Two FIFA World Cup stadiums inaugurated on opening day of FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar

A pair of stadia that will be used during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar next year hosted their first matches on Tuesday as the FIFA Arab Cup got underway.

The 60,000-capacity Al Bayt Stadium - which will host the first match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup -hosted Qatar’s 1-0 victory over Bahrain, while Stadium 974, which was completed last week, hosted the United Arab Emirates’ 2-1 win against Syria.

Designed to resemble the tents historically used by nomadic people in the Arabian Gulf, the first match at the Al Bayt Stadium was attended by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, who officially announced the start of the Arab Cup.

The Stadium will host nine matches during the World Cup and five fixtures during the Arab Cup, which is serving as a warm-up tournament for next year’s showpiece.

Immediately after the Al Bayt Stadium’s inauguration, Stadium 974 also hosted its first game. The 40,000-capacity venue, made primarily from shipping containers, is the first fully demountable stadium in FIFA World Cup™ history.

It is named after the number of shipping containers used in its development and Qatar’s international dialling code.

Elsewhere on the opening day of the Arab Cup, Tunisia defeated Mauritania 5-1 at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, while Iraq and Oman drew 1-1 at Al Janoub Stadium.

All eight of Qatar’s World Cup venues have been completed, with only Lusail Stadium still to be officially unveiled. Main works at the Stadium, which will host the World Cup final, were recently completed and it is set to open fully in the coming weeks.

Yasir Al Jamal, Chairman of the Operations Office and Vice-Chairman of the Technical Delivery Office for the Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, commented “seeing both Al Bayt and Stadium 974 host matches on the opening day of the FIFA Arab Cup is exciting for football fans and everybody involved in FIFA World Cup preparations.

“All eight of our tournament venues for next year’s World Cup have been completed and we look forward to hosting many more matches to fine-tune our planning for next year’s tournament. I would like to thank everybody involved in bringing these stadiums to life – including the various project teams and our trusted stakeholders.”

Qatar delivered the 40,000-capacity Al Thumama Stadium in October as the venue hosted the final of the Amir Cup club competition. The venue is designed to resemble the ‘gahfiya’ head cap worn by men and boys across the Arab world.

Images: Qatar's Al Bayt Stadium during its inauguration (top) and from the air (middle). Female fans at the 2022 FIFA Arab Cup opening (below). All images credit Qatar 2022.