Stadium 974, an everlasting legacy

While eight state-of-the-art stadiums were among the highlights of the historic FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, held from November 20 to December 18, Stadium 974 was unique in every sense.Constructed entirely from shipping containers and modular steel, the first fully demountable covered football stadium, showcased Qatar’s commitment to cost-effective sustainability and daring design.Stadium 974 hosted seven matches during the World Cup, with six group games and one Round of 16 knockout match. The unique venue paid tribute to Qatar’s long-standing tradition of worldwide trade and seafaring.Not only is 974 the international dialling code for Qatar, but it is also the exact number of shipping containers used in construction. It is also the first-ever FIFA compliant stadium that can be fully dismantled and re-purposed post-event.Now, Qatar residents and tourists are coming to the 974 Stadium premises to take souvenir pictures of a landmark that would be history in due course as the containers and super-structure will be reused elsewhere, as announced earlier, leaving an everlasting legacy. PICTURES: Gulf Times news editor Bonnie James