Khalifa International Stadium - Qatar 2022 World Cup

Key facts

Club: none | Opening: 1976 | Capacity: 40,000 seats

History and description

Khalifa International Stadium has been Qatar’s principal football stadium since 1976. The stadium was built to serve as the flagship venue for the 1976 Gulf Cup that was held in Qatar and could initially hold 20,000 spectators.

Over the years, the stadium has been upgraded several times, most notably for the 2006 Asian Games, which increased capacity to 40,000 seats.

In 2011, Khalifa International Stadium hosted multiple matches including the final between Japan and Australia (1-0) during the 2011 Asian Cup.

Khalifa International Stadium has been the standard playing venue of the Qatar national team and has furthermore occasionally hosted international friendlies of other teams such as Argentina and Brazil.

When Qatar got awarded the 2022 World Cup in 2010, Khalifa International Stadium was naturally proposed as one of the playing venues, though an extensive upgrade was needed.

Works on the stadium started in 2014, and included a refurbishment of all stands, additional seating, additional hospitality facilities, and the construction of a large innovative roof membrane that covers 70% of the stadium. The iconic arch of the stadium was replaced with a new one and complemented with a second one.

Works were completed in the summer of 2017, which made it the first 2022 World Cup stadium to be finished.

In 2019, Khalifa International Stadium was the venue of the 2019 IAAF World Championships in Athletics.

How to get to Khalifa International Stadium

Khalifa International Stadium is located in the west of Doha at roughly 10 kilometres from central Doha (e.g. the Souq Waqif and Corniche), and 18 kilometres from The Pearl development further north.

The stadium can be reached by metro. Station Sports City is one the newly opened Gold line that runs through central Doha.

Address: Al Waab St, Doha

Eat, drink, and sleep near Khalifa International Stadium

Khalifa International Stadium is part of a large development including Qatar’s other Olympic sports facilities (e.g. an aquatics centre and indoor hall), the large Villaggio Mall, a park, and the iconic The Torch Doha hotel.

After completing the redevelopment, Khalifa International Stadium will also house the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum.

The Villaggio Mall houses multiple restaurants of all types including quite a few international chain restaurants from the likes of Shake Shack, Pizza Express, and TGI Fridays to your regular fast food chains.

If you are looking to stay close to the stadium, you’ve got two hotels to choose from: the before mentioned Torch Doha and the Movenpick Al Aziziyah, though both are in the higher end.

Click here for an overview of hotels near Khalifa International Stadium, here for cheaper options in central Doha around The Corniche, or here for options further north around the West Bay arena and The Pearl if you’ve got more money to spend.