SC Secretary General, H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi, said at the announcement: "We are delighted to award the main contract to AlJaber Engineering and Tekfen as a Joint-Venture. The stadium in Al Thumama is located in one of the most rapidly developing areas of Doha. Once ready, the stadium and its surrounding precinct will not only become one of the capital's central sporting arenas, but will also serve the local community as a central community destination."

Al Thawadi continued: "I am confident that the signing of Al Jaber Engineering and Tekfen Construction, one of the leading construction companies in Turkey, will deliver an outstanding, legacy-oriented stadium for a historic tournament."

The stadium is located in an area of 515,400 square meters that already comprises four outdoor training pitches and office facilities currently used by the Qatar Football Association Technical Committee. The stadium will have a reduced capacity of 20,000 seats in its post tournament legacy mode as part of the SC's modular stadium legacy plans.

Eng. Hilal Al-Kuwari, Technical Delivery Office Chairman at the SC, said: "We're pleased to bring together two firms as reputable as AlJaber and Tekfen to deliver such an important project for the SC and Qatar. The awarding of this contract represents another important project milestone, coming at a significant time as Qatar and the SC move beyond the half-way point in its World Cup journey. The appointment of a local company in this joint venture also demonstrates our commitment to ensuring the economic legacy for Qatar, post 2022."

On being awarded the contract as the Lead Partner of the JV, Osama Hadid, CEO of AlJaber Engineering Company, said: "We are thankful the SC has entrusted us with the responsibility of constructing such an important development for the City of Doha and the communities that thrive in the district of Al Thumama. Being a Qatari company we are proud to build such a strategically important venue for this historic tournament. We will ensure delivery of a stadium that makes the residents of Al Thumama and the wider Doha community proud when it opens its doors for the tournament in 2022."

Levent Kafkasli, President of Tekfen Construction, said: "On behalf of Tekfen Construction and all of its employees, I would like to thank the SC for entrusting us with the task of delivering such an important stadium for the city of Doha and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Turkey already has strong relations with Qatar and we are honoured to further strengthen this relationship by joining hands with our Qatari Joint-Venture partner, AlJaber Engineering Company."

Ibrahim M. Jaidah, AEB's GCEO and Chief Architect, said: "We are honored to be part of Al Thumama Stadium as design architects. This achievement for a local company shows the benefits that hosting the World Cup has created for local companies to take part in a tournament that will be viewed by millions, for the first time in the Middle East. The Arab Engineering Bureau is the first consulting office in Qatar in 1966. AEB has been awarded many local and international awards for reflecting the Qatari and Islamic identity in its modern designs."

Construction began in Al Thumama in mid-2016, with TiME Qatar as the project managers. Most recently levelling and grading works were completed by Boom Construction. The stadium design will be launched in 2017.

Progress continues

In 2016, main works were awarded to Al Rayyan Stadium and Qatar Foundation Stadium and Lusail Stadium, which joined Khalifa International Stadium, Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor City and Al Wakrah Stadium in construction main works stage. Ras Abu Aboud Stadium will award the main contract in the second quarter of 2017.

All contracts on the stadium in Al Thumama incorporate the SC's Workers' Welfare Standards. Contractual enforcement of these standards and a rigorous four-tier auditing system guarantees international best practice on the stadium.