More venues
Qatar's sporting map goes well beyond the eight 2022 grounds. Here is where to find the floodlit circuit, Aspire Zone's halls and pools, the tennis courts, the indoor arenas and the league's club stadiums.
Night racing at Lusail International Circuit in 2010.
Two hubs and a ring of club grounds
Most of Qatar's other big venues sit in two clusters: Aspire Zone in Al Rayyan, west of the centre, and Lusail to the north.
Aspire Zone gathers a stadium, an indoor dome, an aquatics centre and a large park around one metro station, while Lusail adds a motor-racing circuit and the country's biggest indoor arena. The tennis complex stands alone near West Bay, and league clubs play in compact grounds across Doha, Al Rayyan and Al Wakrah. Big events cluster between roughly October and April.
Motorsport
Built on the northern edge of Lusail, the circuit opened in 2004, the year the motorcycle Grand Prix first came to Qatar, and the race has been a fixture ever since. In 2008 permanent floodlights made it the first night race in the history of the motorcycle world championship, and the brightly lit track against the dark desert is still the circuit's signature.
World-championship car racing arrived in 2021, sat out 2022 during the World Cup and has returned every year since 2023, with rebuilt facilities and a larger capacity. The lap measures about 5.4 km, with a main straight of roughly a kilometre.
Sessions run into the evening, after the heat has gone. Desert nights in winter can turn cool and windy, so bring a light jacket, and ear plugs for children. There is no metro station: organisers have typically run shuttle buses from metro stations on race weekends, but arrangements change, so check the official event information for your dates.
Al Rayyan
Aspire Zone, also called Doha Sports City, grew up around Khalifa International Stadium for the 2006 Asian Games. It is Qatar's nearest thing to an Olympic park: indoor halls, pitches, an aquatics centre and a sports academy, all within walking distance of Sport City station on the Gold Line, with the torch-shaped Aspire Tower as a landmark.
Come late in the afternoon, when the paths fill with runners and families, and pair a walk with a look at the oldest of the eight World Cup stadiums.
Indoor arena
Opened in 2005 to designs by the French architect Roger Taillibert, the dome can stage more than a dozen sports at once. It hosted the 2010 World Indoor Athletics Championships, the 2018 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and the swimming at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships.
Aquatics
Built for the 2006 Asian Games, the centre has hosted the 2014 short-course World Swimming Championships and the diving at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships.
Park
One of Doha's largest green spaces, with a lake, shaded lawns and running paths, at its liveliest after sunset and on weekend evenings.
Museum
Opened in 2022 beside Khalifa International Stadium, it covers the Olympic Games and sport in Qatar and the region, with hands-on displays for children. Check opening hours on its official channels.
Courts and halls
Three venues carry most of the racket and indoor sports.
Tennis and squash
Opened in 1992 near West Bay, the complex has staged a men's professional tournament since 1993 and a women's event since 2001, plus the season-ending women's championships from 2008 to 2010. The centre court seats about 7,000, and both tournaments fall early in the year.
Lusail
Opened in 2014 and designed by Dar Al-Handasah, the domed arena seats more than 15,000. It staged the final of the 2015 World Men's Handball Championship and is due to host the deciding rounds of the 2027 Basketball World Cup.
Al Sadd sports complex
Opened in late 2014 for the same handball championship, it holds about 7,700 and is home to Al Sadd's handball team. It has hosted world championships in boxing (2015) and judo (2023).
League football
A league match shows another side of Qatari football: smaller crowds, family groups and an easy walk in and out.
The Qatar Stars League season runs from late summer into spring, mostly with evening kick-offs. Al Rayyan play at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium and cup finals move to the World Cup venues, but most clubs use compact grounds of their own, several of them shared.
| Stadium | Club or clubs | Area | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jassim bin Hamad Stadium | Al Sadd | Western Doha | c. 13,000 |
| Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium | Al Duhail | Duhail, Doha | c. 10,000 |
| Grand Hamad Stadium | Al-Arabi, Al Shahaniya | Doha | c. 12,000 |
| Thani bin Jassim Stadium | Al-Gharafa, Umm Salal | Al Gharrafa, Al Rayyan | c. 21,000 |
| Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium | Al Ahli, Al-Sailiya | Doha | c. 12,000 |
| Suheim bin Hamad Stadium | Qatar SC | Doha | c. 12,000 |
| Saoud bin Abdulrahman Stadium | Al-Wakrah | Al Wakrah | c. 12,000 |
Clubs as listed for the 2025–26 league season. Grounds are shared and can change, and published capacities differ between sources.
Some have stories beyond the league. Jassim bin Hamad Stadium hosted the whole 2004 Gulf Cup and the 2006 Asian Games football final. During the 2022 World Cup, France trained there, Brazil were based at Grand Hamad Stadium and England at Saoud bin Abdulrahman Stadium in Al Wakrah.
Entry arrangements vary and fixtures can move at short notice, so check the league's or the club's official channels on the day.
Calendar
Two of the biggest events Qatar has staged outside football are on the way.
Some fixtures return every year: tennis early in the year, the motorcycle Grand Prix mostly in spring and the car Grand Prix towards the end of the year. Dates move, so confirm with each event's official channels. For older milestones, see the stadiums overview.
Qatar began a run of annual men's under-17 World Cups in November 2025, with the final at Khalifa International Stadium.
From 27 August to 12 September 2027, 32 teams play the first Basketball World Cup in the Arab world, with Lusail Sports Arena as the main venue.
Doha hosts the Games for a second time, currently scheduled for November 2030, with Khalifa International Stadium at the centre. Dates could still change.
Visiting tips
The metro gets you close to most of these venues; the last kilometre is where plans go wrong. Aspire Zone is a short walk from Sport City station, but for Lusail's circuit and arena, the tennis complex and the club grounds, plan the final stretch by taxi, app or event shuttle. Our matchday guide and getting around pages have the details.
Aspire Zone: Khalifa International Stadium, Aspire Dome, Hamad Aquatic Centre, Aspire Park and the 3-2-1 Museum Sport City station, then a short walk
Lusail Sports Arena and Lusail International Circuit Lusail area, then a taxi or an event shuttle
Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex A short taxi ride from West Bay
Club stadiums and Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena Most are a short ride from the nearest metro station
Event-day arrangements change. Check the metro operator's and the venue's current information before you travel.