AFL Architects | Lusail Stadium Qatar, FIFA World Cup 2022
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Lusail Stadium

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The largest stadium, and centrepiece venue, for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™. Lusail Stadium hosted the opening and closing matches of the tournament.

The optimised design provides a world-class spectator experience, luxurious VVIP and VIP hospitality facilities, and an unforgettable atmosphere deserved of the first ever FIFA World Cup™ hosted in the Arab world and only the second in Asia.

80,000
Stadium capacity
2020
Completion date
5th
Largest future stadium in the world
"The developed design and delivery of Lusail Stadium marks an important milestone for AFL Architects. Our involvement on this project represents the pinnacle of our international journey so far, and our team has impressed with their relentless dedication and enthusiasm."
John Roberts - Sports Director, AFL Architects

As the highest profile stadium in the world today, the project required a truly international architectural team.

The fully coordinated design draws from the strengths of AFL Architects’ diverse teams and the experience of stadium experts across 10 countries, who performed a full creative and technical review of the original iconic concept.

This identified a significant optimisation of the floor plate that kept all internal areas and bowl capacity intact. Each area was then further developed to comply with FIFA and Qatar SC Requirements.

The delivery of this complex design necessitated an onsite role to manage and supervise the technical teams. One of the largest coordinated BIM models at the time challenged our teams to find better, more efficient protocols for its management, eventually leading to coordination solutions that were presented in international academic papers.

Lusail Stadium AFL Architects 10

Construction of the new stadium was completed in 2021, providing an iconic focal point for both the tournament and the new city.

The façade is an elegant, muted gold exterior with each panel over 4m in height. Crowning this façade is a roof that represents the leading edge in engineering and construction techniques. Manufactured from materials carefully chosen to provide shade, the roof will still admit just the right amount of sunlight to sustain the first-rate playing surface.

For the internal spaces, we coordinated with the interior designer for hospitality areas including VVIP and GA concourses. In the public areas this included turnstiles, toilets, concessions, access and egress stairs, concourses, lounges, first aid and kitchens.

Ready for a major event, positioned to integrate with the city masterplan.

The subsequent precinct overlay commission for FIFA presents the main zone allocation and spatial relationship between each component in the masterplan as well as infrastructure, crowd modelling, security, logistics and workforce.

Utilising all of these components, the output design provided an efficient solution that not only allows for an effective and functioning overlay, but also the best possible spectator experience.

The circular plaza and podium around the stadium is designed as a permanent space. The spectators plaza to the east, and the surrounding areas within the precinct boundary are temporary in order to accommodate the tournament needs.

The legacy design integrates the future plans for the plaza as well as the wider masterplan to initiate a strong dialogue with the city of the future.

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