Qatar’s FIFA World Cup stadiums fitted with hi-tech air condition systems

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar will be ground breaking in a number of ways when the first ball is kicked at the Al Bayt Stadium on November 20 as it will not only be the first time this global event takes place in a Gulf country, but also the first time stadiums will be cooled mechanically.

FIFA agreed to Qatar hosting the 2022 event but insisted the tournament be moved from the usual June-July spot to later in the year, due to Qatar’s soaring temperatures in the summer months.

While temperatures in November-December are much milder, they can still reach 30 degrees Celsius.

In summer, however, it is impossible to play football outdoors in Qatar with temperatures ranging between 40 and 50 degrees Celsius.

Despite the tournament taking place in Qatar’s cooler months, players and fans will still face hot and humid conditions, which led Qatari officials to devise a cooling plan.

Now, all eight stadiums have been equipped with specially designed cooling units.

The technology has been developed along with Qatar University, using solar energy to power fans that pull in outside air and cool it.

Saud Abdulaziz Abdul Ghani, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Qatar University and nicknamed “Dr Cool”, worked for 13 years on the system that he says will keep the players and turf healthy and even eliminate body odor in a packed stadium.

In an interview with FIFA.com, he said: “We are not just cooling the air, we’re cleaning it.

“We’re purifying the air for spectators. For example, people who have allergies won’t have problems inside our stadiums as we have the cleanest and purest air there is.

“Pre-cooled air comes in through grills built into the stands and large nozzles alongside the pitch. Using the air circulation technique, cooled air is then drawn back, re-cooled, filtered and pushed out where it is needed.”

He also said the system is 40 percent more “sustainable” than existing techniques. All eight stadiums are air-conditioned and according to the organizers they will be carbon-neutral.

At the 40,000-capacity Al Janoub Stadium, which will host seven games Ghani said a two-meter-high “completely isolated bubble” of cool air will envelop the pitch and stands.

Inside the bubble, players and fans will be kept at 21 degrees Celsius by jets blasting air at the pitch side and under spectators’ seats.

Sensors around the stadium will keep the temperature constant and even adjust air flows for seats in the shade or sun.

The rising air is sucked back into the stadium cooling system, cleaned by water kept at a brisk 7 degrees Celsius and pumped out again by the jets.

“The players will have the best experience of their lives,” said Ghani, highlighting how the chilled air would prevent injuries and illness suffered in extreme heat.

The power for the system comes from a giant solar farm in the desert outside the capital Doha, he added.