Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar
Featured image credit: Qatar 2022
FIFA has published updated Qatar 2022 stadium capacities after questions were raised over the stated attendances of games in the opening days of the tournament.
The opening match between Qatar and Ecuador on Sunday was apparently watched by 67,000 people, despite the official capacity of the Al Bayt Stadium having previously been announced as 60,000. The game on Monday between the Netherlands and Senegal at the apparently 40,000-capacity Al Thumama Stadium was watched by 41,721 people.
The Al Bayt Stadium capacity has now been revised as 68,895 with Al Thumama Stadium up to 44,400.
The Lusail Stadium, which will host the final and staged Monday’s game between Argentina and Saudi Arabia, has seen its capacity lifted by almost 10% from 80,000 to 88,966.
While television footage and photographs have suggested a large numbers of empty seats, FIFA bases attendance on tickets sold rather than the number of people who have actually entered the venue.
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