The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), the organisation responsible for delivering the infrastructure required to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup™, yesterday participated in the fifth edition of the World Stadium Congress, a leading industry conference focused on exploring and celebrating the most exciting sports venues in the world today.

Ali Mohamed Al Asmakh, the SC's Commercial and Procurement Director, led the SC delegation, giving a keynote speech to hundreds of attendees on Qatar's hosting plans and the rapid progress being made towards the 22^rd edition of the FIFA World Cup™, which kicks off on 21 November 2022.

With one host venue, Khalifa International Stadium, already operational, and main contractor works on two more - Al Bayt Stadium-Al Khor City and Al Wakrah Stadium - due to finish within 12 months, Qatar's World Cup progress dominated discussion among the industry leaders in attendance.

"There are many things that make the Qatar World Cup unique," Al Asmakh explained during his speech. "From our compact tournament footprint, which means fans will be able to watch two live games per day for the first time in World Cup history, to our eight beautiful, innovative stadiums, we are going to deliver on the promise we made in 2010 when we told the world to expect amazing."

World Stadium Congress 2018 is a two-day conference taking place at the Johan Cruyff Arena, home of Eredivisie side Ajax, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Henk Markerink, CEO of Cruyff Arena, which boasts Europe's first retractable roof, opened the conference and offered delegates a tour of the stadium's facilities. During the tour, he emphasised the importance of stadium legacy and involvement in the community, positively framing the SC's unique legacy plans – such as modular seating tiers and community engagement activities.

In addition to Al Asmakh's speech, the SC delegation engaged with a number of businesses and media representatives to explain Qatar's World Cup hosting plans and answer questions. The conference will continue for a second day with a panel discussion on the world's first and only fully-demountable FIFA World Cup™ stadium – Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, which is under construction on Doha's iconic Corniche.