| Ahmad bin Ali Stadium | |
| Mapframe-Wikidata: | yes |
| Mapframe-Marker: | soccer |
| Publictransit: | Al Riffa (الرفاع) |
| Record Attendance: | 45,032 (Argentina vs Australia, 3 December 2022) |
| Surface: | Grass |
| Broke Ground: | 2016 |
| Built: | 2017 - 2020 |
| Opened: | 18 December 2020 |
| Architect: | Pattern Design[1] |
| Project Manager: | AECOM |
The new Ahmad bin Ali Stadium,[2] [3] popularly known as the Al-Rayyan Stadium, is an association football stadium located in the district of Rawdat Al Jahhaniya, Qatar, around 90NaN0 northwest from the centre of Al Rayyan. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is home to Al-Rayyan Sports Club. The stadium is named after Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar from 1960 to 1972.[4] The former stadium, built in 2003, had a seating capacity of 21,282 and was demolished in 2015.[5] The new Al Rayyan Stadium has a seating capacity of 45,032.[6]
The stadium is located about 20 km west of Doha.[7]
The Ahmad bin Ali Stadium was one of eight stadiums used in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[8] [9]
The former Ahmad bin Ali Stadium was demolished in 2015[10] to make way for the Al Rayyan Stadium. 90 percent of the rubble resulting from the demolition of the stadium is anticipated to be reused either for the new stadium or for public art projects.[11]
The construction of the new stadium started in early 2016.[12] This was done by the joint venture between Al-Balagh and Larsen & Toubro. After the World Cup the stadium will be reduced to 21,000 seats. The new stadium was built for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which was hosted by Qatar.[13]
The renovation includes a huge 'media facade' with a membrane that will act as a screen for projections, news, commercials, sports updates, current tournament information and matches. Seating capacity was increased to 40,740,[14] and all seats were shaded.
The inauguration of the stadium took place on 18 December 2020, which was Qatar's National Day, and exactly two years before the country hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup final.[15] The stadium was one of two venues used for the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup.[16] [17]
The stadium hosted four matches during FIFA Arab Cup 2021.[18] 2021 Turkish Super Cup was played at the stadium.[19]
The Friday, February 23 2024, at 11:50 AM ET / 8:50 AM PT, the stadium would host the charity match "Match For Hope" getting over 300,000+ online concurrent viewers. This charity match included many big stars such as,Kaká, Eden Hazard, IShowSpeed, Chunkz and many more. The team names were Team Chunkz vs Team Aboflah. Team Chunkz would win vs Team Abofiah 7-5. It eventually raised more than $8.85 million dollars for charity.
| Date | Time | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 November 2021 | 13:00 | 5–1 | Group B | 2,494 | |||
| 1 December 2021 | 13:00 | 4–0 | Group D | 2,203 | |||
| 4 December 2021 | 13:00 | 0–4 | Group C | 7,890 | |||
| 6 December 2021 | 22:00 | 3–0 | Group A | 2,477 |
The Ahmad bin Ali Stadium hosted seven matches during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
| Date | Time | Team No. 1 | Result | Team No. 2 | Round | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 November 2022 | 22:00 | 1–1 | 43,418 | ||||
| 23 November 2022 | 22:00 | 1–0 | 40,432 | ||||
| 25 November 2022 | 13:00 | 0–2 | 40,875 | ||||
| 27 November 2022 | 13:00 | 0–1 | 41,479 | ||||
| 29 November 2022 | 22:00 | 0–3 | 44,297 | ||||
| 1 December 2022 | 18:00 | 0–0 | 43,984 | ||||
| 3 December 2022 | 22:00 | 2–1 | 45,032 |
On 5 April 2023, the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium was chosen one of eight venues for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
| Date | Time | Team No. 1 | Result | Team No. 2 | Round | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 January 2024 | 14:30 | 2–0 | 35,253 | ||||
| 15 January 2024 | 17:30 | 1–3 | Group D | 16,532 | |||
| 18 January 2024 | 17:30 | 0–3 | Group B | 38,491 | |||
| 21 January 2024 | 20:30 | 0–2 | Group F | 39,557 | |||
| 28 January 2024 | 19:00 | 1–1 | 33,584 | ||||
| 2 February 2024 | 14:30 | 0–1 | 35,530 | ||||
| 6 February 2024 | 18:00 | 2–0 | 42,850 |