Qatar's Ras Abu Aboud Stadium First Built in World Cup History meant to be Torn Down

It was once a quiet waterfront, only enjoying the occasional sounds from the nearby Gulf shores. Now, it's a dizzying burst of color and life -- soon to be filled with up to 40,000 screaming fans. It is Qatar's Ras Abu Aboud s

BY Realty Plus
Published - Monday, 19 Jul, 2021

Qatar's Ras Abu Aboud Stadium First Built in World Cup History meant to be Torn Down

It was once a quiet waterfront, only enjoying the occasional sounds from the nearby Gulf shores. Now, it's a dizzying burst of color and life -- soon to be filled with up to 40,000 screaming fans. It is Qatar's Ras Abu Aboud stadium -- the first built in World Cup history that was meant to be torn down. Molded out of 974 shipping containers atop Doha's port, the Ras Abu Aboud will host seven matches up to the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup. All the containers are made from recycled steel, and the number -- 974 -- symbolizes Qatar's dialing code. It's both a symbol of the country's sustainability pledge and a reflection of its identity.After the tournament is over, many parts of the arena -- including all the removable seats, containers and even the roof -- will be dismantled and repurposed for use in other sporting or non-sporting events, either inside or outside of Qatar. "The 40,000-seater venue can be dismantled in full and transported to be built again in a different country; or you could build two 20,000-seater venues," Mohammed Al Atwan, project manager for Ras Abu Aboud Stadium stated. "Really, all parts can be donated to countries in need of sporting infrastructure. This is the beauty of the stadium -- the legacy opportunities are endless." Along with the opportunities he says it offers, Qatar is hoping the stadium will be a trailblazer for future football tournaments. A FIFA report in June estimated the 2022 World Cup to produce up to 3.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, that's 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 more than the 2018 tournament in Russia created. Nonetheless, the Gulf state is committed to delivering a carbon-neutral World Cup through offsetting emissions -- before, during and after the event. Organizers have promised sustainable building methods during the construction of the tournament's infrastructure, such as the Ras Abu Abboud stadium, adding that they have procured "building materials that maximize resource efficiency and reduce emissions, waste and impacts on biodiversity." The SC says, "It is committed to keeping sustainability a main focus throughout the tournament -- an example of this is planting trees and plants around the World Cup's infrastructure to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions."