From the moment Qatar was awarded the World Cup, the tournament has been steeped in controversy and anger — and eight structures stand at the heart of the debate.
The football stadiums dotted around Doha not only came with the highest price tag in tournament history, but also appeared via a significant cost of human rights violations and migrant deaths that saw the Qatari government come under intense scrutiny worldwide.
While steps were taken to fix those early problems, the stadiums still stand to some pundits as symbols of the darkest days in World Cup history.
Architecturally spectacular, and huddled incredibly close together on the east coast of Qatar, are the structures white elephants that will always loom as an illustration of excess at any cost?
Or will they be considered as monuments to a changing Qatar, one that embraces new ideas and a modern future?
These are the eight stadiums of the Qatar World Cup, their full football schedules, and the short stories of how they went from blueprint concepts to the structural behemoths that stand today.
Al Janoub Stadium
Let's start with the most important venue when it comes to the Socceroos, the 40,000 seat Al Janoub Stadium.
Located half an hour south of central Doha, the stadium was designed by the firm of the late Iraqi-British architect Dame Zaha Hadid, whose designs range from the Guangzhou Opera House in China to the Bergisel Ski Jump in Innsbruck, Austria.
Despite the fact the architect said the wavy, curvilinear roof is a nod to the traditional Dhow boats of Qatar, the internet — as is the internet's wont — decided the stadium looked distinctly more … feminine — prompting an outburst from Dame Zaha in 2013.
"It's really embarrassing that they come up with nonsense like this," she told TIME magazine.
"What are they saying? Everything with a hole in it is a vagina? That’s ridiculous.
"Honestly, if a guy had done this project ..."
The design sparked online conspiracy theories that it was a protest against the patriarchal government of Qatar, but no evidence has ever been put forward that this was actually the case.
Inaugurated in 2019 by hosting the Amir Cup final, the stadium's capacity will reduce to 20,000 after the World Cup, with seats set to be donated to projects overseas.
Matches (AEDT times):
6am, November 23: France v Australia
9pm, November 24: Switzerland v Cameroon
9pm, November 26: Tunisia v Australia
9pm, November 28: Cameroon v Serbia
2am, December 1: Australia v Denmark
2am, December 3: Ghana v Uruguay
December 5: Last 16 game
Al Bayt Stadium
It's appropriate that Al Bayt is a tribute to the tents of the nomadic people of Qatar, because it's the only venue that requires a good old trek across the desert to get to.
And by trek we don't mean an arduous journey from one side of the country to the other — it's literally only 40km north of Doha on an uninterrupted highway — but given most of the other stadiums are huddled together keeping their hands warm around the campfire of the Doha CBD, Al Bayt is comparably a faraway outpost.
Resembling a building that wouldn't look out of place on the Las Vegas strip with a name like the geographically inaccurate Saharan Oasis or something like that, Al Bayt is the second biggest venue behind Lusail Stadium, with 60,000 seats under a retractable roof that connects from the four stands.
Bestowed with the honour of hosting Monday's World Cup opener, Al Bayt will eventually have around 28,000 seats ripped out and sent to developing countries, with the top tier renovated into a luxury hotel.
Matches (AEDT times):
3am, November 21: Qatar v Ecuador
9pm, November 23: Morocco v Croatia
6am, November 26: England v United States
6am, November 28: Spain v Germany
2am, November 30: Netherlands v Qatar
6am, December 2: Costa Rica v Germany
December 4: Last 16 game
December 10: Quarter-final
December 14: Second semi-final
Khalifa International Stadium
The Khalifa International Stadium is the national stadium of Qatar — and has played host to national team games as well as athletics events since the '70s.
It holds 45,000 fans after its World Cup redevelopment.
The Socceroos won't play here at this World Cup, which is a shame because they've already been here four times and considered it a home-away-from-home during the COVID-19 exile of 2021.
Both matches resulted in Socceroos wins, 3-0 over China and 3-1 over Oman, results notable only for the fact that Awer Mabil, Martin Boyle and Mitch Duke scored a goal in each game.
They first encountered the venue in a 6-0, 2011 Asian Cup semifinal victory over Uzbekistan, but did go on to lose the final to Japan, 1-0.
That is, however, the Socceroos' only defeat in four matches at the venue.
The defining feature of the ground is its twin arches, which support a vast canopy that helps keep the cool air pumped out by the huge air conditioners, that will keep the air in the ground at about 22 degrees throughout the heat of summer.
Matches (AEDT times):
12am, November 21: England vs Iran
12am, November 23: Germany vs Japan
3am, November 26: Netherlands vs Ecuador
3am, November 28: Croatia vs Canada
2am, November 30: Ecuador vs Senegal
2am, December 2: Japan vs Spain
2am, December 4: Last 16 game
2am, December 18: Third place play-off
Stadium 974
This unique venue can be found right on the seafront in the Ras Abu Aboud area, about 10km east of downtown Doha.
The 40,000-capacity venue is something of a history maker in that it is a full demountable — the first such stadium to be used in a World Cup — which means the tiny gulf state will have one less potential white elephant to deal with after the World Cup is over.
The ground is made up of 974 shipping containers and modular steel.
In fact, the containers are the same ones that were used to transport the materials to the stadium in the first place — it's essentially a do-it-yourself, flat pack stadium.
