The lighting design of the eight football stadiums in the 2022 FIFA World Cup!

One of the much-anticipated global events—the 2022 FIFA World Cup, is about to begin after years of preparation. Fans can’t hold back their excitement, right? Football games are certainly worth looking forward to, but for designers, the eight football stadiums of this year’s World Cup are also a highlight.

1. Main venue Lusail Stadium

The Lusail Stadium is the first World Cup main venue undertaken by Chinese company. The Lusail Stadium, which can accommodate 80,000 people, is the largest of the eight stadium buildings. It will be hold the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals.

The design of the Lusail Stadium is full of futuristic, inspired by the light and shadow pattern of the traditional Arabian lantern (Fanar Lantern). Its structural form and façade respond to the intricate motifs of works of art and furniture throughout the Arab and Islamic worlds of earlier civilizations.

The lighting effects on the building façade, displaying the traditional Qatari enamelled lampwork, visually reinforce the bowl’s structural diagonal grid and form a perforated screen that provides shade and filters dappled light to the interior lobby. The exterior of the stadium is glittering with gold, highlighting the Arabic cultural characteristics of the Middle East Gulf region where Qatar is located, hence the name of the building "Great Golden Bowl".

At night, the advanced lighting system will "maximize the interaction of lights and façade openings, and can simulate the glow of fan lights." The building is topped by a "spoke wheel" cable-net roof, the largest in the world. One of the stretched cable-net roofs of the stadium looks lifelike under the illumination of the lights. It is reported that the lighting products of a complex project around the Lusail Stadium are provided by Chinese company.

2. Janub Stadium                                                                                                                                   Zaha Hadid Architects was selected to work with AECOM in 2013 to design and build the Al Janoub Stadium. One of the oldest settlements in southern Doha, Al Wakrah is a rich cultural site with a deep archaeological heritage. The stadium's design was inspired by the city's history of pearl diving, fishing and traditional dhows.

3. Bay Stadium

AlBayt Stadium is located in the northern city of AlKhor, a city famous for pearl diving and fishing. The design of the stadium pays tribute to Qatar's past and present, highlighting the city's culture, tradition and history. Inspired by traditional nomadic tents, the venue design has a modular design with detachable upper seats and will be dismantled after the World Cup to give to developing countries in need of sports infrastructure.

4. Ahmed Ben Ali Stadium

The Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, home to Qatar's most famous football team in Al Rayyan City, has been designed to incorporate symbols of Qatari culture and tradition to celebrate the site's close-knit community. One of the main design features of the stadium is an undulating facade composed of different patterns that represent different aspects of Qatar, such as "the weight of the family, the beauty of the desert, native flora and fauna, and native and international trade".

5. Education City Stadium

The Education City Stadium is situated in a vibrant center of knowledge and innovation, surrounded by academic venues and sporting organisations. During construction, excavators unearthed rocks dating back 20-30 million years. This unexpected discovery forced them to dig a further 17 meters, and the stadium was built below sea level for this purpose. The triangular pattern of the façade is a reimagining of traditional arabesques, changing color during the day as the sun moves.

6. 974 Stadium

The 974 Stadium, formerly known as Ras AbouAboud, was inspired by Qatar's international trade and maritime industries and is considered one of the most innovative designs of all 8 stadium buildings. The number "974" is significant to the project, both as Qatar's international dialing code and as the number of shipping containers used in the construction of the venue.

7. Khalifa International Stadium

Built in Al Rayyan in 1976, the Khalifa Stadium has long been one of the most high-profile stadiums, hosting events such as the Asian Games, Arabian Gulf Cup and AFC Asian Cup. For the World Cup, the stadium was expanded to accommodate 40,000 fans and fitted with "innovative cooling technology" to allow players to play in comfort.

8. Altumama Stadium

AlThumama Stadium (AlThumama Stadium) is located 12 kilometers south of Doha. Its design is inspired by the weaving pattern of Gahfiya, the traditional headdress worn by Muslim men in the Arab region, and reflects Arab culture through the weaving of the facade. Compared with traditional stadiums, the stadium can save more than 40% of fresh water, and use recycled water to irrigate vegetation and greenery. 50,000 square meters of parkland are integrated into the design, with 84% of the landscape covered by native tree species