The FIFA World Cup 2022 begins today, November 20, with the first match between the host country of Qatar and the South American team of Ecuador.
One of the spotlights has been on the stadiums built by oil-rich Middle Eastern country to cater to thousands of fans across the world that will be attending the Fifa World Cup 2022.
The Education City stadium located in the city of Al Rayyan in Qatar, which has been built for the world's biggest football tournament is one of the primary venues for 8 matches between November 22, 2022, and December 9, 2022.
History of the Education City stadium?
The Education City stadium, which was opened to the public on June 15, 2020, has a capacity of more than 45,000 seats, is also known as 'Diamond in the Desert'.
The stadium was set to be the host of the third-place match and final of the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup, but due to its opening postponed from December 2019 to June 2020, the venue was cancelled as the host.
The stadium also hosted 5 matches during the FIFA Arab Cup 2021.
The Education City stadium has also received a five-star rating from the Global Sustainability Assessment System for being one of the most environmentally sustainable stadiums in the world.
Like other stadiums built in Qatar, Education City Stadium also came under fire for the treatment of migrant workers during its construction with Amnesty International also criticising the conditions.
Why is the stadium named Education City?
The significance behind the stadium being named after 'Education' is the fact that it is located inside Qatar's premier education and research-focused development which houses branches of eight international universities, including other learning and research centres.
Six American, one British, and one French university maintain their branches in the city, which include Virginia Commonwealth University, Weill Cornell University, Texas A&M University, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgetown University, Northwestern University, HEC Paris, and University College London.
After the FIFA World Cup, the stadium will serve as a venue for athletic teams from the universities for matches between them and 25,000 seats will be retained for the same.
When is the FIFA World Cup 2022?
The FIFA World Cup 2022 will be held between November 20 - December 9, 2022, across stadiums in Qatar with the first Group A match between the host country and Ecuador. 32 teams from five confederations will be going against each other on the field this world cup.
