Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Education City Stadium hosted Friday the last of the eight matches on its pitch, with Brazil playing against Croatia. In all, the stadium saw a cumulative attendance of around 350,000 people, with the Morocco vs Spain match witnessing the highest attendance of 44,667, a statement said.
In this exceptionally inclusive edition of the FIFA World Cup hosted in the Middle East for the first time, fans with varied abilities enjoyed attending the matches at Education City Stadium thanks to the accessibility services that were offered - from the sensory rooms which hosted almost 35 fans, to the entertaining performances by artists with different abilities on the fan routes to the stadium, and the accessibility volunteers who ensured a seamless experience for all fans.
Out of the eight FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadiums, Education City Stadium was the only match host destination with dedicated accessibility volunteers. In each game, 1,000 volunteers were available to assist spectators, out of which about 15 were dedicated accessibility volunteers. A total of 247 accessibility volunteers were trained by QF experts to support differently-abled fans at the tournament as a whole.
Commenting on the fans’ experience inside the stadium’s sensory room, Alison Sarraf, co-founder of Sensory Souk and the manager of the sensory room staffing, said: “The sensory room played a vital role in enabling people with additional needs to experience matches whilst being provided the support that they needed. We have seen firsthand the positive outcomes of families using the sensory rooms and many who never thought that attending a world cup match would be possible together.”
From a spectator’s perspective, Hanaa Abu Amouna, a football fan who attended a few matches across Qatar’s World Cup stadiums, described her experience at the Ghana vs South Korea match at the Education City Stadium as “a whole different experience.”
“From the easy access to the stadium through the metro, to the amazing activations along the way to the stadium gates, to seeing the amazing atmosphere of Education City and its multiple attractions and destinations, to its inclusivity and how everyone - from all ages, abilities and backgrounds - were enjoying the same experience. No one was left out from enjoying the amazing vibe of the fans inside the stadium. The experience was just magnificent!”
On non-match days at Education City, live match screenings were offered at Oxygen Park for all members of the community and their families, with 19,000 spectators who enjoyed watching the live matches on the outdoor screens so far. Live match screenings will continue at Oxygen Park, including the screening of the semi-final and the final games.
Education City Stadium bids adieu to Qatar World Cup fans.