# Ahmad bin Ali Stadium

The new Ahmad bin Ali Stadium (Arabic: ملعب أحمد بن علي, romanized: Malʿab ʾAḥmad bin ʿAliyy), popularly known as Al-Rayyan Stadium, is an association football stadium located in the district of Rawdat Al Jahhaniya, Qatar, around 9 kilometres (6 miles) northwest from the centre of Al Rayyan. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is home to Al-Rayyan Sports Club. The stadium is named after Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar from 1960 to 1972. The former stadium, built in 2003, had a seating capacity of 21,282 and was demolished in 2015. The new Al Rayyan Stadium has a seating capacity of 45,032.
The stadium is located about 20 km west of Doha.

## Construction

The Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium was one of eight stadiums used in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The former Ahmad bin Ali Stadium was demolished in 2015 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.
The construction of the new stadium started in early 2016. This was done by the joint venture between Al-Balagh and Larsen & Toubro. After the World Cup the stadium will be reduced to 21,000 seats. The new stadium was built for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which was hosted by Qatar.
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, and all seats were shaded.

## Events

The inauguration of the stadium took place on 18 December 2020, which was Qatar's National Day, and exactly two years before the country hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup final. The stadium was one of two venues used for the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup.
The Ahmad bin Ali Stadium hosted four matches for the FIFA Arab Cup 2021. 2021 Turkish Super Cup was played at the stadium.
On 23 February 2024, the stadium would host the charity match "Match For Hope". This charity match included many big stars such as Kaká, 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.

## Recent tournament results
### 2021 FIFA Arab Cup

| Date | Time | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
| 30 November 2021 | 13:00 | Tunisia | 5–1 | Mauritania | Group B | 2,494 |
| 1 December 2021 | 13:00 | Algeria | 4–0 | Sudan | Group D | 2,203 |
| 4 December 2021 | 13:00 | Jordan | 0–4 | Morocco | Group C | 7,890 |
| 6 December 2021 | 22:00 | Oman | 3–0 | Bahrain | Group A | 2,477 |

### 2022 FIFA World Cup

The Ahmad bin Ali Stadium hosted seven matches during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
| Date | Time | Team No. 1 | Result | Team No. 2 | Round | Attendance |
| 21 November 2022 | 22:00 | United States | 1–1 | Wales | Group B | 43,418 |
| 23 November 2022 | 22:00 | Belgium | 1–0 | Canada | Group F | 40,432 |
| 25 November 2022 | 13:00 | Wales | 0–2 | Iran | Group B | 40,875 |
| 27 November 2022 | 13:00 | Japan | 0–1 | Costa Rica | Group E | 41,479 |
| 29 November 2022 | 22:00 | Wales | 0–3 | England | Group B | 44,297 |
| 1 December 2022 | 18:00 | Croatia | 0–0 | Belgium | Group F | 43,984 |
| 3 December 2022 | 22:00 | Argentina | 2–1 | Australia | Round of 16 | 45,032 |

### 2023 AFC Asian Cup

On 5 April 2023, the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium was chosen one of eight (then nine) venues for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
| Date | Time | Team No. 1 | Result | Team No. 2 | Round | Attendance |
| 13 January 2024 | 14:30 | Australia | 2–0 | India | Group B | 35,253 |
| 15 January 2024 | 17:30 | Indonesia | 1–3 | Iraq | Group D | 16,532 |
| 18 January 2024 | 17:30 | India | 0–3 | Uzbekistan | Group B | 38,491 |
| 21 January 2024 | 20:30 | Kyrgyzstan | 0–2 | Saudi Arabia | Group F | 39,557 |
| 28 January 2024 | 19:00 | Tajikistan | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–3 p) | United Arab Emirates | Round of 16 | 33,584 |
| 2 February 2024 | 14:30 | Tajikistan | 0–1 | Jordan | Quarter-finals | 35,530 |
| 6 February 2024 | 18:00 | Jordan | 2–0 | South Korea | Semi-finals | 42,850 |