India’s Union Minister for External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, alongside Dr Deepak Mittal, the Indian ambassador in Qatar, yesterday visited the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium which is a 2022 FIFA World Cup venue built by an Indian firm. Hassan al-Thawadi and Nasser al-Khater, Chairman and CEO respectively of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC met the ministerial delegation at the stadium and conducted a full tour of the facilities including the pitch, competition areas and VVIP seating areas. 
The senior officials explained in detail about the sustainability features of the stadium and the working of the Advanced Cooling System, a high-profile accessory which is a legacy project arising out of 2022 World Cup hosting plans. Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium was inaugurated recently on December 18, 2020, when it hosted the Amir Cup final between Al Sadd and Al Arabi in a high profile event on Qatar National Day attended by several dignitaries including FIFA President Gianni Infantino and All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Praful Patel.
The 40,000-capacity stadium will host seven matches till the Round of 16 stage during the 2022 World Cup and will function as the home of Qatar Stars League (QSL) outfit Al Rayyan. The stadium’s facade is glowing and is composed of patterns that symbolise different aspects of Qatar — the importance of family, the beauty of the desert, native flora and fauna, and local and international trade.
Interestingly, Qatar has a significant Indian expatriate presence with almost 25 per cent of the Middle East nation’s population being Indians. “We were extremely pleased to host the Minister for External Affairs of the Government of India, Subrahmanyam Jaishanker at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan,” Hassan al-Thawadi, who is also Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), said after Jaishankar’s visit.
“As with all FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadium projects, the launch of the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium is a shining example of how we are continuing to deliver our vision for the tournament, through sustainability, health and safety, creating new economic opportunities for Qatari companies by forging global partnerships, and ultimately uniting Asia around the second FIFA World Cup hosted on the continent.”
It must also be noted that SC, the organisation responsible for the delivery of the World Cup, had entrusted the task of building the Ahmad Bin Ali stadium to a Qatari-Indian Joint Venture between Qatar’s Al Balagh Trading & Contracting, and India’s biggest construction firm — Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T). This was the first time ever that an Indian firm has been involved in any capacity whatsoever when it comes to building infrastructure for a FIFA World Cup.
“Qatar and India have shared a close relationship for centuries, through trade, culture, and people-to-people ties, and the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, built by Larsen & Toubro, is a symbol of this relationship and our shared history,” al-Thawadi further stated.
“The stadium is also a representation of modern, cosmopolitan Qatar, where the Indian community is the single largest resident expatriate group and is an important contributor toward Qatar’s rapid economic development.”