The jam-packed 40,000-capacity Al Janoub Stadium at Al Wakrah erupted in rapturous joy as the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, scores of foreign dignitaries and ministers walked into it on Thursday night, creating another milestone in Qatar’s march to hosting a wonderful World Cup in 2022.
The purpose-built stadium for the World Cup was inaugurated by staging the prestigious Amir Cup finalbetween Al Duhail and Al Sadd. Later, the Amir crowned Al Duhail club, winners of the Amiri Cup, after they beat Al Sadd 4-1 in a thrilling match. He presented Al Duhail Sports Club winners with the Cup and gold medals. He also presented Al Sadd players with silver medals.
The match was attended by H E Sheikh Abdul-Aziz bin Khalifa Al Thani; H H Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, Personal Representative of the Amir; H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani; H H Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa Al Thani; H E Sheikh Jassim bin Khalifa Al-Thani and Advisory Council Speaker H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud.
The final was also attended by FIFA President Gianni Infantino; President of the World Economic Forum Borge Brende; President of the African Football Confederation (CAF) and Member of FIFA Council Ahmad Ahmad; President of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) and FIFA Vice President Alejandro Dominguez and President of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and FIFA Vice President Vittorio Montagliani.
The entire stadium was air-conditioned and the temperature inside was 10 degrees lower than the 29 Celsius outside.
Amir tweeted on his verified account ahead of kick-off that the ground’s name would be changed to ‘Al Janoub Stadium’ meaning ‘stadium of the south’. The Amir, along with several residents and sheikhs, travelled on the Doha metro to the stadium venue.
“I’ve travelled the world and I’ve been to stadiums in different cities including the UK,” said Yousef al-Jaber, a 35-year-old oil company research director in Doha. “Finally I was able to go to one in Qatar that is world-class,” added the Chelsea fan who watched the game with his wife and two sons.
“It’s a one of a kind, it’s a futuristic design. Al Wakrah is a coastal city and the architecture is inspired by that.”
The venue’s distinctive retractable roof – meant to resemble the sails of a traditional dhow fishing boat – is made of 1,400 pieces. It was plunged into darkness for the pre-match show and performers assembled around a giant illuminated inflatable pearl on the centre of the manicured pitch.
A video describing Qatar’s history as a pearling station played on the ground’s two big screens.