Lusail Stadium, the centrepiece for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar, staged its first full-capacity event on Friday night as 77,575 fans attended the Lusail Super Cup match between Al Hilal and Zamalek.
The event opened with a performance from Egyptian singer Amr Diab before the match itself, which Al Hilal won 4-1 penalties after the game finished 1-1. The match between the Saudi Pro League champions and Egyptian Premier League winners was billed as the “final milestone” in preparations for the World Cup.
With a capacity of 80,000, Lusail Stadium is Qatar’s biggest World Cup venue and will host 10 matches during the tournament, starting with the Group C clash between Argentina and Saudi Arabia on November 22.
The stadium hosted a test event last month as Al Arabi defeated Al Rayyan 2-1 in a Qatar Stars League fixture. The match was only attended by 20,000 fans, with Friday’s Lusail Super Cup serving as the full-capacity grand opening of the stadium.
Hassan Al Thawadi, secretary general of Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, said: “The Lusail Super Cup was yet another memorable night in the lead-up to the biggest mega-event ever to be held in our country and region: the FIFA World Cup. The event offered a taste of the spine-tingling atmosphere fans can expect when they travel to Qatar in November and December. With the World Cup only weeks away, Qatar is ready to host a landmark edition of the greatest show on Earth.”
Lusail Stadium, which is located in Lusail, a newly-built city located 15km north of central Doha, will host the World Cup final, one semi-final, a quarter-final, a Round of 16 match and six group games.
Once the World Cup is over, Lusail Stadium will be transformed into a multi-purpose community space including schools, shops, cafés, sporting facilities and health clinics – all under the original roof of the stadium. During the conversion, most of the stadium’s 80,000 seats will be removed and donated to sporting projects around the globe.
Last month, the stadium achieved a five-star rating under the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS), which is administered by the Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (GORD).
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