A number of French officials showed their praise for Qatar's World Cup 2022 stadiums with added acclaim for the focus on diversity which has been a source in inspiring many of the designs. The creation of sustainable sporting arenas inspired by Qatari and Arabic culture ahead of a global event in 2022 which will bring together cultures from all over the world was lauded by the French delegation.

This accolade came from a series of representatives from the culture, sports and art sectors who attended a reception hosted by Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al Thani (the Qatari ambassador in France) as part of a celebration of the Qatari-French 2020 Year of Culture where an in-depth presentation of the 2022 Qatar World Cup stadiums was delivered. 

Old and new

During the ceremony, Bin Jassim highlighted the architectural and technical characteristics that distinguish the Qatar World Cup stadiums. He focused on how they manifest various aspects of Qatari cultures with a mix of traditional Arab heritage with a modern slant focusing on the new technologies used in creating the stadiums which make them all favourable to the environment with some of the grounds having the ability to be dismantled with parts of the stadium being able to be donated to other developing countries after the event.

The Qatari ambassador stressed that this donating parts of stadiums after the 2022 World Cup will help develop football worldwide in emerging nations.

Sheikh Mishaal bin Hamad Al-Thani also highlighted the importance of sustainable models when Qatar focuses on sporting ventures and emphasised the social stakes, economic and technical aspects for the sector.