, an aquatic center, horse riding, running and cycling tracks as well as community retail spaces to "ensure the stadium is used long after the tournament has finished" (
DAILY MAIL, 8/20).
