Qatar: See Beauty Of Eight Stadiums That Will Host 2022 FIFA World Cup – [Photos]

The 2022 World Cup tournament in Qatar will be hosted in eight different stadiums in the Middle East country.

Naija News reports that the FIFA World Cup games set to kick off on Sunday, 20th November, will be contested by a total of 32 teams, each representing their nation.

The Lusail Stadium is the biggest of the eight stadiums, with a capacity of 80,000. The Al Janoub, Al Thumama, and Stadium 974 have the least sitting capacity as they could all contain 40,000 attendance each.

The kick-off match, however, will be played at the Al Bayt Stadium, which has a 60,000 sitting capacity, Naija News understands.

See below the names of the eight stadiums to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament in Qatar:

Education City Stadium – 45,350 sitting capacity

Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium – 44,740 sitting capacity

Al Bayt Stadium – 60,000 sitting capacity

Al Janoub Stadium – 40,000 sitting capacity

Al Thumama Stadium – 40,000 sitting capacity

Khalifa International Stadium – 45,416 sitting capacity

Stadium 974 – 40,000 sitting capacity

Lusail Stadium

“The Choice Of Qatar Was A Mistake,” Says Sepp Blatter On Hosting Rights

Meanwhile, in early November this year, former FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, admitted that awarding Qatar the hosting right was a mistake.

Naija News recalls that the Gulf Country was awarded the hosting right in December 2010, and it has taken Qatar more than a decade to prepare.

There have been a series of controversies linked to the tournament set to begin on November 20, 2022. These include the timing of the event, gender issues and also, and the treatment of the immigrant workers in the country.

Speaking on the issues, Blatter confessed that his office made a costly mistake in awarding Qatar the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The Ex-president while speaking to a Swiss outlet, Tages-Anzeiger, said. “The choice of Qatar was a mistake.”

“At the time, we actually agreed in the executive committee that Russia should get the 2018 World Cup and the USA that of 2022. It would have been a gesture of peace if the two long-standing political opponents had hosted the World Cup one after the other.”

“It’s too small a country. Football and the World Cup are too big for that.” Blatter added.

Blatter, when asked if he felt responsible for the mistake, he said, “For me, it is clear: Qatar is a mistake. The choice was bad.”

“What I’m wondering: why is the new Fifa president [Gianni Infantino] living in Qatar? He can’t be the head of the local World Cup organisation. That’s not his job. There are two organising committees for this – a local one and one from Fifa.”

This article was originally published on Naija News