Khalifa International Stadium

This article is about a stadium in Qatar. For the stadium in UAE, see Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium.

Khalifa International Stadium

Khalifa International Stadium
Location	Doha, Qatar
Owner	Qatar Football Association
Capacity	40,000 (68,030 after renovations)
Surface	Grass
Construction
Opened	March 3, 1976
Renovated	2005, 2014-18
Tenants
Qatar national football team 2006 Asian Games 2011 AFC Asian Cup 2011 Pan Arab Games 2019 IAAF World Championships in Athletics 2022 FIFA World Cup

Opening fireworks at the 2006 Asian Games set off inside the stadium

Khalifa International Stadium (Arabic: ستاد خليفة الدولي‎‎) also known as National Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Doha, Qatar as part of the Doha Sports City complex, which also includes Aspire Academy, Hamad Aquatic Centre, and the Aspire Tower. It is named after Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar's former Emir. The final of 2011 AFC Asian Cup was held at this stadium.

History

The stadium was originally opened in 1976, but was fully renovated and expanded in 2005 prior to the 2006 Asian Games in order to increase its capacity from 20,000 to 40,000. A roof has also been built on the western side of the stadium, along with a large arch on the eastern side which was used as a platform for the launch of fireworks during the 2006 Asian Games opening ceremony. Before its renovation it was used mostly for football matches, but it includes facilities for many other sports. Since 1997 it hosts the annual track and field event Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix, now as part of the IAAF Diamond League. It is currently the stadium of Qatar national football team. It will host the 17th IAAF World Championships in Athletics in autumn 2019.

The venue hosted two international friendly football matches between Brazil and England on November 14, 2009 and Brazil and Argentina on November 17, 2010 and the athletics of the 2009 ISF World School Games, held between December 8–12, 2009.

The stadium also hosted the inaugural function of the 2011 Pan Arab Games.

Sport events

• The 2011 Asian Cup Final was played at the stadium.
• Host for the 2004 Gulf Cup of Nations (2004)
• Host for the 2006 Asian Games (2006)
• Host for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup for Group A matches, the Quarter Final, Semi-final and the final, (2011)
• Host for the 2011 Pan Arab Games (2011).
• Host for the 2019 IAAF World Championships in Athletics (2019)
• Host for 2022 FIFA World Cup, (2022) (pending due to FIFA investigation).

2011 AFC Asian Cup

Date	Time(QST)	Team #1	Res.	Team #2	Round
2011-01-07	19:15	Qatar	0–2	Uzbekistan	Group A
2011-01-12	19:15	China PR	0–2	Qatar	Group A
2011-01-16	19:15	Qatar	3–0	Kuwait	Group A
2011-01-21	19:25	Uzbekistan	2–1	Jordan	Quarterfinal
2011-01-25	19:25	Uzbekistan	0–6	Australia	Semifinal
2011-01-29	18:00	Australia	0–1	Japan	Final

Friendly

Date	Time(QST)	Team #1	Res.	Team #2
2009-11-14	19:15	Brazil	1–0	England
2010-11-17	19:15	Brazil	0–1	Argentina
2010-11-18	18:00	Qatar	0–1	Haiti
2010-12-22	16:00	Qatar	2–0	Estonia
2010-12-28	19:15	Qatar	0–0	Iran
2013-02-06	21:00	Spain	3–1	Uruguay

References

Preceded by Busan Asiad Stadium Busan	Asian Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies 2006	Succeeded by Haixinsha Island
Preceded by Gelora Bung Karno Stadium Jakarta	AFC Asian Cup Final Venue 2011	Succeeded by Stadium Australia Sydney