Shimmering like a golden bowl in the desert 20 kilometers north of Doha, Lusail Stadium is the crown jewel of Qatar’s 2022 World Cup build-out — and the stage for what many call the greatest World Cup final ever played. With 88,966 seats it is the largest stadium in Qatar and the entire Middle East, earning it a place among the largest stadiums in the world. On December 18, 2022, a capacity crowd watched Lionel Messi’s Argentina outlast Kylian Mbappé’s France here in a final for the ages.
Key Stats
| Capacity | 88,966 |
| Opened | Built 2017–2021; inaugurated September 9, 2022 |
| Primary use | Football (2022 FIFA World Cup final venue; Qatar national team fixtures) |
| Location | Lusail, Qatar (about 20 km north of Doha) |
| Record attendance | 88,966 — reached at 2022 World Cup matches including the Argentina–France final |
A Golden Vessel Built for the World Cup
Designed by Foster + Partners with Populous, Lusail Stadium takes its form from the fanar lantern and the ornate bowls and vessels of the Arab world, its saddle-shaped roof wrapped in a facade of gilded, perforated cladding that glows at sunset. Construction began on April 11, 2017, carried out as a joint venture between HBK Contracting and the China Railway Construction Corporation, and the stadium was completed in 2021. Like Qatar’s other World Cup venues it uses solar-powered cooling and received a five-star GSAS sustainability rating for design and construction in August 2022.
The stadium’s public debut came on September 9, 2022, when it hosted the Lusail Super Cup between Saudi champion Al Hilal and Egyptian champion Zamalek in front of 77,575 fans — a full-dress rehearsal for the World Cup that kicked off two months later.
Ten World Cup Matches — and THAT Final
Lusail hosted ten matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, more than any other venue, including Argentina’s shock group-stage loss to Saudi Arabia and the semi-final against Croatia. Its record crowd of 88,966 was reached repeatedly during the tournament, first for Argentina vs Mexico on November 26, 2022. Then came the final: Argentina 3, France 3 after extra time — Messi scoring twice, Mbappé completing a hat-trick — before Argentina won the shootout 4–2 to claim its third title. It was the culmination of a tournament that made Lusail one of the most recognizable stadiums on Earth overnight.
After the World Cup
Lusail has stayed busy. It staged the opening match and the final of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup — where host Qatar lifted the trophy — and the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup. Original plans called for the bowl to be downsized to around 40,000 seats after the World Cup, with upper tiers converted into community space including shops, cafés and a health clinic; as of late 2025 that conversion had not begun, leaving the full 88,966-seat configuration intact. The stadium is directly served by the Lusail station on the Doha Metro’s Red Line, making it one of the region’s most accessible mega-venues.
FAQ
How many people does Lusail Stadium hold?
Lusail Stadium holds 88,966 spectators, making it the biggest stadium in Qatar and the Middle East — see how it compares on our list of the world’s largest stadiums.
What was the attendance at the 2022 World Cup final?
The Argentina–France final on December 18, 2022 was played before 88,966 fans — the stadium’s record crowd, matched at several other matches during the tournament, including Argentina vs Mexico.
Will Lusail Stadium be made smaller?
Post-World Cup plans call for reducing capacity to roughly 40,000 and repurposing parts of the building as community space, but the conversion has not yet taken place and the stadium still operates at full capacity.
Photo: Djawed_vlog via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)