Education City Stadium - 2022 World Cup Qatar

Key facts

Club: none | Opening: 2020 | Capacity: 40,000 seats

History and description

Education City Stadium, also known as Qatar Foundation Stadium, is one of the playing venues of the 2022 World Cup that will be held in Qatar. It opened in 2020, the third World Cup stadium to be completed.

Plans for the stadium were presented as part of Qatar’s bid for the World Cup. Ground preparation works were started in 2014, but it took until the end of 2016 for actual foundation works to start. The stadium was first expected to be completed in 2019, which got delayed to 2020. It officially opened on 15 June 2020 with a special TV program to celebrate the opening. The first match was played over a month later on the 3rd of September.

Education City Stadium is designed to reflect a diamond in the desert. The stadium will have a capacity of roughly 40,000 seats. After the tournament, the capacity will be reduced in half to 20,000 seats.

During the 2022 World Cup, the stadium will host 5 first round group matches, one round of 16 match, and one quarter-final.

Education City Stadium was one of the two venues of the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup, which due to the Covid-19 pandemic was played in early 2021. It, among others, hosted the final between Bayern Munich and Tigres UANL (1-0).

How to get to Education City Stadium

Education City Stadium is located on the Education City complex where multiple local and foreign universities and research institutes are based. The stadium lies in the eastern part of the large area, but a local tram service connects with other parts of the complex.

Education City is located in the north-west of Doha (or actual Al Rayyan) at roughly 14 kilometres from central Doha (The Corniche and Souq Waqif) and a similar distance from the West Bay and The Pearl areas further north along the Persian Gulf coast.

The stadium can be reached by metro. Station Education City is located a short walk away of the stadium. It is on the newly-constructed green line that runs from central Doha towards the east.

Eat, drink, and sleep near Education City Stadium

Education City Stadium is part of the large Education City complex which consists of multiple university campuses, other educational facilities, parks, museums, and office buildings.

It is an interesting enough area to spend some time in and there are a few restaurants dotted around the place, though you’re more likely to simply travel in for the match.

There is one hotel near Education City, the Premier Inn Doha Education City, though it is still a few kilometres from the stadium so you’ll likely still be taking a taxi to get there (especially if the weather is hot). Click here for options in the central Doha areas around the bay.