Qatar unveil design for FIFA World Cup final venue

Zurich [Switzerland], Dec 16 (ANI): Qatar on Saturday unveiled the design of the Lusail Stadium, which will be hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, at a colourful gala event held at the Lusail Marina which is 15km north from Doha.
With its golden bowl structure and apertures shaped like "fanar" lanterns, the stadium celebrates the Middle East's ancient tradition of craftsmanship. Lusail Stadium is expected to welcome up to 80,000 fans and has been proposed by the organisers as the venue for the opening and final matches of the tournament which will take place in four years' time.
Head of the country's World Cup organising body, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), Hassan Al Thawadi said that with the 'stunning design" of the stadium they are delivering on their promise. He further hoped that after the World Cup, Lusail will form a crucial part of the legacy of the tournament.
"It has now been eight years since we won the rights to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup and we told the world to expect amazing. With this stunning design of our showpiece stadium, I am proud today to once again be delivering on that promise," FIFA official website quoted Thawadi, as saying.
"Lusail is a city for the future, and once the World Cup is over it will - like each of our other seven stadiums - form a crucial part of the legacy of the tournament as it transforms to become the heart of a brand new community," Thawadi added.
FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura expressed happiness over Qatar's "continued commitment to excellence" adding that the venue for the World Cup final is "absolutely gorgeous."
"I am delighted to see Qatar's continued commitment to excellence in the spectacular Lusail Stadium. Qatar's stadiums are among the most eye-catching ever seen and the venue proposed for the final is absolutely gorgeous. I particularly enjoy the fact that Middle East culture is reflected in Lusail's and several other designs and look forward to seeing football fans from all over the world discover the culture and history of this region," Samoura said.
According to the SC, infrastructure works at Lusail Stadium are in progress in all areas. The construction of the stadium is scheduled to be completed in 2020. In 2017, Khalifa International Stadium became the first proposed venue to be ready, while two more stadiums are scheduled to be completed early next year - Al Wakrah Stadium and Al Bayt Stadium - in Al Khor. (ANI)