May 17 – Qatar officially opened its latest World Cup 2022 stadium Thursday as it staged a prestigious domestic cup final in the $575 million, 40,000-capacity Al-Wakrah venue.
Built from scratch and located in a coastal town south of Doha, the stadium hosted Emir Cup finalists Al-Sadd and Al-Duhail in a sparkling inauguration despite reports of traffic jams and tight security checks.
The stadium’s retractable roof – modelled to resemble the sail of a dhow, or traditional wooden fishing boat – was shipped to Qatar from Italy.
Khalifa International, the first of Qatar’s eight 2022 venues, is already open and will host this year’s World Athletics Championships.
The inauguration came as FIFA edged closer to a decision on whether to expand the next World Cup from 32 to 48 teams and share it with other Gulf nations.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have imposed a political and trade boycott on Qatar accusing it of supporting terrorism, which Doha denies.
The rift has hindered efforts by FIFA President Gianni Infantino to push for sharing the event even as qualifying matches begin early next month. FIFA is expected to make a final decision at its congress in Paris on June 5.
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