You always expect the country to host a major sporting event to build additional facilities, whether it’s new venues for the competition itself, or infrastructure and accommodation for the influx of competitors, officials, and supporters. But what Qatar is doing for the FIFA World Cup it will host in 2022 dwarfs anything we’ve ever seen before, in scale and ambition: the tiny Gulf nation actually plans to build a new 28-square-mile city, which will host the opening ceremony as well as the final game.
Called Lusail, the city is set to be build on the desert coast, nine miles north from the capital Doha and will accommodate about a quarter of a million inhabitants, as well as tens of thousands of tourists. The main venue will be, of course, the magnificent Lusail Iconic Stadium, with a capacity of 86,250, which will host the opening and final of the 2022 World Cup.
Even before (and certainly after) the event, Lusail will have all the makings of a futuristic city: two luxury marinas, a grandiose 14-acre Marina Mall with roofs that repel heat, a body of running water and ever waterfalls, and a huge 241-acre Entertainment City with a giraffe zoo, a snow park, and a Six Flags amusement park.
Residents and visitors alike can get around using the light-rail network or the extensive underground network tunnels for pedestrians and water taxis. Also worth noting is the fact that the city is designed to be as energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly as possible, making Lusail an impressive city that will continue to attract travelers even after the final goal has been scored at the World Cup.
[Daily Mail]
