Many stadiums at the 2022 World Cup will be downsized after the tournament or converted into shopping malls, schools and clinics. That sounds reasonable – but it doesn’t lighten up the devastating environmental impact of the World Cup in the desert.
Stadium 974, located ten kilometers east of Doha, looks like King Kong played with Lego Technic. Colorful containers are installed in the steel frame of the arena, exactly 974 pieces, as if by a giant hand they were lifted up to the stands. However, King Kong didn’t put too much effort into building it: the stadium, it groaned, it moaned, it whimpered when, for example, Argentina played there. The celebration of the fans after the 2-0 win against Poland, this explosion in the stands (reached the round of 16!), the Stadium 974 only endured it with pain.