Goodbye to 974: the stadium where Argentina played its best game said goodbye with dance from Brazil to South Korea

Brazil beat South Korea 4-1 for the round of 16 Qatar 2022 World Cup. The meeting took place at the Stadium 974 and those directed by Tite gave a real demonstration of high-flying football. However, and despite the exhaustive analysis that can be done of the game, there was a peculiarity unprecedented until now.

It turns out that the Brazil vs. South Korea was the last to be played at Stadium 974. The particularity is that it is the first removable stadium in the history of the World Cup and having fulfilled its function of hosting the World Cup matches will be disarmed.

Designed by English architect Mark Fenwickit was known from the beginning that the stadium would be something temporary and that it had to be dismantled.

For this, he used pieces of Lego bricks as inspiration, which he used to create the first model of the stadium.

Now, the land it sits on will become an urban space and promenade along Doha’s West Bay.

Located on the shores of the Gulf, the 974 Stadium was built with containers of different colors, and its particular design also makes it an outdoor stadium with mixed ventilation.

Its official inauguration took place on November 30, 2021 in the match between the United Arab Emirates and Syria for the 2021 Arab Cup, and during the same event the creators announced the radical change of name of the field.

“When we started the project we used a Lego box to capture the first ideas and the first colours”, explained the architect during an interview. Furthermore, she explained that “the containers can be joined and stacked, like in a Lego, and in this way it is built like a Lego building and then each color is a use”.

In total there were seven matches that took place in this stadium, which has a capacity of 44,089 spectators.

One of them was the victory of the Argentine national team against Poland, the best match so far for the team led by Lionel Scaloni. On that occasion, with goals from Alexis MacAllister and Julián Álvarez, Albiceleste secured their ticket to the round of 16.

In general, host countries refurbish or build new stadiums to be up to the task and meet all the required requirements. fifa. Also, the large investments that are being made ensure that the buildings remain for posterity and are used in future occasions or as an incentive for sport. In Qatar this will not happen, since, when the disarmament is completed, there will be no trace of the stadium that had Lionel Messi on its lawn or where Brazil practiced their dream football.

What will be the future of 974?

It has not yet been confirmed where the 974 will be rebuilt. There has been speculation that it will be in an African country, although the possibility has surfaced in recent days that it will be in Uruguay if the organization of the 2030 World Cup takes place there, together with Argentina , Chile and Paraguay.​

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