THIS IS THE AL THUMAMA STADIUM, WHERE SPAIN WILL MAKE THEIR DEBUT IN THE QATAR WORLD CUP
Francisco Rabadán
Redactor de OK Diario
Spain will make its debut in the upcoming Qatar World Cup at the Al Thumama Stadium. This stadium, inaugurated at the end of 2021, has some Spanish influence, as the architect firm Fenwick Iribarren has advised on its construction. With a capacity of 40,000 people and luxurious finishes, this stadium will host up to eight matches of the FIFA’s flagship event.
The team led by Luis Enrique Martínez will play on the field of this stadium against the winner of the match between Costa Rica and New Zealand on November 23rd, 2022. The stadium is located just a 10-minute drive from Doha and is also accessible by electric metro and bus.
Luis Enrique’s team will encounter state-of-the-art facilities in a stadium that pays homage to typical Arab headdresses. In fact, the stadium’s design represents a headdress called “gahfiya.” During our visit to the field, dozens of different typical hats from all over the world were observed.
The Al Thumama Stadium features modern dressing rooms, highlighting the proximity of recovery rooms, an indoor playing field for warm-ups, an area full of jacuzzis and saunas to ensure players’ comfort, and even a designated area for prayer.
Aerial view of Al Thumama Sports Club with the stadium as the main feature and the city of Doha in the background. Fenwick Iribarren Architects
Luis Enrique will have spacious and practical changing rooms, with a notable addition: a 100-inch interactive whiteboard where the coach can elaborate by writing on the screen. Qatar has taken care to ensure that all eight stadiums have the most cutting-edge technology at their disposal.
It’s essential to remember that the stadium was inaugurated on October 22, 2021, during the Amir Cup final between Al Rayyan and Al Sadd. After the Qatar World Cup, it is expected that most stadiums will reduce their capacity, but in this case, an exception will be made to preserve one of the architectural gems of this event.
