Address Al Waab St, Doha, Qatar Opened 3 March 1976 Phone +974 6685 4611 | Surface Grass Capacity 40,000 Renovated 2005 | |
Coordinates 25°15'48.8"N 51°26'52.6"E Similar Aspire Zone, Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Saoud bin Abdulrahman Stadium, Lusail Iconic Stadium | ||
Khalifa International Stadium (Arabic: ملعب خليفة الدولي) also known as National Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Doha, Qatar as part of the Doha Sports City complex, which also includes Aspire Academy, Hamad Aquatic Centre, and the Aspire Tower. It is named after Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar's former Emir. The final of 2011 AFC Asian Cup was held at this stadium.
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History
The stadium was originally opened in 1976, but was fully renovated and expanded in 2005 prior to the 2006 Asian Games in order to increase its capacity from 20,000 to 40,000. A roof has also been built on the western side of the stadium, along with a large arch on the eastern side which was used as a platform for the launch of fireworks during the 2006 Asian Games opening ceremony. Before its renovation it was used mostly for football matches, but it includes facilities for many other sports. Since 1997 it hosts the annual track and field event Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix, now as part of the IAAF Diamond League. It is currently the stadium of Qatar national football team. It will host the 17th IAAF World Championships in Athletics in autumn 2019.
The venue hosted two international friendly football matches between Brazil and England on 14 November 2009 and Brazil and Argentina on 17 November 2010 and the athletics of the 2009 ISF World School Games, held between 8–12 December 2009.
The stadium also hosted the inaugural function of the 2011 Pan Arab Games.