Education City Stadium to open on December 18
Qatar will mark another historic milestone this December as the third of the eight FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadiums will be officially opened.
Coinciding with Qatar National Day on December 18, the nation will witness the inauguration of the Education City Stadium, which will host the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final on the day.
Nicknamed as the 'Diamond in the Desert,' the 40-000-capacity arena is also confirmed as the host of the tournament's final on December 21, 2019.
Education City Stadium will become the third FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadium to open after the Khalifa International Stadium was unveiled in 2017 and Al Janoub Stadium earlier this year.
Situated in the heart of Education City, in the Al Rayyan district of Qatar, the stadium will host matches up to the quarter-finals stage in 2022.
After it has hosted the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 matches, the arena's capacity will be reduced by half and 20,000 seats will be donated to build stadiums in developing countries.
الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم (الفيفا) يقرر إقامة المباراة النهائية ومباراة نصف النهائي لـكأس العالم للأندية قطر2019 على استاد المدينة التعليمية المونديالي الجديد، على أن تقام باقي مباريات البطولة في استاد خليفة الدولي واستاد جاسم بن حمد بنادي السد الرياضي.#قنا
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In the coming weeks, fans will be able to access the stadium using the Doha Metro Green Line, which is set to be opened soon.
Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, Hassan Al-Thawadi said unveiling the stadium on Qatar National Day would be a proud moment for the entire country.
"The inauguration of Education City Stadium will mark another major milestone on the road to delivering international football's showpiece event," he said.
"Everyone in Qatar will feel immense pride when this architectural masterpiece is unveiled on our country's National Day, during the prestigious FIFA Club World Cup, and exactly three years before the Qatar 2022 final takes place," he noted.
Al-Thawadi added, "Hosting the FIFA Club World Cup is a golden opportunity to boost preparation for 2022 while giving thousands of fans from across the globe a taste of what to expect in three years' time."
It has already been confirmed that European champions Liverpool will contest the stadium's inaugural fixture after they received a bye to the semi-finals of the tournament.
The Reds qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup after winning the UEFA Champions League in June. Liverpool's opponents in the semi-final will be decided during the tournament.
Engineer Yasir Al Jamal, vice chairman of the SC's Technical Delivery Office, said, "We are honored that Liverpool – one of the most famous and prestigious clubs in the world – will contest the opening match at Education City Stadium.
The FIFA Club World Cup 2019 will be held in Qatar from December 11-21.
The matches will be played at three venues: Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium and Education City Stadium.
Five teams have qualified to-date including Al Sadd SC (host country representative), Liverpool FC (UEFA), CF Monterrey (CONCACAF), ES Tunis (CAF) and Hienghène Sport (OFC), while the AFC and CONMEBOL representatives will be confirmed in November.
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