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Qatar to commission all stadiums two years ahead of 2022 World Cup

Qatar is set to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup at seven venues across the country

© AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda

MOSCOW, February 28. /TASS, Mikhail Lichkov/. All stadiums for 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar are expected to be commissioned two years prior to the kick off of the international football championship, FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura told TASS.

Qatar is set to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup between November 21 and December 18 at seven venues across the country, namely in Doha, Lusail, Al-Wakrah, Al-Khor, Al-Rayyan, Umm Salal and Madinat ash Shamal.

"Qatar will be the first country in the history of the World Cups that will have all stadiums ready in minimum two years before the World Cup," Samoura said in an interview with TASS.

Read also

Qatar to spend at least $200 bln on 2022 World Cup

The FIFA secretary general, who paid a visit to Moscow this week, said Qatar has already commissioned one arena, the other is about to be commissioned, while "two additional will be commissioned in 2019 and the last four in 2020."

"So I mean all eight stadiums will be ready by late 2020 or two years before the World Cup," she said.

The first completed venue in Qatar for hosting matches of the 2022 FIFA World Cup is the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha. Named after Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar's former Emir, the facility boasts an over 40,000-seat capacity.

Qatar won the right to host the matches of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on December 2, 2010.

In March 2015, FIFA officially announced that the 22nd edition of FIFA’s flagship event would be played in November and December 2022, with the final match set for December 18, 2022 - Qatar National Day - and with the objective, in principle, of holding the tournament for 28 days.

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