Al-Wakrah goes south – and it’s now called Al-Janoub

DOHA: As the Al-Wakrah Stadium is located in the most southern part of Qatar, its Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has decided to rename the 2022 World Cup venue to Al-Janoub, which means south in Arabic.

The Emir tweeted the name change before the Amir Cup final between Al-Duhail and Al-Saad on Thursday.

The ground breaking at the Al Wakrah started in 2014 and the project was completed five years later at a cost of 2.1bil Qatar riyal (RM2.4bil).

Al-Janoub Stadium project manager Thani Al-Zarraa is elated to

We’re not doing this just for the World Cup as we also want to ensure it is beneficial to the Qatari people.

Thani Al-Zarraa

finally see the stadium come to fruition.

“It shows that Qatar is capable of hosting the world’s biggest football event. It also proves that Qatar is willing and able to build world-class infrastructures,” said Al-Zarraa.

“We’re not doing this just for the World Cup as we also want to ensure it is beneficial to the Qatari people.”

The distinctive form of the Zaha Hadid Architects’ Al Wakrah Stadium was taken from the shape of the typical fishing boats – called dhows – that can be seen in the city’s harbour.

The 40,000-seater stadium has a 92m fully retractable roof so that players and spectators can be cooled, allowing for the stadium to be used all-year round.

One exciting feature that fans can look forward to is the cooling system.

The building uses under-seat cooling technology to keep spectators comfortable.

During the World Cup, Al Janoub will host matches up to the quarter-finals.

After the tournament, the capacity of the stadium will be reduced to 20,000 and will be the permanent home of football team Al Wakrah Sports Club.