There is a general view of shipping containers at the Stadium 974, which is a host venue for the 2022. It is the first stadium built for a World Cup and it was supposed to be torn down. The photo was taken by MatthewAshton.
There was one of the most exciting finals in the 92-year history of the league. It was a night of dramatic drama that ended with Argentina being crowned world champion. It was a star-filled coming out party for Qatar, a gas rich gulf nation with big ambitions and little in the way of a soccer tradition, marking its entry on the world stage by showing off its sporting and political prowess. Over the course of 12 years, the country spent more than $200 billion getting ready to host the world's largest sporting event. Many migrant workers died in the process of doing the work. Now that the party is over, what will happen to the stadiums?
Stadiums that cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build, require millions more in annual maintenance, and are rarely used again to their full capacity are memorialized by the white elephants they leave behind. The 2010 World Cup stadium has become a cherished local landmark, but it is not enough to fund its constant repairs. None of the stadiums built for the World Cup are likely to recover the cost of their construction.
It is the smallest country to host the World Cup since Switzerland in 1954. Super fans were able to pack more than one game in a day because of the country's small size, but now that the fans have left, it seems like it's too much. The seating capacity is more than 100,000 seats larger than the native population of the country. There are enough seats for one out of seven people.
Thousands of migrant workers died in extreme heat in the Middle East. It was the World Cup that forced a reorganization.
The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy promised to implement innovative legacy plans to ensure the World Cup doesn't leave any "white elephants." The stadiums will be dismantled. Some will be turned into residential and shopping destinations.
The Asian Football Cup, which will likely be held in early 2024 to spare fans and players the heat of a Qatari summer, is one of the things that will come up before the sledgehammers are used. China relinquished the rights to be the original host because of its zero-covid policy. The 2036 Olympic Games will be awarded in the year 2025. Some of the stadiums could be renovated if the Olympics are successful.
It won't make it that far. Stadium 971, which is made up of 971 recycled shipping containers, will be dismantled and shipped to a new location in the future. The world's first fully demountable covered football stadium could be a template for low impact sports arenas. The area will be turned into a business district on the water.
The capacity of the stadiums will be reduced. Ali Dosari, the Supreme Committee's director of installations, said that the excess seats would be donated to underdeveloped countries in need of sporting infrastructure.
The organizers want the World Cup to spark more soccer culture in the country. The Paris Saint-Germain soccer club, where the final's rivals, Lionel Messi and Kilian Mbappé, play when they aren't on their national teams, is owned by the state ofQatar. The Ahmad Bin Ali stadium is where Al Rayyan and Al Wakrah will play their home games.
The Education City stadium is where most of the country's universities and research facilities are located.
The top tier of the stadium will be turned into a hotel and shopping center. There will be a sports medicine hospital for the lower levels. The sports stadium will be refurbished with a hotel and a sports clinic.
The stadium in Lusail City will be turned into a community hub with shops, schools, cafes, and medical clinics. The upper tier will be turned into outdoor terraces for the venue's new residents.
The only stadium left in the country that will be ready to host matches and big tournaments is the one built in 1976 by the former ruler of the country. It would have been well spent if it happened. The International White Elephant Club is made up of well-intentioned members.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
