LUSAIL stadium on Sunday 18th December successfully hosted the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final. An event that secured its place in football and architectural history.

China Railway Construction Corporation Ltd (CRCC), the main contractor, with the collaboration of more than 3000 Pakistani Engineers and Workers, spent 4 years constructing this "Shiny Golden Bowl”, said the Chinese Embassy Islamabad in a tweet, according to Gwadar Pro on Monday.

Lusail Stadium received a five-star rating on 16 August 2022 for its design and construction from the Global Sustainability Assessment System GSAS. 

The iconic stadium entertained 80,000 fans who came together for the World Cup Final played between Argentina and France.

According to the Qatar football Association, the stadium is expected to be reconfigured into a 40,000-seat stadium. Excess seating will be removed, and other parts of the building will be repurposed as a community space with shops, cafés, athletic and education facilities, and a health clinic.

The design is inspired by the handcrafted bowls found throughout the Arab and Islamic worlds during the rise of civilization, while light interplays are reminiscent of the region's fanar lanterns. 

The golden exterior will fade over time, replicating aged metal handicrafts to create a venue alive with cultural character.

The procurement process for the stadium conversion began in 2014. The stadium was built as a joint venture by HBK Contracting and the China Railway Construction Corporation. Like the other stadiums planned for the 2022 World Cup, the Lusail Stadium is cooled using solar power and is claimed to have zero carbon footprint.

Construction began on 11th April 2017. Completion of the stadium was originally scheduled for 2020. It was then to host three friendly matches until the 2022 World Cup, but as the completion of the stadium was postponed, it subsequently hosted 10 games including the final.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP