Qatar 2022 World Cup stadiums are engineering feats

Qatar 2022 World Cup is possibly the last time that legendary players such Ronaldo, Messi and Suárez will grace the pitch. Let’s have a look at some of the incredible stadiums they will play in.
Interesting Engineering

The last FIFA World Cup featuring Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, two of the greatest ever; a swan song for the legends. What could be the coolest way to commemorate the occasion? Well, the organizers did it, and quite literally. Eight stadiums, new or refurbished for this tournament, have been equipped with technology to keep players and fans cool in the Qatari heat. 

Dr. Saud Ghani, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Qatar University, masterminded this cooling technology with his team. They created 3D models of the venues, placed them in a wind tunnel, and used computational software to determine the temperature at various levels. Their observations were pivotal in choosing football-sized nozzles parallel to the pitch to blow cool air on the players and smaller air diffusers under spectator seats to push cold air at the ankle level, mimicking a cold and natural flow. The cleverness lies in how the air is drawn back, re-cooled, and then used again, making it even more eco-friendly. This technology should help even the likes of Luis Suárez keep a cool head.

Another stadium that is sure to blow your mind is Stadium 974, designed and built with the intention of removal after the event. This radical idea stemmed from Fenwick Iribarren Architects, in association with Schlaich Bergermann Partners and Hilson Moran. The 40,000-seat waterfront marvel is constructed using shipping containers as building blocks, supported by a steel frame. Everything, from grandstands to stalls to sanitary fittings, can be broken down and transported as shipping containers.

The use of technology does not stop at the boundaries of the pitch. This World Cup will see the introduction of match balls with an inertial measurement unit sensor placed inside. The sensor, capable of sending ball data 500 times a second, will be used in conjunction with 12 tracking cameras mounted underneath the roofs of each stadium, and 29 data points of each player, to make a quick and precise decision at all times. 

Another nice touch by the Qatari organizers is the planned donation of seats to various projects around the globe, once the World Cup is over. But how do you get to these stadiums? Well, make use of their fantastic metro system featuring driverless trains that reach up to 60 miles per hour, and you could be there in no time. Qatar 2022 is setting an example for future host nations to follow, and fans worldwide couldn't be more delighted.