Next year’s World Cup – the first to be hosted in the region – will be an “incredible” and unforgettable experience for spectators around the globe and will have a major impact on Arab youth across the region, a number of international, regional and local Qatar Legacy Ambassadors said.
Australian football legend, Tim Cahill said the Gulf state has done an “incredible” job ahead of the mega tournament next year.
“We are very fortunate to be here,” Cahill noted at a press conference ahead of the Amir Cup final on Thursday.
The host nation has been undertaking extensive efforts to exceed global standards in terms of infrastructure, facilities and security across the country ahead of the event next year.
“I know that it’s going to be a successful world cup because the infrastructure behind everything has been first-class and the main thing is when you have… the have the FIFA Arab Cup [coming up]..everything that we’ve been preparing for has been amazing during a pandemic and now hopefully coming out of one, so thumbs up from me,” Cahill added.
“I’m really impressed to see the levels of what they’re producing,” the international QLA said.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to have a kick around on some of these stadiums and I’m blown away. Overall, it’s incredible that they can produce this level and it’s going to be really exciting because there’s only 400 days left and we all know that that’s right around the corner,” he added.
The comments on Thursday came just a day ahead of Friday’s Amir Cup final match at Al Thumama Stadium between Al Rayyan and Al Sadd. The exciting battle between the local Qatari rivals marked the inauguration of the sixth FIFA World Cup 2022 venue.
The 40,000-capacity stadium will also host the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 next month.
“The biggest thing for me is the level of detail that is going into the training pitches, the facilities, the things that players need. That’s definitely really important because that adds to the performance,” Cahill said.
Qatar will not only be the first to host the FIFA World Cup in the Middle East, but will also be the first ever to host it during November and December – instead of June and July – due to its hot climate.
Like all World Cup stadiums, the most recently inaugurated Al Thumama facility was designed and built by a designated team to offer the most advanced cooling technology. It also boasts a unique white exterior, “which reflects the sun and helps to keep the stadium cool,” experts said.
Speaking at the press conference on Thursday, regional QLA Wael Gomaa said: “I have visited all the stadiums here in Qatar, this reminds me when i was a player I only dreamt to have such an infrastructure.”
For the Egyptian football star, the fact that Qatar is the first Arab nation to host the World Cup is a dream.
“Qatar organising the World Cup was actually a dream come true, no one even dreamt before that an Arab country could organise such a huge event, but now it is a reality,” said.
“I remember the first time I visited Brazil in 2014 and Russia in 2018 – I’ve seen many things but what I’ve seen in Qatar in a short period of time in terms of infrastructure and sports and how they impact people, is a dream come true for us,” he added.
“This will have a huge impact on the Arab world and the Arab youth.”
World Cup winner and Brazilian QLA, Cafu said based on his previous World Cup experiences that he “can guarantee that Qatar’s World Cup is going to be different from all the other editions.”
He noted the World Cup being hosted in Qatar makes it “very easy to transport from one stadium to the other – that is why it is gonna be an amazing World Cup.”
Compared with previous host countries, Qatar is the smallest ever nation to bring the World Cup to its shores, meaning the tournament will be the most “compact” to date.
Sixty-four matches over 28 days will take place in close proximity, with the maximum travel distance between stadiums just 75km. One of the major environmental benefits of Qatar 2022 is the elimination of domestic flights during the tournament, the organising Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy says on its website.
This also means visitors and international football fans in Qatar will have the advantage of watching more than one match per day without worrying about flight transfers – cutting both costs and emissions.
“Qatar is totally ready for this global event, the infrastructure is completely ready as we witness the opening of the sixth stadium,” Omani footballer and QLA, Ali Al Habsi said.
“We have seen during the coronavirus pandemic that Qatar has organised many events and all proper health measures were in place and respected,” he added.
