FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: How Qatar delivered on its promise

In the years leading up to the World Cup, Qatar embarked on a massive construction project to build the necessary infrastructure for the tournament. The project included the construction of seven new stadiums and the expansion and renovation of existing ones.

The Khalifa International Stadium, one of the country's main sporting venues, underwent a major facelift in preparation for the World Cup. Over 40,000 spectators can now be accommodated in the expanded stadium, which has been equipped with state-of-the-art technology to improve the fans' viewing experience.

The Lusail Iconic Stadium was dubbed the jewel in the crown of Qatar's World Cup. The stadium seats 86,000 people and is one of the world's most advanced arenas. Over 800,000 fans visited the stadium during the ten games that took place there.

"This is a totally different league in terms of spectator experience," explained Tamim El Abed, Project Manager for the Lusail Iconic Stadium.

"So, for fans to exercise that passion in this seating bowl, it's something really remarkable. It's an experience more akin to a Stamford Bridge or an Anfield where people are almost right at the edge of the play."

As part of its preparation for the tournament, Qatar also revamped its transportation infrastructure to accommodate the influx of visitors. The smooth metro system took six years to complete, and operation began in May 2019. Every stadium was easily accessible thanks to the regular train service. Public transport was free of charge to every fan with a Hayya card for the tournament duration.

As part of the World Cup preparations, the hospitality and leisure infrastructure was also boosted to provide visitors with quality accommodation options. Several five-star hotels were built,