974 Stadium Bids the World Cup and Qatar Farewell
Stadium 974 says goodbye to the Qatar 2022 World Cup on Monday, December 5, after hosting the Brazil-South Korea match, and the stadium will begin its farewell journey to the State of Qatar after it is completely dismantled and sent to a friendly country.
Stadium 974 is in Ras Abu Aboud, 10 km east of central Doha, and this unique venue celebrates the ancient maritime and commercial heritage of the State of Qatar.
The number 974 not only refers to the international dialing code for the State of Qatar but also symbolizes the number of shipping containers that were used to build the stadium.
The idea of Stadium 974 was to avoid building a "cement block", due to the economic damage that would entail, as it would be left unused after the end of the tournament, as happened in previous tournaments in South Africa, Brazil, and Russia.
Stadium 974 hosted seven matches in the 2022 World Cup, the first of which was in the group stage, specifically the Poland-Mexico match in the first round of Group C.
The stadium also hosted the Portugal-Ghana match in the same round, then the France-Denmark match in the second round, and then the Brazil-Switzerland match.
Stadium 974 also hosted the Argentina-Poland match in the group stage, before it also hosted the Serbia-Switzerland match.
Finally, Stadium 974 hosted the Brazil-South Korea match, which ended in a landslide victory for Brazil, 4-1.
The crowd attendance for the 2022 World Cup matches at the 974 Stadium exceeded a quarter of a million fans, as 254 thousand and 7 fans attended.
The largest share of the attendance was in the Argentina-Poland match, in the third round of the 2022 World Cup groups, which ended with the victory of Lionel Messi’s comrades 2-0, as 44,089 fans attended.
What will happen to 974 Stadium after the end of the 2022 World Cup?
After the end of the Qatar World Cup, the containers and structure will be reused and facilities overlooking the waterfront will be established, in addition to a vital business center.
Despite the temporary nature of the 974 Stadium under this new concept of building stadiums, care has been taken to ensure that its legacy lasts for generations to come.
The state of Qatar didn't mention when the dismantling of Stadium 974 will begin, nor did it mention the name of the country that will benefit from it, but reports indicated that poor countries would have the largest share of it.
Stadium 974 can be redirected to build a stadium of the same size or several smaller stadiums, and it will be provided to countries that need seats within the framework of sports development plans, and the containers and materials that were used in construction will be reused for the benefit of countries that lack sports infrastructure.
This article was previously published on qatarmoments.To see the original article, click here