The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), the organisation responsible for delivering the infrastructure required to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, unveiled yesterday the seventh stadium design – Ras Abu Aboud Stadium – in an online digital media campaign.
The first ever demountable and reusable FIFA World Cup stadium is to host matches up to the quarterfinal stages in 2022. The venue champions a bold and pioneering design concept based on shipping containers, removable seats and other steel modular building blocks that will come together to form an elegant curved square form venue.
It was envisioned by Spanish architecture firm Fenwick Iribarren Architects (FI-A), who are leaders in football stadium design and are behind some of the boldest venue designs in the region and the world including Qatar Foundation stadium, the Casablanca Football Stadium in Morocco, Valencia CF’s new football stadium in Spain, the new Norwegian National Stadium in Norway, and more.
In a first in the history of the FIFA World Cup, the stadium will be completely modular and get dismantled after the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Its building blocks will be repurposed post tournament and reused for the construction of several sporting or non-sporting venues across Qatar, helping widen access to cultural and sporting events across the country and supporting the fulfilment of the SC’s mission to ensure the tournament leaves a lasting legacy for the local community.


Artist's illustration of a match in progress at the proposed Ras Abu Aboud Stadium



Artist's illustration of a bird's-eye view of the proposed Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, Doha Corniche and downtown West Bay area.

The design’s use of modular elements also means that construction of the stadium will use significantly fewer materials, result in less waste, a reduced construction carbon footprint as well as a reduced construction duration that will allow for the completion of the project in three years. Through adopting such a design approach where sustainability is a key element, the stadium will receive a four-star Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) certification.
Commenting on the launch of the Ras Abu Aboud Stadium design, SC secretary general Hassan al-Thawadi said: “Innovation has always been a central element of our plans to deliver a historic FIFA World Cup that leaves a lasting legacy for Qatar and the world, and there is no better example of this than the design of the Ras Abu Aboud stadium. The distinct and modular design of the venue means that it will be the first ever demountable FIFA World Cup stadium, demonstrating another one of the ways in which the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar is helping shape the future editions of the tournament”.
Federico Addiechi, FIFA's head of Corporate Social Responsibility, said: “Qatar is delivering superb results in terms of sustainability and innovation, including the proposed design for Ras Abu Aboud Stadium. From day one, there has been a strong emphasis on sustainability from Qatar, including a commitment to ensure that all infrastructure meets strict design, build and operations criteria under the GSAS certification programme.”
Addiechi observed that GSAS is the most far reaching green building certification specifically for stadiums. In addition to design and build, certification is also available for operations.
“This has actually informed the 2026 FIFA World Cup bidding process. Bidders are now required to adhere to all three steps for newly built stadiums – just one example of the positive impact that Qatar is already having on future FIFA World Cups”.
Engineer Hilal Jeham al-Kuwari, chairman of the Technical Delivery Office at the SC said: “The launch of the Ras Abu Aboud Stadium design comes three months after the design launch of the Al Thumama Stadium and six months after the inauguration of Khalifa International Stadium following its renovation. This succession of positive announcements highlights the continued progress being made on all World Cup projects, which have not been impacted by the illegal blockade on Qatar. All of our projects are progressing per schedule and will be delivered by their target completion dates”.
FI-A senior partner and architect, Mark Fenwick, said: “We are very proud that our design for Ras Abu Aboud Stadium will go down in history as the first-ever reusable FIFA World Cup stadium. We are confident that this innovative and sustainable concept will be an inspiration for stadium developers and architects around the world, capable of creating aesthetically pleasing venues that offer new legacy possibilities.”
Engineer Yasir al-Jamal, vice chairman of the Technical Delivery Office at the SC, said: “Ras Abu Aboud Stadium is a truly unique venue unlike any others designed for the tournament, given that it will be reassembled and reused to build other sporting or non-sporting venues across Qatar and the World”.
The 40,000-seat venue is slated for completion in 2020 and will be located in a 450,000sq m waterfront site on the shores of the Arabian Gulf, where the use of shipping containers as one of the main building blocks will echo the nearby port. Situated just southeast of Doha and a mere 1.5km from the city’s state-of-the-art Hamad International Airport, it will be serviced by excellent transport links, including a dedicated stop on Qatar Rail’s Gold Line, direct road connections to the centre of Doha and Al Wakrah, and potentially even a water taxi stop.
The stadium’s prime location will offer exceptional views over Doha’s landmark Corniche and into the downtown West Bay area. Ras Abu Aboud Stadium is one of eight proposed host venues for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.