Khalifa International Stadium

The 2014–2017 rebuild, ahead of the World Cup, kept the site working under a joint venture of Midmac Contracting and Six Construct while Dar Al-Handasah, the same firm behind the 1976 design, drew the new plans. What went up is a roof of 92 panels hung on 4,000 tonnes of steel cable, covering every seat, paired with a cooling system built to hold the pitch at 26°C and the stands a few degrees higher.

The grass gets its own story: grown at the Aspire Zone nursery to a set length, then rolled out and laid across the pitch in a matter of hours before major matches.

Al-Rayyan SC has played occasional finals here without ever making it a permanent base. The record crowd, 45,344, came for England's 6-2 win over Iran in the 2022 World Cup group stage.