Education City Stadium bids farewell to World Cup fans
Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Education City Stadium concluded a total of eight matches that took place on its pitch yesterday, with Brazil playing against Croatia, hosting over a quarter million football fans from all over the world.
An accessible friendly stadium
In this exceptionally inclusive edition of the FIFA World Cup™ hosted in the Middle East for the first time, fans with varied abilities enjoyed attending the matches at Education City Stadium thanks to the accessibility services that were offered -
- Sensory rooms which hosted almost 35 fans over the eight matches
- Entertaining performances by artists with different abilities on the fan routes to the stadium
- Accessibility volunteers who ensured a seamless experience for all fans.
Out of the eight FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ stadiums, Education City Stadium was the only match host destination with dedicated accessibility volunteers. In each game, 1,000 volunteers were available to assist spectators, out of which about 15 were dedicated accessibility volunteers. A total of 247 accessibility volunteers were trained by QF experts to support differently-abled fans at the tournament as a whole.
Commenting on the fans’ experience inside the stadium’s sensory room, Co-Founder of Sensory Souk and the Manager of the sensory room staffing, Alison Sarraf, said: “The sensory room played a vital role in enabling people with additional needs to experience matches whilst being provided the support that they needed. We have seen firsthand the positive outcomes of families using the sensory rooms and many who never thought that attending a world cup match would be possible together."
“The sensory room has provided support to first time match goers and fans who thought that it would only be possible to watch from their living room. From the sensory equipment inside the room, sensory bags for viewing comfort and the solace of the room itself, our aim is to identify how we can support our guests so that they can relax and have the best experience.”
From a spectator’s perspective, Hanaa Abu Amouna, a football fan who attended a few matches across Qatar’s World Cup stadiums, described her experience at the Ghana vs South Korea match at the Education City Stadium as “a whole different experience.”
“From the easy access to the stadium through the metro, to the amazing activations along the way to the stadium gates, to seeing the amazing atmosphere of Education City and its multiple attractions and destinations, to its inclusivity and how everyone from all ages, abilities and backgrounds were enjoying the same experience. No one was left out from enjoying the amazing vibe of the fans inside the stadium. The experience was just magnificent!”
On non-match days at Education City, live match screenings were offered at Oxygen Park for all members of the community and their families, with 19,000 spectators who enjoyed watching the live matches on the outdoor screens so far. Live match screenings will continue at Oxygen Park, including the screening of the semi-final and the final games.
Find out more about the live match screenings at Oxygen Park here.
The Education City Stadium saw a cumulative attendance of around 350,000 people across its eight FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ matches, with Morocco vs Spain match witnessing the highest attendance reaching 44,667 fans at this stadium, which will remain a high point for the QF community after the tournament is over.
Future plans for the stadium
And although the final whistle for this tournament at the Education City Stadium has been blown, the stadium will continue to serve members of the local, regional, and international community. In its legacy phase, the stadium will be a destination for students with two QF schools moving into facilities within the stadium complex, as well as a hub of women’s sports and a space for learning for people of all ages and abilities.
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