A prominent feature of World Cup 2022 in Qatar will be the modern stadiums constructed or upgraded for the tournament.
Usually, it's mostly existing infrastructure that is used or upgraded for the event, but for this edition, most of the stadiums have been built from scratch.
How many fans can fit into each venue for a match?
The Sporting News investigates.
MORE: Complete World Cup schedule | Who has won the most World Cups?
Ranking Qatar World Cup stadiums capacity
| Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|
| Lusail Stadium | 80,000 |
| Al Bayt Stadium | 60,000 |
| Al Janoub Stadium | 40,000 |
| Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium | 40,000 |
| Khalifa International Stadium | 40,000 |
| Education City Stadium | 40,000 |
| Stadium 974 | 40,000 |
| Al Thumama Stadium | 40,000 |
Qatar World Cup 2022 stadiums statistics
World Cup teams: 32
Venues: 8
Matches: 65
Largest venue: Lusail Stadium (80,000)
Smallest venue: Six stadiums (40,000)
Average venue capacity: 47,500
Opening match: Al Bayt Stadium
Final: Lusail Stadium
What's the largest attendance possible at World Cup 2022?
The venue to host the World Cup 2022 final - Lusail Stadium - has the potential to have the largest attendance at the tournament with its 80,000 capacity the largest in Qatar.
The Lusail Stadium will host five group matches, one round-of-16 match, one quarter-final, one semi-final and the final.
It cost an estimated US$767 million to build with construction starting in April 2017 and it was completed four years later in April 2021.
It is located in the town of Lusail, which is approximately 20km north of Qatar's capital Doha.
Which World Cup matches are sold out?
FIFA have not confirmed if any specific World Cup matches have sold out but nearly three million tickets have been sold for the event, the governing body confirmed in mid-October.
According to FIFA's World Cup COO Colin Smith, "there is currently either low or no availability for matches."
Two World Cup sales phases have been completed with the current status of ticket sales in the 'last-minute sales phase'.
This allows fans to purchase any remaining tickets and also snare tickets put up for resale.
How much did the World Cup stadiums cost?
The ongoing total cost for all eight World Cup stadiums stands at approximately US$6.5 billion, according to Sky News.
This is despite suggestions from Qatari officials that $10 billion may have been needed to complete the full venue construction.
The aforementioned Khalifa International Stadium was one of the cheaper projects, only requiring redevelopment in 2014.
| Stadium | Cost (USD)* |
|---|---|
| Al Bayt Stadium | $847m |
| Lusail Stadium | $767m |
| Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium | $360m |
| Al Janoub Stadium | $572m |
| Education City Stadium | $700m |
| Stadium 974 | Unknown |
| Khalifa International Stadium | $78-315m |
| Al Thumama Stadium | $342m |
*Based on reported figures.
Are World Cup stadiums air-conditioned?
The 2022 World Cup starts begins on November 20 in Qatar when temperatures typically begin to fall heading into winter.
However, it is still expected to be hot in the country, with early group games set to be the hottest with highs of 26-28°C (78-82°F) possible.
To combat this, Qatari officials have confirmed that all eight stadiums involved in the competition will be air-conditioned.
The technology has been developed alongside Qatar University, with solar energy used to power an air filtering system.
Dr Saud Abdulaziz Abdul Ghani, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Qatar University, has led the project.
"We are not just cooling the air, we're cleaning it," Saud said in an interview with FIFA.com. "We're purifying the air for spectators. For example, people who have allergies won't have problems inside our stadiums as we have the cleanest and purest air in there is.
"Pre-cooled air comes in through grills built into the stands and large nozzles alongside the pitch. Using the air circulation technique, cooled air is then drawn back, re-cooled, filtered and pushed out where it is needed."
Temperatures inside Qatar's air-conditioned stadiums are expected to sit around 21°C (70°F).
Which stadium will host the World Cup final?
Lusail Stadium has been selected to host the 2022 World Cup final.
Located north of Doha, 80,000 fans are expected to fit in the venue for the decider on December 18.
On top of the final, the stadium will host three knockout games throughout the tournament.
