Qatar has awarded the contract to build the Al Thumama stadium, one of the last World Cup deals still to be done, to a joint venture between Tekfen Construction of Turkey and Qatari firm Al Jaber Engineering.
The stadium will be built with a capacity of 40,000 and will host matches up to the quarter-final stage, after which it will be partially disassembled to cut its capacity to 20,000.
The venue will be located between E-Ring and F-Ring Roads in the southern suburbs of Doha.
"The stadium in Al Thumama is located in one of the most rapidly developing areas of Doha. Once ready, the stadium and its surrounding precinct will not only become one of the capital’s central sporting arenas, but will also serve the local community as a central community destination," said Hassan Al Thawadi, secretary general of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the body responsible for delivering the stadiums and infrastructure.
The design for the stadium was carried out by the Arab Engineering Bureau, Qatar’s oldest architect and consulting engineer. It was appointed in 2015.
The area where the stadium will be sited already has four outdoor training pitches and the offices of the Qatar Football Association Technical Committee.
Al Jaber will be the lead partner in the joint venture. Osama Hadid, its chief executive, commented: "We are thankful the supreme committee has entrusted us with the responsibility of constructing such an important development for the City of Doha and the communities that thrive in the district of Al Thumama.
"Being a Qatari company we are proud to build such a strategically important venue for this historic tournament. We will ensure delivery of a stadium that makes the residents of Al Thumama and the wider Doha community proud when it opens its doors for the tournament in 2022."
The construction of stadium began in mid-2016, with TiME Qatar as project managers. Most recently levelling and grading works were completed by Boom Construction. Work on the stadium proper will begin this year 2017.
Tekfen is an Istanbul-based construction group which works mainly in power generation, airports, petroleum, and roads. It operates in Turkey, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Middle East and North Africa, and Europe.
Image: Arab Engineering Bureau’s design for Al Thumama (Supreme Council)
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