The number 974 is, handily, the international dialling code for Qatar as well, just in case you need reminding of how to get in touch with relatives over at the tournament.
There will be no need for air conditioning in Stadium 974, its modular design means sea breezes coming off the Persian Gulf are enough to cool the venue sufficiently to make play manageable.
The temporary nature of the stadium is something of a win for environmentalists, especially given the significant excesses elsewhere, and will be completely taken down at the end of the tournament.
Matches (AEDT times):
3am, November 23: Mexico vs Poland
3am, November 25: Portugal vs Ghana
3am, November 27: France vs Denmark
3am, November 29: Brazil vs Switzerland
6am, December 1: Poland vs Argentina
6am, December 3: Serbia vs Switzerland
6am, December 6: Last 16 game
Lusail Stadium
A showpiece tournament needs a showpiece stadium and the Lusail Stadium is the centrepiece of Qatar's World Cup stadiums.
As the biggest stadium in the country, holding 80,000 when full, it will host the biggest game of all, the final on December 19.
The design of the stadium is to reflect a hand-crafted bowl, with the golden facade boasting an intricate pattern of triangles, that also lets air and light into the main concourse.
It's a glittering spectacle, but spectators at the inaugural game were far from impressed.
Fans had issues with a lack of water and directions from stewards in the stadium, while some suppliers told Reuters that even ambulances "were driving around trying to figure out where they were supposed to be positioned".
After the tournament, the 80,000-capcity venue will be reduced, with the area turned into a social hub for the Lusail area, 20km to the north of central Doha.
Matches (AEDT times):
9pm, November 22: Argentina vs Saudi Arabia
6am, November 25: Brazil vs Serbia
6am, November 27: Argentina vs Mexico
6am, November 29: Portugal vs Uruguay
6am, December 1: Saudi Arabia vs Mexico
6am, December 3: Cameroon vs Brazil
6am, December 7: Last 16 match
6am, December 10: Quarter finals
6am, December 14: Semifinals
2am, December 19: Final
Education City Stadium
If you couldn't figure it out from the name, Education City Stadium sits in the guts of — you guessed it — Education City, an area in the west of Doha dedicated to a bunch of universities and research centres.
Holding a capacity crowd of 40,000, the venue's engineering design firm was Buro Happold, a company founded by Sir Edmund Happold, who worked on the construction of the Sydney Opera House.
Having hosted the final of the Club World Cup in 2020 — where Bayern Munich knocked off Tigres UANL — the stadium isn't a stranger to big matches.
However, like most of its buddies dotted around Doha and surrounds, the stadium is destined for a more modest future, with around 20,000 seats for the top tier set to be yanked out and given another life at another yet to be decided big sporting event.
Matches (AEDT times):
12am, November 23: Denmark v Tunisia
12am, November 25: Uruguay v South Korea
12am, November 27: Poland v Saudi Arabia
12am, November 29: South Korea v Ghana
2am, December 1: Tunisia v France
2am, December 3: South Korea v Portugal
2am, December 6: Last 16 game
2am, December 9: Quarter-final
Ahmad bin Ali Stadium
Let's talk about the end bit first to get it out of the way — yes, this stadium will drop from 44,000 seats to about 20,000 seats after the World Cup like a lot of its mates.
No, we don't know where all these lonely seats are going to end up other than anywhere but Qatar. So if anyone's in the market for 200,000+ stadium seats in the near future, jump on Qatari Gumtree around the end of December. There could be a bargain in store.
Unlike the other stadiums in this list, the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium replaced an older stadium of the same name, which was demolished in 2015. And by older we mean only seven-years old — so not old-old, but rich Middle-Eastern country old.
Sitting at the very western edge of the city, the stadium has earned the nickname of the "gateway to the desert", because once you get past it there's not much else to see other than a whole heap of sand, a motorsport venue, and a horse racing track.
The stadium is named after the Emir of Qatar from 1960 to 1972, who was best known for turning the country into an economic beast on the back of oil discoveries.
Matches (AEDT times):
6am, November 22: United States v Wales
6am, November 24: Belgium v Canada
9pm, November 25: Wales v Iran
9pm, November 27: Japan v Costa Rica
6am, November 30: Wales v England
2am, December 2: Croatia v Belgium
6am, December 4: Last 16 game
Al Thumama Stadium
It feels weird to describe a giant inanimate piece of steel in the desert as "pretty", but we'll be damned if this stadium isn't one of the prettiest in the world.
Inspired by the gahfiya skullcap worn by men and boys across the Middle East, the venue has a lace-like exterior and is built in a perfect circle to mimic the traditional headwear.
Holding a capacity crowd of 40,000, you'd be shocked to hear that half of those seats will be torn out and sent to an undisclosed location where former World Cup seats can talk to each other about their journeys and reminisce about the people that have sat on them.
Good times.
For what it's worth, the stadium is named after the district it's in, which in turn is named after a grass that grows abundantly in the area.
Matches (AEDT times):
3am, November 22: Senegal v Netherlands
3am, November 24: Spain v Costa Rica
12am, November 26: Qatar v Senegal
12am, November 28: Belgium v Morocco
6am, November 30: Iran v United States
2am, December 2: Canada v Morocco
2am, December 4: Last 16 game
2am, December 10: Quarter-final
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