The newAhmad bin Ali Stadium (Arabic:ملعب أحمد بن علي,romanized: Malʿab ʾAḥmad bin ʿAliyy),[3][4] popularly known asAl-Rayyan Stadium, is anassociation football stadium located in the district ofRawdat Al Jahhaniya, Qatar, around 9 kilometres (6 miles) northwest from the centre ofAl Rayyan. It is currently used mostly forfootball matches and is home toAl-Rayyan Sports Club. The stadium is named afterAhmad bin Ali Al Thani, theEmir ofQatar from 1960 to 1972.[5] Theformer stadium, built in 2003, had a seating capacity of 21,282 and was demolished in 2015.[6] The new Al Rayyan Stadium has a seating capacity of 45,032.[1]
The stadium is located about 20 km west ofDoha.[7]
The Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium was one of eight stadiums used in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[8][9]
Theformer Ahmad bin Ali Stadium was demolished in 2015[10] to make way for the Al Rayyan Stadium. 90 percent of the rubble resulting from the demolition of the stadium is anticipated to be reused either for the new stadium or for public art projects.[11]
The construction of the new stadium started in early 2016.[12] This was done by the joint venture between Al-Balagh andLarsen & Toubro. After the World Cup the stadium will be reduced to 21,000 seats.[11] The new stadium was built for the2022 FIFA World Cup, which was hosted by Qatar.[13]
The renovation includes a huge 'media facade' with a membrane that will act as a screen for projections, news, commercials, sports updates, current tournament information and matches. Seating capacity was increased to 40,740,[14] and all seats were shaded.
On 23 February 2024, the stadium would host the charity match "Match For Hope". This charity match included many big stars such asKaká,Eden Hazard,IShowSpeed,Chunkz and many more. The team names were Team Chunkz vs Team Aboflah. Team Chunkz would win vs Team Aboflah 7-5. It eventually raised more than $8.85 million dollars for charity.