Qatar’s preparations to host the football 2022 World Cup is continuing unabated.
“I can say we are on schedule,” tournament chief Hassan al-Thawadi told AFP earlier this month.
Thawadi, a fervent Liverpool fan who talks dreamily of his idol “King Kenny” Dalglish, bullishly dismisses criticism and says: “We have always said we have been confident in the integrity of our bid.”
On the ground, Qatar’s preparations already mean that work has begun on potentially more than half of the stadiums that will be used by the world’s best footballers in seven years’ time.
Qatar has unveiled the designs for or already begun reconstruction on five of the grounds to be used.
As few as eight stadiums—or as many as 12 -- might be used for the first World Cup ever to be held in the Middle East.
Last month, Thawadi was on hand to oversee the launch of the latest stadium design for the 40,000-seater Al Rayyan stadium, Doha, which will be used to host matches up until the quarter-final stage.
Renovations have begun on the Khalifa International Stadium, which will also host the 2019 World Athletics Championship.
In the north of Qatar, the main construction on the 60,000 Al-Bayt Stadium, which will be the site for one of the World Cup semi-finals, will start later this summer.
In addition, preliminary building work has begun on the Qatar Foundation Stadium and the Al Wakrah Stadium, shaped to look like a traditional dhow boat. Each of these has a capacity of 40,000.
It has also been announced that renowned British architects Foster and Partners will design the stadium that will host the final of the tournament in 2022.
The 80,000 seater stadium will be constructed in the purpose-built city of Lusail, some 15 kilometres (10 miles) north of Doha.
