Originally opened in 1976, Khalifa International Stadium was expanded to over 40,000 seats in 2005 and renovated in 2017 in preparation for the FIFA World Cup 2022. Environmental technologies, notably energy-efficient cooling, resulted in the stadium being the first in the world to be awarded a four-star rating from the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS). The stadium anchors the Aspire Zone, which includes a tech accelerator, academy, luxury hotel, mall, and sports venues.

Al Janoub’s design invokes the sails of dhow boats traditionally used for fishing and pearl diving in the Arabian Gulf. Its innovative cooling technology distributes chilled water from underground storage to heat exchangers that blow air through small vents below the seats and along the pitch. The system creates an air envelope around players and fans rather than cooling the full volume of the stadium. After the World Cup, it will be scaled from 40,000 seats to 20,000 for the local Al Wakrah SC.

Designed by local Qatari architect Ibrahim Jaidah, Al Thumama stadium features an innovative exterior polymer cladding in a pattern like the Gahfiya, a traditional Arabian headpiece worn by boys and men under the larger Ghutra. Opened in 2021, the stadium’s upper deck seating will be donated after the FIFA World Cup 2022. Plans are in place to add a sports clinic and boutique hotel, while the area around the stadium will have facilities for a variety of sports.

Newly constructed on the site of an older stadium at the edge of the desert, Ahmad bin Ali stadium seats over 40,000 fans. It features an innovative 39,000 square meter membrane façade invoking traditional Qatari Naqsh decorations that is used to project images of the desert, native flora and fauna, match results, and other information. As part of FIFA World Cup 2022 environmental commitments, 90% of the materials from the prior stadium were recycled during demolition and new construction.

At 80,000 seats, Lusail is the largest of Qatar's eight FIFA World Cup 2022 stadiums. Wrapped in a metallic façade, it has the form of a giant golden vessel. The curved exterior is made up of several thousand flat triangular pieces supported on a steel frame. Its innovative cabled roof and shading system uses an outer compression ring connected to a central tension ring, thereby creating an open expanse without requiring additional support columns.

Built for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Ras Abu Aboud Stadium is the first “fully demountable” stadium. Built of 949 shipping containers placed on a metal frame, with removable seats and other modular elements, it will be entirely repurposed after 2022. Materials will provide building blocks for another 40K-seat stadium elsewhere, or for several different types of sporting or non-sporting venues, while a new waterfront development will establish a new community in its place.

Built for the FIFA World Cup 2022, the Al Bayt stadium features an advanced polymer closable roof and a novel woven PVC wrap covering its steel framework that looks like traditional cloth of an Arabian tent. For the first time in a century, the structural framework of the stadium is not visible. Like other new stadiums in Qatar, Al Bayt has an air conditioning system that cools the playing field and the stands where fans sit without wasting energy cooling the entire stadium airspace.

Like other stadiums built in Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Education City Stadium has a demountable upper deck with plans to redesign the stadium for diverse educational uses after 2022. It earned a 5-star environmental rating for its reduced energy consumption, water re-use, indoor environment, site impact, use of recycled and locally sourced materials, public transportation links, and connectivity to the local community.

​​This Guide is from the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the National Museum of American History. We empower the public to solve problems, navigate challenges, and effect change in their communities. Since its founding in 1995, the Lemelson Center has led research, exhibition, and educational initiatives that advance new perspectives on invention and innovation and foster interactions between the public and inventors. For much more on stadiums, try the link below.

Covid-19, environmental impacts, and a generation growing up with cell phones in their hands at all times have led some to question the future of large stadiums for mass in-person events. Yet, the first view of a vibrant green stadium field and the roar of a crowd continue to create lifelong memories unrivaled by television or virtual reality. Please visit the National Museum of American History to learn more about the interplay of technology change with all aspects of our lives.