Khalifa International Stadium

Khalifa International Stadium is part of the Aspire Zone sports complex in Al Rayyan, about 9 kilometres west of central Doha. Owned by the Qatar Football Association, it is the main home ground of Qatar's men's national football team.

The stadium opened in 1976 and was named after the then Emir, Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani. It was enlarged for the 2006 Asian Games, when it was joined to the Aspire Zone and given a roofed grandstand with a large arch. The current fully roofed version, designed by Dar Al-Handasah with 45,857 seats, reopened in 2017 as the first completed 2022 World Cup venue.

The stadium has a running track and a grass pitch, and cooling technology keeps temperatures down. It hosted the 2011 AFC Asian Cup final, the 2019 World Athletics Championships, and eight matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, including the opening group match of England against Iran and the third-place play-off.

The 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum stands next to the stadium. Sport City station on the Doha Metro Gold Line serves Aspire Zone. Access inside the stadium is mainly through ticketed events.

England's 6-2 opener and seven more World Cup games

Khalifa International Stadium staged eight matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. England opened with a 6-2 win over Iran on 21 November in front of 45,344 people, still the stadium's record crowd. Two days later Japan came from behind to beat Germany 2-1, and on 1 December Japan beat Spain 2-1 on the same pitch to top their group.

The Netherlands beat the United States 3-1 here in the round of 16. The last game of the tournament at Khalifa was the third-place play-off on 17 December, when Croatia beat Morocco 2-1.

From the Gulf Cup to the Asian Cup

The stadium opened in 1976 for the 4th Arabian Gulf Cup and hosted all 22 games of that tournament, which Kuwait won. For the 2006 Asian Games the western stand was rebuilt as a two-tier, fully roofed grandstand, and the arch on the east side carried the fireworks at the opening ceremony. After the 2017 renovation it became the first stadium to earn a four-star rating under the Global Sustainability Assessment System.

It also hosted matches of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, played in January 2024, including Qatar's 1-0 win over China. Check Qatar Football Association fixtures for current matches, as events are the main way to see inside.