The new Ahmad bin Ali Stadium (Arabic: ملعب أحمد بن علي, romanized: Malʿab ʾAḥmad bin ʿAliyy),[3][4] popularly known as the Al-Rayyan Stadium, is an association football stadium located in the district of Rawdat Al Jahhaniya, Qatar, around 9 kilometres (6 miles) northwest from the centre of Al Rayyan. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is home to Al-Rayyan Sports Club. The stadium is named after Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar from 1960 to 1972.[5] The former stadium, built in 2003, had a seating capacity of 21,282 and was demolished in 2015.[6] The new Al Rayyan Stadium has a seating capacity of 45,032.[1]
| ملعب أحمد بن علي (Arabic) | |
 Exterior view from Dukhan Road in November 2022, during the 2022 FIFA World Cup | |
 | |
| Location |
|
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 25°19′47″N 51°20′32″E / 25.329640°N 51.342273°E |
| Public transit |  Al Riffa (الرفاع) |
| Capacity |
|
| Record attendance | 45,032 (Argentina vs Australia, 3 December 2022) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 2016 |
| Built | 2017–2020 |
| Opened | 18 December 2020 |
| Architect | Pattern Design[2] |
| Project manager | AECOM |
| Main contractors |
|
| Tenants | |
| |
Construction
editThe Ahmad bin Ali Stadium was one of eight stadiums used in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[8][9]
The former Ahmad bin Ali Stadium was demolished in 2015[10] to make way for the Al Rayyan Stadium. 90 percent of the rubble resulting from the demolition of the stadium is anticipated to be reused either for the new stadium or for public art projects.[11]
The construction of the new stadium started in early 2016.[12] This was done by the joint venture between Al-Balagh and Larsen & Toubro. After the World Cup the stadium will be reduced to 21,000 seats.[11] The new stadium was built for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which was hosted by Qatar.[13]
The renovation includes a huge 'media facade' with a membrane that will act as a screen for projections, news, commercials, sports updates, current tournament information and matches. Seating capacity was increased to 40,740,[14] and all seats were shaded.
Events
editThe inauguration of the stadium took place on 18 December 2020, which was Qatar's National Day, and exactly two years before the country hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup final.[15] The stadium was one of two venues used for the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup.[16][17]
The stadium hosted four matches during FIFA Arab Cup 2021.[18] 2021 Turkish Super Cup was played at the stadium.[19]
The Friday, February 23 2024, at 11:50 AM Eastern Time, the stadium would host the charity match "Match For Hope" getting over 300,000+ online concurrent viewers. This charity match included many big stars such as Kaká, Eden Hazard, IShowSpeed, Chunkz and many more. The team names were Team Chunkz vs Team Aboflah. Team Chunkz would win vs Team Aboflah 7-5. It eventually raised more than $8.85 million dollars for charity.
Recent tournament results
edit2021 FIFA Arab Cup
edit| Date | Time | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 November 2021 | 13:00 |  Tunisia |
5–1 |  Mauritania |
Group B | 2,494 |
| 1 December 2021 | 13:00 |  Algeria |
4–0 |  Sudan |
Group D | 2,203 |
| 4 December 2021 | 13:00 |  Jordan |
0–4 |  Morocco |
Group C | 7,890 |
| 6 December 2021 | 22:00 |  Oman |
3–0 |  Bahrain |
Group A | 2,477 |
2022 FIFA World Cup
editThe Ahmad bin Ali Stadium hosted seven matches during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
| Date | Time | Team No. 1 | Result | Team No. 2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 November 2022 | 22:00 |  United States |
1–1 |  Wales |
Group B | 43,418 |
| 23 November 2022 | 22:00 |  Belgium |
1–0 |  Canada |
Group F | 40,432 |
| 25 November 2022 | 13:00 | Wales |
0–2 |  Iran |
Group B | 40,875 |
| 27 November 2022 | 13:00 |  Japan |
0–1 |  Costa Rica |
Group E | 41,479 |
| 29 November 2022 | 22:00 | Wales |
0–3 |  England |
Group B | 44,297 |
| 1 December 2022 | 18:00 |  Croatia |
0–0 | Belgium |
Group F | 43,984 |
| 3 December 2022 | 22:00 |  Argentina |
2–1 |  Australia |
Round of 16 | 45,032 |
2023 AFC Asian Cup
editOn 5 April 2023, the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium was chosen one of eight venues for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
| Date | Time | Team No. 1 | Result | Team No. 2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 January 2024 | 14:30 | Australia |
2–0 |  India |
Group B | 35,253 |
| 15 January 2024 | 17:30 |  Indonesia |
1–3 |  Iraq |
Group D | 16,532 |
| 18 January 2024 | 17:30 | India |
0–3 |  Uzbekistan |
Group B | 38,491 |
| 21 January 2024 | 20:30 |  Kyrgyzstan |
0–2 |  Saudi Arabia |
Group F | 39,557 |
| 28 January 2024 | 19:00 |  Tajikistan |
1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–3 p) |  United Arab Emirates |
Round of 16 | 33,584 |
| 2 February 2024 | 14:30 | Tajikistan |
0–1 | Jordan |
Quarter-finals | 35,530 |
| 6 February 2024 | 18:00 | Jordan |
2–0 |  South Korea |
Semi-finals | 42,850 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Ahmad bin Ali Stadium". fifa.com. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
- ^ "Al-Rayyan Stadium". stadiumdb.com. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium". Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ^ "Ahmad bin Ali Stadium". FIFA. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ^ "Qatar inaugurates fourth stadium for the 2022 World Cup in Al Rayyan". Goal. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ^ "New stadium: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, the desert dune". stadiumdb.com. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ "Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium". qatar2022.qa. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
- ^ "2022 Qatar World Cup: Al Rayyan stadium achieves major sustainability rating". goal.com. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ "Al Rayyan Stadium achieves prestigious sustainability ratings". thepeninsulaqatar.com. 11 October 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ^ "Ahmed bin Ali Stadium (Al-Rayyan Stadium) – until 2014". stadiumdb.com. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ a b "Qatar Unveils Fifth World Cup Venue: Al Rayyan Stadium by Pattern Architects". archdaily.com. 23 April 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- ^ "Qatar 2022: Al Rayyan Stadium sees first concrete pouring". StadiumDB. 17 October 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- ^ Neha Bhatia (13 August 2015). "Revealed: The firms behind the construction Qatar's World Cup stadiums". Arabian Business. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- ^ "Construction: Al-Rayyan Stadium – StadiumDB.com". stadiumdb.com. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- ^ "Al Rayyan stadium to open on Qatar National Day". Gulf Times. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- ^ "Education City and Ahmad Bin Ali stadiums to host FIFA Club World Cup 2020™". FIFA. 18 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
- ^ "Doha all set to host 2020 FIFA Club World Cup". iloveqatar.net. 23 January 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "2021 FIFA Arab Cup: Participating teams, fixtures and all you need to know". goal.com. 18 December 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ "Turkcell Süper Kupa, 5 Ocak'ta Katar'da oynanacak" (in Turkish). Retrieved 3 September 2023.
External links
edit
- Al-Rayyan Stadium Project Archived 31 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine