World Cup: Stadium Guide - Khalifa International Stadium

bet365 News Team Updated: Nov 18 2022 10:10 Published: Sep 23 2022 11:46

The Khalifa International Stadium is one of the eight venues set to be used for the World Cup in Qatar and notably hosted the 2019 Club World Cup Final.

Opened in 1976, the ground has become synonymous with both football and athletics, with it also staging the World Championships in Athletics in 2019.

A refit in 2005 brought it up to date and it was then fully refurbished between 2014 and 2017 to bring it into the future, with a new tier adding 12,000 to the capacity, while new lighting and exterior have “brought new sparkle to an old friend”.

The Khalifa International Stadium will host eight games during the finals, including the third-place playoff.

What	World Cup
Where	Qatar
When	20th November - 18th December 2022
How to watch	All matches will be shown on either the BBC or ITV
Odds	Brazil 9/2, England 11/2, France 6/1, Argentina 7/1, Spain 8/1

Where is the Khalifa International Stadium?

The Khalifa International Stadium is situated in Al Rayyan and is five kilometres west of central Doha.

It is within a half an hour drive of three other World Cup venues: Stadium 974, the Al Thumama Stadium and the Education City Stadium.

When was the Khalifa International Stadium built?

The Khalifa International Stadium was originally built in 1976 to be used by the Qatar national team and is the oldest of all the grounds to be used in the tournament.

It has continued to host the national team and has undergone two renovations. One came in 2005, before a more complete refurbishment that took place between 2014 and 2017.

The latter of those included adding 12,000 to the total capacity and remodelling the exterior of the ground.

When was the Khalifa International Stadium opened?

The Khalifa International Stadium was originally opened in 1976. It was then reopened in May 2017 with the inauguration marked by the ground hosting the Amir Cup Final.

Key stadium details:

Stadium name:	Khalifa International Stadium
Where:	Al Rayyan
Tenants:	Qatar national football team
Capacity:	40,000
Opening date:	May 2017

What is the capacity of Khalifa International Stadium?

The capacity of the stadium is 45,416. However, it has been reduced to 40,000 for the tournament. When the new tier was added ahead of the reopening in 2017, it boosted the capacity by 12,000.

How big is the pitch at the Khalifa International Stadium?

TBC

Who plays at Khalifa International Stadium?

The Qatar national team have traditionally played their home games at the Khalifa International Stadium. It has also hosted a number of domestic cup finals and significant international friendlies, including a 1-0 win for Brazil against England in 2009.

What World Cup matches will be played at Khalifa International Stadium?

Date	Match number	Group	Team 1		Team 2	KO time	Venue
21st November	3	B	England	v	Iran	14:00	Khalifa International Stadium
23rd November	11	E	Germany	v	Japan	14:00	Khalifa International Stadium
25th November	19	A	Netherlands	v	Ecuador	17:00	Khalifa International Stadium
27th November	27	F	Croatia	v	Canada	17:00	Khalifa International Stadium
29th November	35	A	Ecuador	v	Senegal	16:00	Khalifa International Stadium
1st December	43	E	Japan	v	Spain	20:00	Khalifa International Stadium
3rd December	49	Round of 16	Winners Group A	v	Runners up Group B	16:00	Khalifa International Stadium
17th December	63	Third-place playoff	Losers match 61	v	Losers match 62	15:00	Khalifa International Stadium

What other major events have taken place at Khalifa International Stadium?

The Khalifa International Stadium is the oldest and arguably best known venue to be used at the World Cup.

It has hosted major events in both athletics and football, including the World Championships in athletics in 2019 and the same year's Club World Cup, which was won by Liverpool courtesy of a 1-0 extra-time win over Brazilian side Flamengo.

It has also fully hosted or been part of the Arabian Gulf Cup, Asian Games, Pan Arab Games and Asian Cup.