A joint venture of leading Qatari contractor HBK Contracting and China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) has won the main contract for the 80,000-seater Lusail Stadium in Qatar.

The announcement from the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) comes following the successful completion of the schematic design of the iconic stadium by British architectural firm Foster + Partners.

Located in Lusail, a new $45-billion city being built 20 km north of Qatar’s capital Doha, the stadium is scheduled for completion by 2020 and will host the opening and final matches of the 2022 Fifa World Cup Qatar.

The stadium is located on a 1-sq-km precinct plot along Al Khor Expressway in the western edge of Lusail City.

The long-term plans for the precinct include various developments such as a theatre district that will be the first of its kind in the region.

Lusail Stadium and its surrounding precinct will offer a variety of legacy uses to the inhabitants of Lusail City and the greater community after the event, in partnership with Lusail Real Estate Development Company, Qatari Diar and private sector developers.

The legacy concept for the stadium will be presented along with the Lusail Stadium design in 2017. 

“We are delighted to award the main contract for Lusail Stadium to HBK and CRCC as a joint venture. This awarding represents another important project milestone and comes at a significant time as Qatar and the SC reach the half-way point in our 2022 Fifa World Cup journey,” remarked SC secretary general Hassan Al Thawadi.

The SC has also awarded a key contract to Qatari firm Marafeq for providing district cooling to the stadium. As per the deal, Marafeq will provide up to 30,000 tons of refrigeration (TR) before and during the tournament.

Construction work on the Lusail stadium site began in 2014, with Time Qatar as the project manager. Most recently early works and site office construction projects were completed by Galfar Al Misnad, with levelling and grading works and site and access roads completed by local contractor Marbu Contracting.