Update - April 2, 2022: All eight Qatar World Cup stadiums to be used in November and December of this year have been completed and officially opened.
Original article: With the 2022 FIFA World Cup starting in exactly one year, we thought it is time to take a look at the venues that will be played at. Many new stadiums have been or are currently still being constructed for this massive tournament.
Let's take a look at the various locations and the stadium capacities. There are 8 stadiums spread out over 5 different cities in Qatar, which only has an area of about 11.500 square kilometers. For reference, this is less than ten times the area of England.
Al Bayt Stadium
Capacity: 60.000
Location: Al Khor
Opened: 30. November 2021
Al Thumama Stadium
Capacity: 40.000
Location: Doha
Opened: 22. October 2021
Khalifa International Stadium
Capacity: 45.416
Location: Al Rayyan
Opened: 1976
Ahmad bin Ali Stadium
Capacity: 40.000
Location: Al Rayyan
Opened: 18. December 2020
Al Janoub Stadium
Capacity: 40.000
Location: Al Warkah
Opened: 16. May 2019
Education City Stadium
Capacity: 45.350
Location: Al-Rayyan
Opened: 15. June 2020
Stadium 974
Capacity: 40.000
Location: Doha
Opened: 30. November 2021
Lusail Stadium
Capacity: 80.000
Location: Doha
Opened: 22. November 2021
Concerns and Criticism
These gargantuan stadiums have come at a huge cost, not just financially speaking. According to multiple independant sources such as The Guardian, at least 6500 workers have died in the construction phase so far. The workforce is made up of many migrant workers from Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This means that on average 10 workers have died per week since Qatar received the World Cup bid in 2010.There are many causes, such as unsafe working conditions, suicide and extreme temperatures. Other reports have also brought to light that many migrant workers have there passports taken away from them upon arrival in Qatar. In general, there are many concerns regarding human rights in the wealthy Middle Eastern country.
What do you think of the 2022 Qatar World Cup stadiums? Comment below.