Sustainable Stadium The Only Good Thing About Controversial Qatar World Cup

The standard for future World Cups?

Stadium 974 Qatar World Cup

Image: @FIFA

A demountable stadium made of shipping containers and modular steel has been given the go ahead in Qatar, as the 2022 World Cup kicks off this week.


The temporary ground, named Stadium 974, can be found right on the seafront, seven kilometres east of Doha’s city centre in the Ras Abu Aboud area.

974 relates to the number of shipping containers that have been used to construct the stadium, as well as the dialling code of Qatar – a quick reminder if you need to give any friends or family going to the World Cup a ring!

This is not the only development this tournament involving shipping containers, with some fans staying in converted crates as accommodation.

The fully demountable 40,000 capacity venue is the first of its kind ever used in a World Cup and took 18 months to construct.

At the current tournament, the sustainable stadium will host games until the round of 16, before it is deconstructed but that is not before it hosts some seriously intriguing matchups, including a Group D clash between France and Denmark and a Robert Lewandowski vs Lionel Messi showdown, when Poland plays Argentina.

Given how close it is to the Persian Gulf, unlike some of the other stadiums, it does not need air conditioning, as the sea breeze is enough to cool down players and fans.

A win for the environment

Stadium 974 | Qatar 2022™
The new sustainable venue uses 974 shipping containers and modular steel so that it can be deconstructed. Image: @Qatar2022

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Amidst all the controversy of this year’s World Cup, Stadium 947 is admittedly a really cool development.

The containers used for the stadium are the same ones that were used to transport the materials there in the first place, essentially making it a flat-pack, portable stadium. After it is dismantled, Uruguay is reportedly considering rebuilding the stadium as a part of their joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup.

This could set a new precedent for countries hosting major international tournaments after a slew of World Cup and Olympic stadiums have become abandoned in countries such as Brazil, who hosted the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic games.

Given the insane excesses in monetary cost, environmental cost and human cost needed for this iteration of the World Cup, Stadium 947 is at least something to celebrate.

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