The 80,000-seat Lusail Stadium - also the venue for the 2022 World Cup final - was revealed in an elaborate ceremony attended by Qatar's Ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and other dignitaries, including the United Nations' secretary-general, Antonio Guterres.

His Excellency Hassan Al Thawadi, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy Secretary General, called the unveiling a "significant milestone".

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Qatar
Population: 2.7 million
Capital city: Doha
Official language: Arabic (English is widely used)
Currency: Qatari riyal

-Before the discovery of oil in 1940, Qatar’s economy focused on fishing and pearl hunting

-Qatar has the third highest natural gas reserves in the world

-Home of Al Jazeera Media Network, Qatar Airways and Aspire Academy

-Qatar Sports Investments owns Paris Saint-Germain Football Club

Infantino visited Al Wakrah Stadium before taking a helicopter ride to view the other seven proposed tournament venues, along with several training sites on Tuesday.

He arrived in Al Wakrah after becoming one of the first people to travel on the new Doha Metro, which will open to the public by the end of the year, and then traveled from Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC), in West Bay, to Al Wakrah, a journey south which took approximately 20 minutes.

Al Thumama Stadium, whose ‘gahfiya’-inspired design was unveiled last year, won global future project recognition from the architecture industry in May in the sports and stadium category.

Al Wakrah Stadium, designed by the late Zaha Hadid, and Al Bayt Stadium are two of the other 2022 venues which are inspired by Arabic cultural motifs in their celebrated designs.

Right-back Kotal and left-back Das, who had featured in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign of the Blue Tigers, played important roles at the back to help Stephen Constantine’s side qualify for their first AFC Asian Cup next year since the 2011 edition in Qatar.

The duo, who ply their trade for India Super League side Delhi Dynamos, were part of their club’s guided tour around the SC’s Legacy Pavilion facility in Doha, where they recently underwent a week-long pre-season training at the Aspire Academy. The 25-year-old defenders took time off during the visit to speak to the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.

The Liverpool icon, who won three European Cups, recently visited the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy’s Legacy Pavilion, where he spoke exclusively to www.sc.qa.

What are your thoughts on the FIFA World Cup™ heading to Qatar in 2022?

For football, Qatar 2022 is great news. It’s only the second World Cup to be hosted in Asia, which doesn’t sound right when you consider the enormous interest in football across the region. The big clubs in England have been reaching out to Asia for a number of years, so it’s fitting the tournament is returning to this part of the world.

Personally, I’m looking forward to Qatar. Many people were concerned about this year’s tournament in Russia, but it has turned out to be an outstanding success. I’m sure it will be a similar story in Qatar.

Qatar is going to host a compact tournament. How important will this be in terms of overall event experience?

The world will see something totally unprecedented in Qatar. It’s amazing that the two farthest stadiums are within an hour of each other. Fans can stay in the same hotel throughout and really enjoy the football – potentially watching two matches a day. It’s fantastic.

Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, FIFA president Gianni Infantino and President of Russia Valdimir Putin participated in a handover ceremony ahead of the final on Sunday.

The hosts of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, who have been actively working on preparations for the event since 2011, are getting ready to take the World Cup centre stage.

Over the past six weeks, 180 professionals appointed by Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) shadowed and observed the 2018 FIFA World Cup operation in the 11 Host Cities.

On top of that, more than 30,000 football fans visited the exhibits managed by the SC in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, a taste of the atmosphere they can expect in 2022.

The next four years were also discussed in a meeting held on July 13 between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the managing director of the SC, H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Al Thani.

“We already work very closely with Qatar 2022, and the experience here in Russia made the bonds even stronger. The shadowing programme provided a fantastic opportunity to share knowledge and exchange experience,” said Infantino.

“Qatar’s public interactions in Moscow and Saint Petersburg ignited excitement among the global football community and the reaction was fantastic, with fans and the general public very keen to engage with Qatari culture and heritage. 

"The activities showcase the fact that Qatar will host a unique tournament – one that is compact, welcoming to all and family-friendly.”

Source: FIFA.com, FIFA via Getty Images

Some 4,500 people packed out the stadium's fan zone as it showed France beating Belgium 1-0 in the 2018 FIFA World Cup semi-final in Russia, knowing that the clock is ticking for Qatar's World Cup in 2022.